The PHIL NORMAN TENTET

Equally well know as a composer, arranger, bandleader, pianist and educator, Bob garnered national and international acclaim in each of these roles. He lent his writing skills to Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Louis Bellson, Harry James, and The Tonight Show Band. He has also received one Grammy Award, thirteen Grammy nominations and two Emmy Awards. His own sensational Limited Edition big band recorded extensively and has appeared at both the Playboy and Monterey Jazz Festivals. Bob may be most recognized for his famous arrangement of Up a Lazy River as recorded be Sy Zentner.

MED FLORY

Med began his musical career in the early 40's playing and arranging for Claude Thornhill's Band. During his career he also played with such bands as Harry James, Charlie Barnet, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. As the 60's gave way to rock and roll, Med got into acting with Warner Bros in a variety of TV series including Lawman, Maverick, Sunset Strip, Daniel Boone and Gomer Pyle to name a few. It was during this period that Med gave birth to Supersax by transcribing the solos of Charlie Parker and arranging these harmonically for 5 saxes. His work was first recognized in 1973 for his first album Supersax Plays Bird which won a Grammy. Med won another Grammy for his album in 1983 entitled Supersax & the L.A. Voices which introduced a vocal quintet along with the Supersax ensemble. His arranging skills can also be heard on recordings of Terry Gibbs' Big Band, Woody's band, as well as his own big band.

He has been in Les Brown's Band of Renown for the last 20 years as featured alto sax soloist. He joined Captain & Tennille in 1979, and has been Toni Tennille's symphony orchestra conductor since 1984, having conducted over 60 symphonies. He recorded music for Bob Hope's TV specials for 17 years, played on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno and has performed with Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Liza Minnelli, Dianne Warwick, Clark Terry's Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Louis Belson and Jack Sheldon.


TOM KUBIS

Tom's arrangements are the staple of many great musicians and entertainers of our time including, Arturo Sandoval, Bill Watrous, Jack Sheldon, Chuck Findley, Allen Bergman, Merv Griffin, Steve Allen, Bobby Vinton, Helen Reddy, Quincy Jones, etc., etc! After studying 20th century composition at Cal State Long Beach, his interests turned towards jazz composition and arranging. His early jazz awards came mostly from Southern California jazz festivals, but won first place in the National Texas University Jazz Composition and Arranging Festival in 1972. His musical arrangements define the contemporary big band sound and have been performed at virtually every major jazz festival in the world, including the Playboy Jazz Festival, The Montreaux Jazz Festival, Reno and the Berkeley Jazz Festival to name a few. His recent musical credits are arranging and conducting for CBS's The Jackie Gleason 30 Year Reunion Special, The Bob Newhart 20 Year Anniversary also at CBS, and the big band music (main title theme) of the movie Boiling Point with Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper.

ROGER NEUMANN

As a composer and arranger he has written for Buddy Rich, Count Basie, Ray Charles, The Raelettes, Ray Brown and The Beach Boys. After receiving his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, Roger traveled with the Jack Gillespie Band and the Lee Castle/Jimmy Dorsey Band. Always striving to improve, he studied and taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston for two years at which time he joined the Woody Herman Band. As a saxophonist, he has worked for Bob Crosby, Ray Conniff, The Beach Boys, Ray Anthony and Anita O'Day. Finally, he is the leader and arranger of his own band, Roger Neumann's Rather Large Band. 

Kim Richmond is an active and versatile musician. He has been involved in nearly every facet of the professional music industry. He has been a member of the orchestras of Stan Kenton, Louis Bellson, Bob Florence, Les Brown, Clare Fischer, Bill Holman, Clayton/Hamilton, Percy Faith and Billy May among others. In the area of composition, Kim was commissioned to compose a symphonic work for the Long Beach Symphony and a multi-movement piece for the Inland Brass Quintet. He has written and conducted original musical scores for several television series, among them Kojak and Harry O, as well as an ABC-TV movie of the week. As an arranger, Kim's list of credits include music for singers Helen Reddy, Ann Jillian, Buddy Greco, and Jonnie Ray, (he served as musical director for all four), Pat Boone, Diane Carroll, Thelma Houston, Jaye P. Morgan, Kaye Ballard; jazz organizations of Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Stan Getz, Lalo Schifrin; TV shows: The Donny & Marie Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Motown Records; Disneyland; film music (by composer Lalo Schifrin: Boulevard Nights, Fast Walkin Airport 79, Nunzio, Chicago Story and others.) For two years, Kim was music coordinator for CBS-TV's Tony Orlando & Dawn Show. He is the leader of the critically acclaimed Kim Richmond Jazz Ensemble and the Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra. 

Jackson attended the Berklee School of music in Boston where he graduated with honors in the arranging and composition program, teaching there for three years. He has played with and arranged for various bands including Buddy Rich and Duke Ellington.

SCOTT WHITFIELD

Scott Whitfield (trombonist, composer, arranger, and vocalist) is internationally recognized for his work with many contemporary big bands, including the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra and the new edition of Johnny Griffin's Big Soul Band, as well as his own Scott Whitfield Jazz Orchestras (East and West). Whitfield's discography includes 7 recordings as leader and more than 50 recordings with other artists.  In addition to his own recordings, his compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by such artists as Diva, Maurice Hines, The Pied Pipers, Bill Allred's Classic Jazz Band, and Pete Petersen's 23-strong Collection Jazz Orchestra.