Hi,
I’m Bob Mover

Born on March 22, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts, Bob Mover started playing the alto saxophone at age 13. Two years later, Phil Woods heard him in a high
school All Star band in Miami, Florida and gave him a scholarship to study with
him that summer in New Hope, Pennsylvania at Ramblerny Camp for the Performing Arts.

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While still in his teens, Bob sat in and learned from such luminaries as Roy
Eldridge, Wynton Kelly, Zoot Sims, Kenny Dorham, James Moody, Jimmy Rushing, Anita O'Day, Richie Kamuca and others. While establishing important friendships with Ira Sullivan ,Lee Konitz, and Sonny Rollins.

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At the age of 21, Mover joined The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop for a stay of
five months at the Five Spot in New York City. He then joined the group of Chet
Baker for 9 months before leaving for Brazil in 1974 where he stayed six
months, working with samba legends Johnny Alf and Lucio Alves.

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​Upon returning to New York he rejoined Baker for 10 months in 1975, working
regularly in New York clubs, as well as performing at Carnegie Hall and
Avery Fisher Hall, touring the mid-west and California and making his first
European appearances with Chet Baker at La Grande Parade du Jazz (Nice,
France), Jazz Festival Laren (Holland) and the Middleheim Jazz Festival
(Antwerp, Belgium). 


 

 

Following this stint with Baker he continued to be active, leading his own
groups frequently at New York's Sweet Basil, Stryker's Pub, Barbara's and
Boomer's. He recorded his first two albums as a leader - On the Move(Choice)
and Bob Mover (Vanguard) - the latter receiving a 4 1/2 stars review in
Downbeat Magazine. During this period, Bob also co-led a group with one of his
mentors, Lee Konitz, playing concerts and clubs in the USA and Canada, and
recording an album, Affinity - The Lee Konitz Quintet (Chiaroscuro) which also
received 4 1/2 stars in Downbeat.

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In 1980-81 Bob taught improvisation workshops at Berklee College of Music in
Boston before getting a call from Chet Baker to do another tour of Europe.
This tour yielded two albums - Chet Baker Live at Clubs Salt Peanuts Köln
 Volumes 1 & 2 (Circle). 
Back in New York in 1981 and 1982, Bob recorded two more records under his own
name for Don Schlitten’s Xanadu label, In the True Tradition, and Things Unseen 
- which received glowing reviews throughout the world.

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He toured 
Europe again in 1982 with Swiss vocalist Miriam Klein in a group that included
the great Kenny Clarke and Sir Roland Hanna on piano.
 From 1983 to 1986 Mover resided in Montreal, where he taught at Concordia
 University while remaining active in North America and recording his 5th album
 as a leader - The Nightbathers (Justin' Time) with Paul Bley and John
 Abercrombie.

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In November of '83 he became the proud father of a daughter,
 Emilie Joy who as Emilie Mover has become a singer/song writer of renown.
 Though residing in Toronto Mover kept his connection with New York forming a musical partnership in 1987 with
his long-time friend, Walter Davis Jr., a protege of Bud Powell and Thelonious
 Monk and a veteran of groups led by Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Max Roach,
 Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean and others.

 

Combining their talents Davis/Mover
toured together in Europe and America playing festivals and concerts in France,
Italy, Switzerland, Holland, the U.S. and at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1989
(with Richard Davis and the late Freddie
Waits) until Davis' untimely death in 1990.

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During this period Davis 
featured Mover on four tracks of his CD, Illumination, recorded for the
Japanese label Pony Canyon/Jazz City Series in 1988, with Ron Carter and Kenny
 Washington. Mover also recorded his own CD, You Go To My Head, for the same 
label in December of that year featuring Rufus Reid, Bennie Green, Victor Lewis
 and 
Steve Hall.


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1989 brought Bob to Osaka, Japan, to perform at Expo '89. In June of that year
he was invited to participate in the "Alto Summit" homage to CharlieParker
concert at La Villette in Paris along with Jackie McLean, Phil Woods, Clarence
"C" Sharpe, Vincent Herring and Frank Morgan (with a rhythm section
consisting of Walter Davis Jr., Percy Heath, and Roy Haynes). He also
performed a concert/lecture/dinner music series on the music and lives of
Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins at the McMichael Gallery of
Art, in Kleinberg, Ontario.


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From 1990-97 Mover continued his international activities, touring Europe several times including playing the “Bird with Strings”arrangements at Festivals with Walter Bishop and a “Tribute to Bird”concert with Bishop and Ray Brown at the “Super Jazz Festival” in Tel Aviv as well as giving master classes and
workshops at numerous conservatories and universities worldwide.

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From 1990-97 Mover continued his international activities, touring Europe several times including playing the “Bird with Strings”arrangements at Festivals with Walter Bishop and a “Tribute to Bird”concert with Bishop and Ray Brown at the “Super Jazz Festival” in Tel Aviv as well as giving master classes and 
workshops at numerous conservatories and universities worldwide.

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Since his return to NY he has released several recordings (see “Selected Discography”) and is currently preparing to record with Orchestra and Strings with Arranger/ Pianist Isaac Raz.

Mr. Raz  has also assisted Mover in creating the “Bob Mover Jazz Lexicon : A Thesaurus of Musical Ideas” which will be released later this year (2023). Also scheduled for release (on “Cellar Jazz”) within the next year is a duet compilation of Live performances by Mover and Walter Davis Jr. from their European concerts in the 1980’s.

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  In 2020 Bob Mover and his Business Partner, Website Designer and Technical Director, Jessy Kaiser started the Lower Manhattan Music Studio which offers both virtual and in-person private lessons on all instruments.

 

This has “branched out” to now offer a 2-hour “Live /Online Master Class” called “Bob Mover’s JazzAbility Master Class,” held every 1st Saturday of the month at 2pm.

 

More details of which can be found on our website:
www.bobmoverjazzability.com

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Check out the Bob Mover Discography here.