Bob Hammer

Howard Robert Hammer (* March 3 1930 in Indianapolis) is a US-American jazz musician (pianist and arranger).

Hammer studied at the Michigan State University and at "Manhattan School of Music" before taking private lessons by composer Henry Brant.

Hammer led a band together with Bob Wilber (1955). He worked in the Sauter/Finnegan Orchestra, the Roy Eldridge Quartet (1956) and with Gene Krupa (1956/57). He was a member of Red Allen's band (1958-1962) and Eddie Condon' (1959/60) band. At that time he recorded with Charles Mingus and began to work as arranger for Mingus (Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus and "Townhall Concert"). Therefore Mingus Hammer his Beethoven. . In 1963 he played with Pee Wee Russell, Krupa and Eldridge. In 1964 he was on tour with Bobby Hackett. From 1965 to 1967 he worked as arranger for the "Merv Griffin Show". He recorded with Jimmy Knepper, Johnny Hartman, Woody Herman, Clark Terry, and Elvin Jones. Between 1977 and 1988 he worked as a member of show bands in Las Vegas. After an engagement with Slide Hampton he worked as instructor for jazz improvisation at "El Camino Community Colleg" and played in the Jimmy Cleveland Octet. He also worked with Barbara McNair, the Tommy Newsome Quartet and the Jerry Lewis Telethon. In 2004 he recorded with Floyd Standifer's quintet. He also arranged "Dance Charts" for the Nicholas Brothers, Skip Cunningham, Chester Whitmore, Jacqueline Douget, Deborah Lysholm or Tim Hickey.

ources

Leonard Feather, Encyclopedia of Jazz, p. 288