Vocalist Bobbe Norris and pianist Larry Dunlap are two seasoned musicians who have honed their artistic talents to create unforgettable performances that are both well-crafted and spontaneous.
Bobbe Norris & Larry Dunlap
This husband-wife duo presents an exciting program of Standards from the Great American Songbook, Jazz and Brazilian music as well as original music with an intuitive communication that can only come from years of performing together. Their music is sensitively arranged and adventurous, making for performances that are full of surprises.
Bobbe
Norris, originally from San Francisco, pursued a widely publicized
singing career in New York where she worked the major clubs and concert
halls, recorded for Columbia Records, and appeared on television on the
The Ed Sullivan and Tonight shows (among others). Her skyrocketing career
was strictly controlled, motivating her to step back and retire from the
music until meeting Larry Dunlap, who encouraged her to get back into
singing.
Bobbe is a brilliant singer who applies her dusky contralto to carefully chosen songs, some quite obscure. Longtime fan Rex Reed has written that "she reaches into a lyric like she's pulling taffy and brings out the sweetness and rich flavor of each song, discarding anything superfluous or sticky."
Larry
Dunlap is an
extraordinary pianist and arranger, a player with taste and
sophistication. He has been praised as a "remarkable and versatile
accompanist" and "one of the best jazz pianists around --
anywhere" in the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle. Besides his
ongoing career with Bobbe, Larry has served since 1983 as pianist for the
British diva Cleo Laine and has performed an/or recorded with such
luminaries as Mark Murphy, Joe Williams and Sheila Jordan as well as jazz
instrumentalists Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, and Marc Johnson, to name a
few.
As their numerous recordings and appearances at such venues as the Monterey and San Francisco jazz festivals have shown, together Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap offer a classy show of great music in their own style, infusing each song with romantic elegance and creative fire.
Bobbe
Norris & Larry Dunlap:
Upcoming Performance
Dates
Friday, June 17, 6:30-8 pm
The Bobbe Norris - Larry Dunlap Quintet
Jazz and Blues By The Bay
Gabrielson Park, Sausalito
FREE
More info: (415) 2898-4152
http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us/business/park-rec/events/jazz&blues/jazz.htmSaturday, June 18 at 7:30 pm
Bobbe Norris in "A Tribute to Peggy Lee"
with Larry Dunlap (piano), Dan Feiszli (bass) and Jim Zimmerman (drums)
Sanchez Concert Hall, 1220 Linda Mar Blvd., Pacifica
More info: (650) 355-1882; http://pacificaperformances.org/front1.htmlThe British Tour with Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap
Tuesday, July 5, 8 pm
The Stables, Wavendon
with Alec Dankworth (bass) and Mike Bradley (drums)
Tel: 01908 280800; http://www.stables.org/
Saturday, July 9, 8 pm
Joogleberry Theater, 14-17 Manchester St., Brighton
with Paul Whitton (bass) and Spike Wells (drums)
Tel: 01273 687171; http://www.joogleberry.com/
Sunday, June 10, 8 pm
The Fairway, Panshanger Golf Club, Welwyn Garden City
with Jeremy Brown (bass) and Mike Bradley (drums)
Tel: 01992-550230; http://www.Hertsjazz.co.uk
Tuesday thru Thursday, July 12 - 14, 9:15 & 10:45 pm
Pizza On The Park, 11 Knightsbridge, London
with Jeremy Brown (bass) July 12 & 13 and Alec Dankworth (bass) July 14
Tel: 020 7235 5273; http://www.pizzaonthepark.co.uk/Friday, July 29, 8-11 pm
Larry Dunlap with Michael O'Neill (sax) and others TBA
Cetrella, 845 Main Street, Half Moon Bay
More info: (650) 726-4090; http://www.cetrella.com
Thursday, August 4, 6-7:30 pm
Beast From The Bay: Larry's powerful 9 piece band with Bobbe Norris on vocals
SF Jazz presents Summerfest 19
The Clock Tower Plaza, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto
For info: http://www.sfjazz.org/concerts/outdoors.html
Friday, August 5, 8:00 pm (?)
Bobbe Norris in "A Tribute To Peggy Lee"
with Larry Dunlap and Dan Feiszli (bass)
The LGBT Center, 1800 Market St., San Francisco
For info: tel. (415) 865-5555; http://www.sfcenter.org/
Larry Dunlap will be performing with Cleo Laine and John Dankworth:
- Saturday, August 27
Marina del Rey, CA
- Tuesday thru Saturday, August 30-September 3
Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA
Out of Nowhere (FD 2004)
Out
of Nowhere showcases one of the great vocalists of the last 30 years,
Bobbe Norris, in a program that features her dark, sultry voice on a
variety of standards, jazz, and Brazilian music. Reissued worldwide by the
Japanese label Celeste (2001).
"Having
enjoyed Bobbe Norris vocal performances for years, finally here is a
recording worthy of her marvelous talent, a reflection of her unadorned
vocal perfection."
-- John Rogers, KCSM-FM Radio
Bobbe is one of the few veteran American singers still at the top of her form. This recording contrasts the intimacy and emotion of "My Old Flame" and "Only the Lonely" with the playfulness and warmth of "Out of Nowhere" and "I'd Rather Be Here" (an original song); combining classics standards by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and Sammy Cahn with less familiar songs by Matt Dennis and Brazilian composer Ivan Lins.
She's
marvelously supported on this recording by Larry -- its producer, arranger
and pianist -- and a band that features the cream of San Francisco's
musicians: Noel Jewkes, Jeff Cressman, Eddie Marshall, John Wiitala and
Frank Tusa. Bobbe is also joined by jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy in an
unforgettable duet.
Read reviews of Out of Nowhere on:
Fly With My Love
Fly
With My Love is a new recording
of compositions by the gifted Cape Verdean composer Amandio Cabral, who
has recently received well-deserved fame as the composer of some of the
biggest hits of singer Cesaria Evora. This is the most recent in a long
list of recordings Larry has done of Amandio's music. The music fuses
African and Brazilian sounds with jazz to create a seductive new sound.
Besides Larry's piano, this recording features some of California's top musicians: guitarist Steve Erquiaga (known world-wide for his solo guitar work and his years with Andy Narell), multi-woodwind player Charlie McCarthy, bassist John Shifflett and percussionists Jim Zimmerman and Kendrick Freeman. The musicianship is first-class and the bittersweet romantic sound of Mr. Cabral's compositions shines through every cut.
And
Then Some is comprised of recent
compositions by Earl Zindars, a composer and close friend of the late
pianist Bill Evans. And Then Some continues the tradition of the
classic jazz trio into today with groups led by Larry Dunlap and the late
Don Haas, another of the Bay Area's most respected pianists.
Larry's trio includes Seward McCain, long-time musical partner, on bass, and Akira Tana (best known for the band TanaReid, which he co-leads with Rufus Reid) on drums. The communication between Larry, Seward and Akira is of the highest level and the music alternately swings and caresses each of these wonderful new pieces.
Don Haas' colleagues on the CD are bassists Bill Douglass and, on one tune, Larry Grenadier, plus drummer Scott Morris. Earl Zindars himself plays piano on a couple of the tunes. This was one of the last recordings by Haas before his untimely passing in early 2001 and is a fitting addition to his all-too-short legacy of recordings.
The contrast between the two trios is a delight, and the opportunity to hear both is a rare treat. Dunlap and Haas approach the music from different angles, but each seems perfect for the context of the music.
- Bobbe Norris & Larry Dunlap, Velas Içadas: Hoisted Sails (available on LP only)
- Larry Dunlap, Why Not Forever (Solo Piano) (available on CD)
- Larry Dunlap, Evolution: Cape Verde - USA (available on CD)
- Larry Dunlap, Sonho Azul: Blue Dream (Solo Piano) (available on CD)
- Bobbe Norris, CloseUp (Four Directions and Celeste Records)
- Bobbe Norris, You and The Night and the Music (with Harry Allen, Kenny Baron, Ben Riley and Rufus Reed (CBS Sony Japanese release)
- Bobbe Norris, The Beginning (Columbia Records, LP only)
P.O. Box 1028, Pacifica, CA 94044
Telephone: 650.359.5996; Fax: 650.359.2314
E-mail: bobbelar@earthlink.net