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.

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

Saturday, June 27th
The Lodge at Sonoma
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Bobbe and Larry Duo

Bobbe’s Birthday Celebration
Monday, June 29th 
Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap
with Dan Feiszli and Jason Lewis
Yoshi’s Oakland
Jack London Square, Oakland
Two Shows: 8:00 and 10:00

Bobbe’s Birthday Celebration
Friday, July 3rd 
Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap
same band as Yoshi’s
Stanford University, Campbell Recital Hall
Two Sets beginning at 8:00 p.m.


Performances through People In Plazas
(Free downtown concerts in San Francisco)

Wednesday, July 29th, Noon
The Bobbe Norris - Larry Dunlap Quartet
Crocker Galleria

Thursday, September 10th, Noon
The Bobbe Norris - Larry Dunlap Quartet
Embarcadero 2

Saturday, July 25th
Bobbe Norris with The Larry Dunlap Quartet
2009 Benicia Fine Art and Jazz Festival
Same band plus special guest Charlie McCarthy
Main Event at the Festival: 6:30 - 8:00

Sunday, August 2nd, 4:00 p.m.
Bobbe Norris with The Larry Dunlap Trio
Opening the Outdoor Concert at Rossmoor
Rossmoor, Walnut Creek

Saturday, August 16th, Noon - 3:00
Workshop at The JazzSchool, Berkeley
The Art of the Ballad
Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap

Larry Dunlap with Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth

Thursday, August 20th
Marina del Rey

Tuesday, August 25th
San Jose State University

Wednesday, August 26th
Los Gatos Town Plaza

September 1st through September 6th
Jazz Alley, Seattle

September 22nd through October 4th (except Sept. 28th)
Rrazz Room, San Francisco

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:

• All Music Guide
• CDNOW
• Jazz Review
• JazzUSA

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