Home » Jazz Musicians » Bob Belden

Bob Belden

One of the most adventurous arrangers of the 1990s and 2000s, Bob Belden took the music of Puccini, Prince, and (with the most success) Sting, and turned it into jazz. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 1978, he was with Woody Herman's Orchestra for 18 months, worked with Donald Byrd off and on during 1981-1985, played with the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and produced a couple of Red Rodney records.

In 1983, Belden settled in New York as a writer for studio sessions. Influenced by Gil Evans, Belden debuted on Sunnyside with Treasure Island, before working on transforming non-jazz material into jazz. Belden also assisted with Columbia Records' Miles Davis reissue program.

He played in a duet with trumpeter Tim Hagans, issuing a live album on Blue Note in 2000 entitled Re-Animation Live! The 2001 release Black Dahlia showcased a 12-part orchestra paying tribute to the late Elizabeth Short, a celebrated Hollywood actress who was killed in 1947.

Tags

1
Album Review

Bob Belden Animation: Machine Language

Read "Machine Language" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero


Intorno all'anima, ai pensieri, ai sogni e ai sentimenti delle macchine sono stati versati fiumi d'inchiostro, così come più di un musicista ha cercato di fornire la personale interpretazione del problema. L'eclettico sassofonista, compositore, arrangiatore Bob Belden, prematuramente scomparso il maggio scorso per problemi cardiaci, ci lascia con Machine Language l'ultima testimonianza della sua arte, attraverso una sorta di poema cyberpunk nel quale testi originali e musica, macchine, strumenti e parole cercano un comune terreno di comunicazione e di condivisione. ...

6
Interview

Bob Belden: Jazz Adventurer

Read "Bob Belden: Jazz Adventurer" reviewed by Jeff Dayton-Johnson


Bob Belden is a jazz renaissance man: a flutist and saxophonist who began his career with Woody Herman's big band. He's also a composer and arranger, who has orchestrated jazz treatments of Puccini's opera Turandot as well as the music of The Beatles, Sting and Prince. His pair of tributes to trumpeter Miles Davis--Miles from India (Times Square, 2008) and Miles Español: New Sketches From Spain (Entertainment One, 2011)- -are conceptually and sonically rich high points in a crowded discography ...

124
Album Review

Animation: Agemo

Read "Agemo" reviewed by Lawrence Peryer


One of the more intriguing albums issued in the first half of 2011, Animation's Asiento (RareNoise, 2011), has now begotten one of the best sets of the latter part of the year. Asiento was a live reimagining of trumpeter Miles Davis' seminal Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970), recorded live in December 2006 as part of the Reissue: Classic Recordings Live series, at Merkin Hall in Manhattan. Agemo is itself a reimaging. This two-CD set is ...

192
Album Review

Bob Belden: Three Days of Rain

Read "Three Days of Rain" reviewed by David Miller


As usual, you can't judge a book by its cover. Bob Belden's original score for the film Three Days of Rain is, plain and simple, an excellent jazz album. There's no way of getting around it. Listen to it and you will be impressed. Sure, Belden's compositions may have been written for the express purpose of evoking the feelings of certain characters. But having never seen Three Days of Rain, I will approach Belden's music as jazz. ...

156
Album Review

Bob Belden: Black Dahlia

Read "Black Dahlia" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Black Dahlia, without a doubt, will be remembered as the most ambitious jazz recording of the year. Rather than a blowing session, influential though blowing sessions may be, Bob Belden's Black Dahlia is an extended story-telling, romantic and fatalistic suite that was three years in the making. In addition, over sixty musicians wre required to fill the symphony orchestra that accomplishes Belden's vision.When Belden's last grand project, a 1993 interpretation of the opera Turandot, was blocked by Giacomo ...

178
Album Review

Bob Belden: Black Dahlia

Read "Black Dahlia" reviewed by Craig Jolley


Black Dahlia comes off better felt than listened to. In the liner notes Bob Belden describes his programmatic suite as a portrait of a mysterious, romantic loner who lived out her brief life through movies in post-WWII Hollywood. He borrows “moody" techniques from 1940's film score writers and gives them a jazzy spin.

Miles Davis and Gil Evans serve as the primary jazz inspirations. The most prominent soloist, trumpeter Tim Hagans, evokes Miles' stark, blue sound with and without harmon ...

138
Album Review

Bob Belden: Black Dahlia

Read "Black Dahlia" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Black Dahlia, without a doubt, will be remembered as the most ambitious jazz recording of the year. Rather than a blowing session, influential though blowing sessions may be, Bob Belden's Black Dahlia is an extended story-telling, romantic and fatalistic suite that was three years in the making. In addition, over sixty musicians wre required to fill the symphony orchestra that accomplishes Belden's vision.When Belden's last grand project, a 1993 interpretation of the opera Turandot, was blocked by Giacomo ...

Read more articles

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bob Belden's birthday today!

One of the most adventurous arrangers of the 1990s and 2000s, Bob Belden took the music of Puccini, Prince, and (with the most success) Sting, and turned it into jazz. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 1978, he was with Woody Herman\'s Orchestra for 18 months, worked with Donald Byrd off and on during 1981-1985, played with the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and produced a couple of Red Rodney ...

65

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Source:

All About Jazz is celebrating Bob Belden's birthday today!

One of the most adventurous arrangers of the 1990s and 2000s, Bob Belden took the music of Puccini, Prince, and (with the most success) Sting, and turned it into jazz. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 1978, he was with Woody Herman\'s Orchestra for 18 months, worked with Donald Byrd off and on during 1981-1985, played with the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and produced a couple of Red Rodney ...

113

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bob Belden

Source:

All About Jazz is celebrating Bob Belden's birthday today!

Bob Belden

One of the most adventurous arrangers of the 1990s and 2000s, Bob Belden took the music of Puccini, Prince, and (with the most success) Sting, and turned it into jazz. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 1978... more

Website | Photos | Articles

Follow Bob Belden

Put AAJ's Musician of the Day box on your website or blog ...

Michael Waldrop
multi-instrumentalist

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Passionata

Arkadia Records
2022

buy

Machine Language

RareNoiseRecords
2015

buy

Transparent Heart

RareNoiseRecords
2012

buy

Agemo

Self Produced
2012

buy

Agemo

RareNoiseRecords
2011

buy

Asiento

Self Produced
2011

buy

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.