Robert L. Zieff, jazz composer, arranger, and educator died peacefully in Stuart, Florida, on March 26th in 2026 at the age of 98. He is survived by his wife, Ella Marie Forsyth, a fellow musician. Over a career spanning more than sixty five years, he made significant contributions to jazz as both a creative artist and scholar.
Bob was born June 4, 1927, in Lynn, Massachusetts. After serving in the US Army during World War II he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Musicology from Boston University.
During the 1950s in New York and Los Angeles, Bob composed and arranged for leading jazz artists including Chet Baker, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Anthony Ortega, and Dick Twardzik. He also served as co-orchestrator and co-producer for Gil Evans’s Out of the Cool ensemble (1959–60). In a note to Bob encouraging his work, Chet Baker wrote, “I have always loved your writing Bob. You should be on top as far as I’m concerned. Hang in there.”
A respected writer and lecturer, Bob contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, with essays praised by The New Yorker. He presented widely on jazz and wrote for publications including the Carlisle Sentinel and Harrisburg Patriot-News. His radio series Elements of Jazz aired on Pacifica stations KPFK in Los Angeles from 1965 to 1971. Later, and for almost two decades Bob hosted a weekly radio show Pathways to Jazz for Dickinson College radio station WDCV.
In the 1970s Bob taught jazz courses at Los Angeles City College and UCLA. After moving to Pennsylvania, Bob taught jazz courses at Temple University and Shippensburg University. Bob lived in Carlisle, PA for almost 40 years until 2025 when he and his wife moved to Florida. His honors included grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pennsylvania Council on the Art.
Bob was born June 4, 1927, in Lynn, Massachusetts. After serving in the US Army during World War II he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Musicology from Boston University.
During the 1950s in New York and Los Angeles, Bob composed and arranged for leading jazz artists including Chet Baker, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Anthony Ortega, and Dick Twardzik. He also served as co-orchestrator and co-producer for Gil Evans’s Out of the Cool ensemble (1959–60). In a note to Bob encouraging his work, Chet Baker wrote, “I have always loved your writing Bob. You should be on top as far as I’m concerned. Hang in there.”
A respected writer and lecturer, Bob contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, with essays praised by The New Yorker. He presented widely on jazz and wrote for publications including the Carlisle Sentinel and Harrisburg Patriot-News. His radio series Elements of Jazz aired on Pacifica stations KPFK in Los Angeles from 1965 to 1971. Later, and for almost two decades Bob hosted a weekly radio show Pathways to Jazz for Dickinson College radio station WDCV.
In the 1970s Bob taught jazz courses at Los Angeles City College and UCLA. After moving to Pennsylvania, Bob taught jazz courses at Temple University and Shippensburg University. Bob lived in Carlisle, PA for almost 40 years until 2025 when he and his wife moved to Florida. His honors included grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pennsylvania Council on the Art.
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