Friends and admirers of Bob Florence, including his Limited Edition band, gathered at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood on June 15 to pay tribute to the arranger, composer, leader and pianist.. Florence died exactly a month earlier at the age of seventy-five. In Florence’s honor, the piano remained silent. A jazz fan and videographer, Mike Kaiser, captured the Limited Edition playing Billy Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge in Florence’s arrangement and posted it on the Daily Motion web site. The band is made up of Los Angeles luminaries. Trombonists Charlie Loper and Bob McChesney are featured soloists in the Strayhorn. Guitarist Larry Koonse also solos. The drumming, done with his patented combination of energy, precision and looseness, is by Peter Erskine.
Tributes To Bob Florence
Here is the personnel of the Limited Edition:
Saxes: Jennifer Hall, Tom Peterson, Don Shelton, Kim Richmond, Billy Kerr, Bob Efford
Trombones: Alex Iles, Charlie Loper, Bob McChesney, Don Waldrop
Trumpets: Steve Huffsteter, Pete DeSiena, Carl Saunders, Lee Thornburg, Ron Stout
Bass: Trey Henry
Drums: Peter Erskine
Guitar: Larry Koonse
A dedicated educator, Florence was scheduled to lead an all-star band at the Centrum Jazz Port Townsend Festival in Washington State on July 26th. He was for years a faculty member at the week-long jazz workshop held in connection with the festival. Composer-arranger Kim Richmond, lead alto saxophonist of The Limited Edition and a Florence protégé, will conduct the Centrum band in yet another tribute to his boss.
As Mike Kaiser notes in the comment section of this entry, he posted on YouTube four additional performances from the June 15 tribute.