BIOGRAPHY
BOB MOVER is one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz, and the leader of the BOB MOVER QUARTET.
Bob Mover’s new CD is “My Heart Tells Me” (Motéma Music). The CD features Bob on alto, tenor and soprano saxophones and vocals, and the quartet featured on the CD includes KENNY BARRON, regarded by many as today’s greatest jazz pianist.
The quartet also features bassist BOB CRANSHAW, the longtime Sonny Rollins bandmember, and drummer STEVE WILLIAMS.
In addition to performing with his own group, Bob is in demand as a featured performer with other great jazz artists.
In 2012, Bob expanded his audience when he toured internationally with ESPERANZA SPALDING & THE RADIO MUSIC SOCIETY, appearing in a series of sold-out large hall concerts and festivals throughout the United States and Europe, including the Umbria Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival and the Latitude Festival in England, where the band performed for a huge crowd of predominantly rock/pop fans.
Bob Mover also performs with FAMILY BUSINESS, a band showcasing the formidable talents of his daughter, vocalist/composer EMILIE MOVER, and featuring Bob Cranshaw.
Bob’s boundless energy and wide-ranging musical interests are further exemplified by his activity with yet another live performance unit, BOB MOVER/MICHAEL CARVIN UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
“My Heart Tells Me” is Bob Mover’s 10th record under his own name. Bob’s previous records have featured a stellar cast of performers, including Paul Bley, John Abercrombie, Rufus Reid, Victor Lewis, Benny Green and John Hicks. Bob’s most recent CD prior to “My Heart Tells Me” was “It Amazes Me” (Zoho Music), featuring Kenny Barron.
Bob Mover first came to the public’s attention when CHARLES MINGUS hired him at the age of 21, a few short years after Bob was discovered at a school jazz festival by alto saxophonist PHIL WOODS.
Bob played alto sax with the Mingus band during the run of a five-month engagement at the legendary Five Spot in New York City in the 1970s.
The next step in Bob’s suddenly prominent musical career was joining the band of trumpeter/vocalist CHET BAKER, with whom he toured extensively, including Bob’s European debut at Le Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, France.
The exposure with Mingus and Baker soon had the jazz record labels knocking on Bob’s door, and he made his first two records as a leader in rapid succession, earning a 4½-star review in Downbeat Magazine and a spot in the Downbeat Critics’ Poll for “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition.”