Bob's Bio



Bob Curnow (born in Easton, PA) is the owner/president of Sierra Music Publications, Inc. He was a trombonist with The Stan Kenton Orchestra, touring all of the United States, Great Britain, Scotland and Wales (1963). He was a member of the last "Mellophonium Band". In 1973, he began a four-year stint as the A & R Director, arranger, composer, record producer and general manager for Kenton's Creative World Records. He produced over 30 LPs for Kenton, and his arrangements and compositions can be heard on six Stan Kenton albums.

Curnow was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Association of Jazz Education in January 1999. Also in that Hall of Fame are Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Billy Taylor, and Benny Carter among others. Curnow is a past-president of the International Association of Jazz Education.

Bob is a graduate (1963) of West Chester State University (PA) and completed two Master's degrees and all his doctoral studies at Michigan State University (1967). For eight years Curnow served as the director of the McDonald's All-American High School Jazz Band, helping to discover such talents as Christopher Hollyday, Geoff Keezer, Don Braden, Herb Harrison (w/Marcus Roberts), Wycliffe Gordon (w/Wynton Marsalis), Greg Gisbert and Tony Kadleck (w/Woody Herman), John Bailey, Javon Jackson, John Medeski, Kenny Rampton, Delfaeyo Marsalis and many other now-prominent "heavy-weights."

Bob conducted and arranged the widely acclaimed (see Amazon.com reviews) big-band recording of Pat Metheny music. The CD is "Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band, The Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays." Another wonderful project was the CD recording "Bob Curnow & the SWR Big Band, (Towednack- Celtic Big Band)." It was recorded in Stuttgart, Germany with the finest European jazz musicians available.

Bob lives in Liberty Lake, WA with his wife of fifty-eight years, Darlene. Bob continues to be active with his northwest Big Band, which is in its 30th year.
Click here to find out more about the Bob Curnow Big Band.