Rob McConnell

Though it was usually a part-time venture (functioning maybe thirty days per year, counting an annual recording), Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass was among the finest big bands from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. A fantastic soloist, McConnell performed valve trombone in Toronto (both in the studios and in jazz configurations) for a long period. During 1965-1969, he was in Nimmons ‘n’ Nine Plus Six (led by Phil Nimmons) and in 1968 shaped Employer Brass. Originally, the group was comprised completely of brass musical instruments, plus a tempo section, and emphasized pop music. Though it added a saxophone section in 1971, Employer Brass didn’t record very much jazz until 1976. Made up of a lot of Toronto’s best music artists (including Sam Noto, Guido Basso, Ian McDougall, Moe Koffman, Eugene Amaro, Rick Wilkins, Ed Bickert, Don Thompson, and Terry Clarke, amongst others), the orchestra mainly has McConnell’s swinging but unexpected charts. For an interval in the past due ’80s, McConnell shifted to LA as well as the group split up, but by 1991, it had been back together once again. Rob McConnell, who also lower several small-group schedules for Concord, documented with his Employer Brass for Pausa, MPS, Dark Orchid, Creativity, and Concord. He passed away of tumor in Toronto on, may 1, 2010.