Holcombe, B :: Bossa Nova for Flute

Musicians Publications presents Bill Holcombe's 'Bossa Nova for Flute' with accompaniment CD enclosed including Dr. Licks on the guitar, John Hosely on bass, Joe Parente on piano, and Lou DeLise on the drums.

Part of Holcombe's Studio Jazz Trax Series, this collection of his bossa nova originals includes 'Contemplation', 'Belle of the Beach', 'High Tide', 'In or Out', 'Rio Romance', 'Heavenly Delights', 'Imperceptive', 'Samba Jamba', 'Smooth Sailing', and 'Hot Samba!'. Holcombe also includes Suggestions for Preliminary Improvisation Exercises for the solo 'Imperceptive', as well as helpful tips and performance suggestions on all other solos featured in this collection.

Although Bill Holcombe is primarily known as an arranger and composer of music for band and orchestra, and as the arranger and composer of many film scores and numerous albums by the London Philharmonic, 101 Strings and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he has for many years pursued a 'secret' parallel career as a professional flutist and woodwind doubler.

In addition to his extensive training in writing music, Bill majored in the flute at Juilliard, where he studied with Arthur Lora (at that time the principal flutist for the Metropolitan Opera, and later first flutist in the NBC Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Arturo Toscanini). Bill also studied with Arthur Wriggins, an accomplished Trenton flutist (who had been a pupil of John Wummer and Clement Barone, William Kincaid's predecessor as first flutist with the Philadelphia Orchestra).

While studying composition at the University of Pennsylvania in 1941, Bill was a pupil of Harold Bennett, then the piccolo player of the Philadelphia Orchestra (who later followed Arthur Lora as first flute at the Met). Bill resumed his studied with Bennett in the early fifties while playing and arranging for the Tommy Dorsey, Tex Beneke, and Fred Waring orchestras, and then playing first flute for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at their New York radio station, WMGM.

While his principal activities are writing and arranging, he has remained an active performer on the flute playing with symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, and touring as a pop and jazz flutist with Burt Bachrach, Peter Nero, and the Philly Pops.