The much-admired saxophonist and Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra co-founder will be honored Monday by the West Michigan Jazz Society. The Local Spins profile by Devin Anderson.
‘Excited and Honored’: Bob Nixon, shown here performing at GRandJazzFest with the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra. (Photo/Taylor Mansen)
THE MUSIC: Jazz
WHERE YOU CAN SEE HIM: 8 p.m. Monday with the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra at Noto’s Old World Dining, 6600 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids (West Michigan Jazz Society’s Musician of the Year banquet with dinner at 7 p.m.; dinner reservations no longer available but non-dinner guests welcome after 8 p.m. for a $15 admission)
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With a storied career as a performer and educator, it would be easy for a musician such as Bob Nixon to feel as though he has nothing left to prove, and yet, he’s as passionate as ever about his craft.
Nixon jokes that he’s been “pretty much everywhere” in his decades-long career, during which he taught music in various schools for 31 years and played saxophone with music legends such as Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, The Temptations, Bob Hope, The Bee Gees and Jerry Lewis. He is also founding member of the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra.
Storied Career: Bob Nixon has served as a teacher and performer.
And Nixon’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed: He has been named West Michigan Jazz Society’s Musician of the Year.
Nixon said he is “excited and honored” to receive the award, which was established in 2000 to recognize musicians with outstanding contributions to West Michigan’s jazz community.
Nixon’s journey with music began when he was a boy in Ohio, where he played saxophone in his school’s band. But he didn’t take to it right away. Nixon said a future in music didn’t pique his interest until high school, when he was “woken up” to jazz and big band music by seeing it performed live.
Not long after, Nixon was gigging in big bands on a regular basis and thrilled by it. “It was like going bowling with your friends and getting paid for it,” he laughed.
From there, a career in music seemed like the natural next step. He went on to pursue degrees in woodwind performance and music education at Morehead State University in Kentucky. It was there that Nixon formed the connections that would lead to his “touring years.”
Early Love of Music: Nixon during his younger years.
Nixon looks back his days on the road as “very high energy.” He mentioned a particularly memorable five-month tour with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra which was as enjoyable as it was exhausting. “It was fun and exciting, but after a while, motels can just be a drag,” he said.
Immediately after that tour, Nixon proposed to his then-girlfriend, got married and set his sights on a career in teaching. He began as band and orchestra for Cincinnati Public Schools and then moved to Grand Rapids, where he taught in various middle schools and high schools for 28 years.
To his surprise, gig opportunities continued rolling in once Nixon settled down in Grand Rapids with several other groups, including the Truth In Jazz Orchestra and Mid-Town Horns & Rhythm.
TEACHING, PERFORMING, COMPOSING AND ARRANGING
In addition to performing with and serving as business manager for the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra (which he’s done for more than 20 years), Nixon keeps busy these days teaching private lessons and working at concerts and festivals with his own recording company.
More than a decade into “retirement,” Nixon seems as busy as ever with teaching, gigging and recording. But he says that’s all by design.
“It keeps me tuned into what’s going on in the area. I get see a lot of great musicians,” he said.
Passion for Composing and Arranging: Nixon
Another late discovery for Nixon was a passion for composing and arranging music. It began in 2006, when Nixon tried arranging an orchestral version of the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” theme song, “just to see what would happen.” Twelve years later, local orchestras are still performing Nixon’s arrangement. And Nixon continues composing and arranging music, with more than 100 pieces under his belt.
Nixon contends that one of his favorite aspects of music is the art of improvisation, which he works into both live performances and his teaching. “Improvisation is very free, just like a conversation,” Nixon said, emphasizing the concept’s importance in jazz. “It’s the ultimate freedom of expression.”
Nixon’s improv chops will be on full display when he is honored at West Michigan Jazz Society’s annual Musician of the Year banquet dinner on Monday (May 14) at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining.
Truth in Jazz Orchestra
The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra, led by Nixon, is set to perform and he said he’ll be asking friends and past recipients of the “Musician of the Year” award to sit in with the orchestra throughout the night.
“I’m trying to make it more of a big jam session than a concert,” said Nixon. “I’ve been in the spotlight enough; I’d like to pay it forward.”
Nixon said he’s excited to be recognized by his peers and the musical community, but looks forward to the event most as “an opportunity to hang out with friends.”
For more information on West Michigan Jazz Society’s Musician of the Year banquet, visit https://wmichjazz.org/.
VIDEO: Bob Nixon, Edye Evans Hyde, Michael Hyde (Local Spins Live on WJRW)
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