Bill Holman Big Band at the Zipper

Bill Holman paid his dues as a fine tenor saxophonist however, his writing overshadowed his playing. He has become one of THE great arranger / composers. Holman's dense but hard-swinging charts often have so much of value going on that they reward repeated listenings. Through the years, his charts have been the highlights of most of the important big bands: Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, Terry Gibbs, Gerry Mulligan and Count Basie… let’s not forget the singers like Natalie Cole and “Unforgettable.”

To date, Holman has received 14 Grammy nominations and won three... was voted “Best Arranger” in the JazzTimes and DownBeat magazine polls. His scores and memorabilia are part of the Smithsonian. He has been honored by both the American Society of Music Arrangers & Composers and ASCAP and He is on the Jazz Wall of Fame... This is all a fancy way of saying: Every Body knows “Willis swings”! !

He has now charted a Global Agenda, (back to spending time on the road), but this time it’s West Germany to Denmark... apparently they have ears there too! Bill’s charts, (such as his transformation of “Just Friends,”) have influenced dozens of arrangers who have followed in his wake and created an international following of jazz fans.

Through it all, Bill has maintained his own steller big band here in Los Angeles... and lucky for us we have another chance to hear it in all it's glory! !

This performance is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.