Bob Lord (musician)


Bob Lord is a producer/composer/bassist and CEO of PARMA Recordings, parent company of label imprints Navona Records, Ravello, Big Round, MMC, and Capstone Records. He is also notable for being the bassist/composer of the experimental rock trio Dreadnaught, Music Director for the NHPR/Music Hall series Writers on a New England Stage, and in-studio producer of Grammy-winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
He has more than 150 credits as a producer, executive producer, performer, arranger, label manager, and composer, and with Pete Townshend of The Who served as co-producer for the double-album release by Lawrence Ball, Method Music.

Career

Composer & bassist

Lord's musical output spans the rock, classical, jazz, pop, film, and experimental genres, and he has composed, produced, and arranged for a wide cross-section of instrumentation, including orchestra, rock band, piano, string orchestra, and electronics. His music is largely instrumental and generally eschews song format, with some exceptions.
As a recording artist, Lord has appeared on over 3 dozen releases and won numerous awards for his work. Dreadnaught's The American Standard was one of the best-reviewed progressive rock releases of its year, and the decade-long retrospective High Heat & Chin Music received a "Best Of NH 2007" award from New Hampshire Magazine. As a bassist he has been noted for his crisp tone and unusual bass lines.

Producer

In 2002, while beginning preparations for what would become Dreadnaught's double-disc Live At Mojo, Lord began composing and producing music for film and other media; his work includes music for "Flying Downhill", a documentary on Olympic skier Bode Miller, "Marilyn's Man", a Marilyn Monroe documentary released by Universal, "Wander", an award-winning short film which aired on IFC, and the theme song for "The Exchange" from New Hampshire Public Radio.
Lord began producing for MMC Recordings in 2005 where he worked with Richard Stoltzman, Pixar/Randy Newman orchestrator Jonathan Sacks, and company owner and composer/pianist William Thomas McKinley among others, with credits on more than 30 releases over the next three years and recording with numerous orchestras, composers, ensembles, and players.
In 2008, Lord launched PARMA Recordings, an audio production company, and Navona Records, a classical imprint. In 2009, PARMA acquired the classical label Capstone Records and Big Round Records, and launched Ravello Records, an imprint dedicated to modern classical music. In 2011, PARMA acquired MMC Recordings and the boutique online publisher ThatNewMusicWebsite/ThatNewMusicLibrary.
PARMA's releases include work by Pulitzer Prize winners Lewis Spratlan and Donald Martino, New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, former Congressman and Orleans founder John Hall, percussionist Steve Gadd, the London Symphony Orchestra, children's artist Raffi, and jazz bassist Eddie Gómez, violin and guitar ensemble Duo46 among others.
In 2011, Lord served as co-producer with Pete Townshend of The Who for Lawrence Ball's Method Music, released in January 2012 on Navona Records. The album is a continuation of the concepts first explored in Townshend's Lifehouse project and Lifehouse Method website.

Performances

Since its formation in 1996, Lord's primary performance vehicle has been Dreadnaught. The band began touring nationally in 2000 as a trio, performed in more than half of the U.S. states, and earned a reputation as a highly accomplished musical unit equally proficient in highly structured compositions and free-wheeling improvisation.
With Dreadnaught, Lord has shared a stage with John Entwistle, Tony Levin, NRBQ, Jim Weider, California Guitar Trio, and the Young Dubliners. In 2005, the group began a prominent stint as house band for the New Hampshire Public Radio series Writers on a New England Stage at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, where it has performed with Stephen King, Dan Brown, Ken Burns, Alan Alda, John Updike, Elmore Leonard, Madeleine Albright, and Mitch Albom, among others. The series has attracted international coverage and has been featured in press outlets such as The Today Show and Good Morning America.
In 2011, Lord served as on-air host for the NHPR/Music Hall live radio series Live@TheLoft, which featured the artists Buffalo Tom, Stew & The Negro Problem, Frazey Ford, and Patty Larkin.

Credits

''Executive Producer/Producer (Partial List)''

Album TitleArtistYearLabelNotes
Method MusicLawrence Ball2011Navona RecordsProduced by Pete Townshend and Bob Lord
I Told You SoJohn Hall2011Big Round RecordsAnti-nuclear single by Orleans founder
DivergenceVarious Artists2011Navona RecordsString concerti featuring the Warsaw National Philharmonic
Viola Tango RockOrquesta Filarmonica de Bogotá2011Big Round RecordsLive DVD
ExcursionsMarie Nelson Bennett2010Ravello RecordsMusic by student of Paul Hindemith
ContinuumVarious Artists2010Navona RecordsFeaturing Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Mika Marimba MadnessMika Yoshida2010Big Round RecordsLive DVD with Steve Gadd & Eddie Gómez
From Bow To StringK. Dreyfus & G. Dicterow2009Navona RecordsConcertos featuring New York Philharmonic concertmaster
Big Muddy SuitePatrick Beckman2009Navona RecordsJazz/Blues/Classical piano duet featuring Richard Stoltzman
In MemoriamLewis Spratlan2009Navona RecordsPremiere recordings from Pulitzer Prize-winner
5th easonJonathan Sacks2008Navona RecordsFirst solo CD by orchestrator for Randy Newman and Pixar
Phoenix In FlightRichard Stoltzman2008Navona RecordsOrchestral classical works by 2-time Grammy-winner
New American Works For Clarinet Vol. 2Richard Stoltzman2008MMC RecordingsFeaturing works by William Thomas McKinley
About Lear And OthersWilliam Stalnaker2008MMC RecordingsFeaturing Gerard Schwarz and Seattle Symphony Orchestra
MusicscapesVarious Artists2008MMC RecordingsWith orchestral version of Dreadnaught's "James Thresher Industries"
Painted Shadows Of ChildhoodDonald Betts2007MMC RecordingsFeaturing Richard Stoltzman
High Heat & Chin MusicDreadnaught2007Big Balloon/Red Fez Records2CD compilation
Live At MojoDreadnaught2005Comet Records2CD live in the studio
Musica En FlagranteDreadnaught2004Big BalloonStudio recordings
Apples & OrangesVarious Artists2004Red Fez RecordsFeaturing Dreadnaught, Ed Jurdi, Thanks To Gravity, Duncan Watt
The American StandardDreadnaught2001Red Fez RecordsStudio recordings
Una Vez MasDreadnaught2000self-releasedStudio recordings
DreadnaughtDreadnaught1998self-releasedStudio recordings

''Product/Marketing/Imprint Credits (Partial List)''

Album TitleArtistYearLabelNotes
And The President SaidVarious Artists2006MMC RecordingsFeaturing The Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee
Concordia Chamber EnsembleVarious Artists2006MMC RecordingsFeaturing Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conductor Marin Alsop
Xtreme ClassicalA. Paul Johnson2006MMC RecordingsFeaturing JJ Grey and MOFRO
Royal Liverpool PhilharmonicVarious Artists2006MMC RecordingsFeaturing Gerard Schwarz
Jazz For TwoDuehlmeier/Gritton Duo2005MMC RecordingsPiano duo w/orchestra featuring music by George Gershwin
Music For OrchestraLee Actor2005MMC RecordingsOrchestral music
Works For Double BassRichard Fredrickson2005MMC RecordingsOrchestral works for bass
Fear Of HeightsMr. Vertigo2005Red Fez RecordsStudio recordings
Oblique Music For Soundtracks That Don't ExistMuseum Of Science2005Red Fez RecordsStudio recordings
4th Of JulyTractor Trailer2005Red Fez RecordsStudio recordings
Longshores DriveEd Jurdi2004Red Fez RecordsStudio recordings

''Composition/Production/Music Supervision For Media''

Selected List
Project TitleCompanyYearNotes
The ExchangeNHPR2007Theme song for news radio program
Going MobileHot Diggity / Innov-X2007Re-record of Who song for ad campaign
WanderWander Films2006Original score and sound for award-winning short film
Touch Of HeavenOxRock Productions2006Original score for documentary
White ContrastPremier Snowskate2005Music supervision for DVD line
Marilyn's ManUniversal2005Produced/performed re-record of Dean Martin's "Sway"
Flying DownhillCoruway Film Institute2005Original music for Bode Miller documentary
Blue HiveSweet & Doggett2005Music branding for marketing campaign
HineiniKeshet2005Music supervision for award-winning documentary
Barber FarmMediaShower Productions2005Score for documentary by About.com's Gretchen Siegchrist
That Old Silent FilmOxRock Productions2005Producer of award-winning score for short film

''Music Director For ''Writers On A New England Stage'' (2005–present)''

AuthorYearPieces Performed
Chris Matthews2011
Chuck Palahniuk2011Arrangement of "Heaven & Hell"
Ben Mezrich2011Arrangement of "For The Love Of Money
Neil Gaiman2011
David McCullough2011Arrangement of The Navy Theme
Ann Patchett2011
Joseph Ellis2011
Margaret Atwood2010
Simon Winchester2010
Isabel Allende2010
Michael Lewis2010
Jodi Picoult2010
Greg Mortenson2009
Stephen King2009
Barbara Kingsolver2009
Tracy Kidder2009
E.L. Doctorow2009
Ruth Reichl2009Arrangement of "Savoy Truffle" and "Hoedown"
Madeleine Albright2008Arrangement of "Slavonic Dances" by Dvořák
Gregory Maguire2008
Louise Erdrich2008
Cokie Roberts2008
Barbara Walters2008Arrangement of ABC News theme song
Richard Russo2007
Elmore Leonard2007
Anita Diamant2007
Mitch Albom2006Arrangement of "Hit Somebody"
John Updike2006Arrangement of theme song from "The Witches Of Eastwick"
Dan Brown2006Arrangement of original music by Dan Brown
Doris Kearns Goodwin2005
Alan Alda2005Arrangement of "Suicide Is Painless"