Bubba Kolb


Franklin Dial "Bubba" Kolb is an American jazz pianist and trombonist who, from 1975 to 1981, led a jazz trio, "The Bubba Kolb Trio," in residence at the World Village Lounge at the Lake Buena Vista Village, Florida. The trio backed major jazz artists appearing nightly as guests, two-weeks each, year-round. The artists included Carl Fontana, Rich Matteson, Benny Carter, Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Hank Jones, Red Norvo, Charlie Byrd, Barbara Carroll, Clark Terry, Barney Kessell, Buddy Tate, Buddy DeFranco, Louis Bellson, Marian McPartland, Art Farmer, Kai Winding, Kenny Burrell, Flip Phillips, Al Grey, Bobby Hacket, Pee Wee Erwin, Vic Dickenson, Milt Jackson, James Moody, Ira Sullivan, Billy Taylor, Teddy Wilson, Laurindo Almeida, Art Pepper, Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Rosolino and Jimmy Forrest.

The Bubba Kolb Trio at the World Village Lounge

The Bubba Kolb Trio initially consisted of Kolb on piano, Harvey M. Lang, Jr. on drums, and Louise A. Davis '' on bass. The project, originally a market test, was adopted by Disney to promote jazz with the aim of developing a venue of major rank for big name jazz artists.
Kolb also led the Disney All-Stars—with David Allen Joy on trumpet, Keith C. Wilson on drums, and Donald S. Mikiten on sax, and Rondal Miller on bass—at the 1986 Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland. They performed July 5 at the Montreux Casino.
Bob Cross, an orchestra leader who had moved to Orlando in 1971 to work as an entertainment booker at Walt Disney World, pioneered the World Village Lounge jazz concept that lasted two decades.
In the 1980s, Kolb was replaced by Donald E. Scaletta and Davis was replaced by Clifford Brown's ex bassist, George Morrow. When Lang died, Barry V. Smith, and sometimes Don Lamond took over on drums.

Selected discography

In junior and senior high school, Kolb studied trombone and arranging with Bob Seibert in Dallas. He studied piano at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he was a pianist with the One O'Clock Lab Band and earned a Bachelor of Music degree.

Personal life

On February 3, 1970, Bubba married flutist Laura Ann Dean in Denton, Texas.