Bob Efford

Bob Efford (April 6, 1928—April 29, 2019) was a British-born American woodwind instrument player (saxophone, clarinet, oboe, bassoon). In his long career, he worked with several influential jazz and pop musicians in the UK and the USA—Tony Kinsey, Vic Lewis, Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, Johnny Mathis, Bette Midler, and Natalie Cole.

Bob Efford was born in London, England, on April 6, 1928, to Tom and Edith Efford.

He began his music career in the late 1940s. In January 1950, he made his first recording with Vic Lewis And His Orchestra's album Vic's Riff. He played tenor saxophone on two tracks "The Man I Love" and "Hammersmith Riff", accompanied by Peter Coleman (drums); Al Ferdman (guitar); Arthur Greenslade, Dill Jones, Ken Thorne (piano); Ronnie Chamberlain, Johnny Keating, Tony Russell (trombone); and Dennis Shirley, Harold Duff (trumpet). Shortly after, he appeared with Vic Lewis band on a BBC radio broadcast.

In 1957, Efford joined jazz drummer Tony Kinsey's newly formed Quintet with Jamaican alto saxophonist Joe Harriott, pianist Bill Le Sage, and double-bassist Pete Blannin. On May 16, 1957, the quintet recorded A Jazz At The Flamingo at Flamingo Jazz Club, in London. The following year, the quintet, with Dave Willis on bass, Bill Le Sage on piano, and trumpeter Les Condon replacing Harriott, recorded Autumn In Cuba. As part of Kinsey's quintet, Efford played on a few more recordings, including "Blue Eyes" / "The Midgets" (1957) and Time Gentlemen Please (1958). In 1957, the quintet was voted #1 in Melody Maker, a weekly trade paper for the jazz music and dance band scene.

In 1958, Efford joined Ken Moule's Music and recorded Jazz At Toad Hall (Decca Records) with George Chisholm, Dickie Hawdon, Johnny Scott, Roy Willox, Ronnie Ross, Bob Edwards, Arthur Watts, and Allan Ganley. He soloed on the track "Messin' Around In Boats" of the album.

Efford then went on a US tour with Ted Heath's band (replacing Red Price) and played at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Efford remained with Heath's band until 1966 and made a few recordings with them. In 1960, he played sax on Heath's Latin jazz album Ted Heath Goes Latin with Johnny Hawksworth (bass); Ronnie Verrell (drums); Ike Isaacs (guitar); Derek Warne (piano); Ronnie Chamberlain (saxophone); Don Lusher, Wally Smith (trombone); and Bobby Pratt, Duncan Campbell (trumpet). In 1963, he was on Swing Vs. Latin in a Heath and Edmundo Ros collaboration. After Heath died in 1969, Efford came back to Heath's band when it was led, first by Ralph Dollimore, and then by Johnny Keating.

On October 30, 1968, Efford played live with Tiny Tim's band at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London. The recording is available as Live! At The Royal Albert Hall on Rhino Handmade.

In 1973, he recorded an instrumental album Don't Look At Me, Listen To The Musicwith The Alan Tew Orchestra. That year, he also played woodwind on a few tracks of Tony Bennett's album Listen Easy (Philips Records). Two years later, he was on The Ray Davies Orchestra's Hits Of Sinatra, a tribute to Frank Sinatra.

Efford left Heath's band in 1974 and relocated to Los Angeles in 1976. In the USA, he worked and recorded with several jazz and contemporary legends including Dave Pell, Johnny Mathis, Bette Midler, Mel Tormé, Natalie Cole, and big bands of Les Brown's, Nelson Riddle, Ray Anthony, Johnny Mandel, Bob Florence, and Bill Holman.

Efford's first recording in the US was in 1979 with Dave Pell's Prez Conference Featuring Joe Williams. It was a Lester Young tribute album titled In Celebration Of Lester Young, produced by Gene Norman. Efford played baritone saxophone Monty Budwig (bass); Frank Capp (drums); Al Hendrickson (guitar); Nat Pierce (piano); and Bob Cooper (tenor saxophone).

In 1988, Effored played on Mel Tormé And The Marty Paich Dek-Tette's album Reunion (Concord Jazz). In 1990/91, he recorded Natalie Cole's twelfth studio album Unforgettable... with Love accompanied by William Perkins, Lanny Morgan (alto saxophone); Jack Nimitz (baritone saxophone); Bill Reichenbach (bass trombone); Alan Broadbent (celesta); Anthony Cooke, Armand Kaproff, Armen Ksajikian, Dennis Karmazyn (cello); Susan Greenberg (flute); Gary Foster (flute, alto saxophone, Woodwind); Arthur Maebe, Brian O'Connor, David Duke, and Vincent DeRosa (French horn); Gene Cipriano (oboe); Larry Bunker (percussion); Pat Coil, Ralph Grierson, Randy Kerber, and Tom Ranier (synthesizer); Pete Christlieb, David "Fathead" Newman, and Don Menza (tenor saxophone); Dick Nash, George Bohanon, and Thurman Green (trombone); Chuck Findley, Conte Candoli, Frank Szabo, Gary Grant, Oscar Brashear, Rick Baptist, and Warren Luening (trumpet); and Ron Lang, Steve Kujala (woodwind).

In 1996, Efford was a soloist on "The Peacocks" for The Bill Holman Band's release A View From The Side, for which he won a Grammy nomination. In 1998, he played sax with Richard Mitchell and Roger Neumann on "I'm Hip" of Bette Midler's album Bathhouse Betty.

Efford also received Grammy nominations for Dusty Springfield's version of Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" and Bob Florence's "Bluephoria".

Efford was married twice. 

His first marriage was with Joan Efford with whom he had a son, Robert.  His second wife was Bertie Efford.

Efford died in Malibu, California, on April 29, 2019, at 91.