Bob Ojeda of the Count Basie Orchestra

When most people think of the Count Basie Orchestra, images of Duke Ellington or Count Basie himself come to mind. However, trumpet player and music arranger, Bob Ojeda, a Chicago born Mexican American, was with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1985-2001. (Bob is standing middle backrow with the mustache)

Bob's big band career began in 1958, though still in his teens, when he joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He also played with Woody Herman, Ralph Flanagan, and others. Bob studied arranging with the reknown William Russo, Frank Foster, and Bill Matthews.

Bob has written arrangements for big bands, including the Basie organization, as well as music for other notable singers, television series, and hollywood movies. He can be seen and heard on the 1987 DVD "Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra". Bob is seated next to the drummer's high hat, and plays several solos. His arrangement of "Everyday I Have The Blues" can be heard on this DVD.

The reason I am writing this entry is because Bob Ojeda is my father's first cousin and his parents are originally from Del Rio and Lytton Springs, Texas, where they worked in the farming industry along with my grandmother, Eloisa Ojeda Limon.

To read more about Bob, check out Michael Pettersen's interview (where I obtained most of the information above) with Bob:

http://www.freddiegreen.org/interviews/ojeda.html

You can also check out the YouTube selection below where Bob is featured with Diane Schurr in a few segments of the video.