Bob Sheppard ranks among the West Coast’s most in-demand and highly regarded saxophonists. Operating from Los Angeles, he maintains an unusually broad schedule that encompasses touring with various ensembles, contributing to film and television scores, and maintaining an active teaching practice. After earning a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, he launched his professional life by working alongside an eclectic mix of jazz and pop artists. He has appeared regularly with drummer Peter Erskine, with Chick Corea’s Grammy-nominated Origin ensemble, and for an extended period with pianist Billy Childs. In sideman roles he has backed Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, Lyle Mays, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Horace Silver, Nat Adderley, the Tonight Show Orchestra, Bobby Shew, Bob Florence, Bill Holman, and the large ensembles led by Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin. On the rock and pop side he has recorded and toured with Steely Dan, James Taylor, Rickie Lee Jones, and additional artists. Sheppard’s tenor saxophone timbre echoes the post-John Coltrane approach taken by Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Bobby Malach, and Ernie Watts, while preserving a distinct neo-bop foundation. He also performs on clarinet, bass clarinet, flutes, and soprano saxophone. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor of jazz at the University of Southern California.
