In 2008, Bob succeeded pianist Shelly Berg to hold the Bowen H. "Buzz" McCoy and Barbara M. McCoy Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
Mintzer plays Selmer Mark VI saxophones fitted with Freddy Gregory mouthpieces. He uses Vandoren V16 reeds for the tenor sax, and Bari plastic reeds on his soprano sax and bass clarinet. He also plays an Akai EWI (electronic wind instrument), an older model of the 1000 series. For recording with Yellowjackets, Mintzer prefers a Sennheiser 441 microphone.
Mintzer has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards both for his solo work and big band recordings (Art of the Big Band, Departure, Homage to Count Basie, One Music, and Only in New York) and his work with the Yellowjackets (Blue Hats, Club Nocturne, Dreamland, Greenhouse, Like a River, Live Wires, Mint Jam, Runferyerlife, Time Squared). Homage to Count Basie won the Grammy in the best large ensemble category for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, 2001
Before starting his own big band, Mintzer was a featured soloist and arranger with the big band of Buddy Rich. His son, Paul, graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. His nephew, Ross, performs in the band Remington(Band).
My high school band teacher likes to say that Bob Mintzer's jazz career as a musician and composer is eclipsed only by the awesomeness that is his mustache and that Bob has been said to compose while watching TV, as his song "TV Blues" alludes to.
Song Is You
Bob Mintzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
I feel it start, then melt away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
A beautiful melody
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I alone have heard this glad refrain,
Must it be forever inside of me,
Why can't I let it go,
Why can't I let you know,
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.
The lyrics of Bob Mintzer’s “Song Is You” are about the overwhelming effect that the love interest has on the singer. The singer expresses how their love interest is like music to them, a beautiful theme that carries on in every dream they have ever had. Just like music, their love interest touches the singer’s heart deeply and renders them speechless. The music starts playing in their heart when they come into contact with their love interest, and they describe it as a beautiful melody from an enchanted land. The singer admits being the only one who can hear this lovely strain and how it feels like it’s been inside of them forever. They ask why they can’t let their love interest know about the song that their heart would sing.
The lyrics use powerful metaphors to describe the singer’s feelings towards their love interest, with music serving as the symbolism. The music represents the beauty, depth, and intensity of the connection between the singer and their love interest. The singer expresses their desire to let their love interest know what their heart feels without holding back. The lyrics are full of passion and longing, which creates an emotional connection with the listener. The song speaks of the things we keep hidden in our hearts, urging us to express ourselves fully to those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear music when I look at you,
The sight of you makes me feel like music is playing.
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
The music I hear when I look at you feels like the perfect background for all my dreams.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
I can feel the music inside me.
I feel it start, then melt away.
The music I feel inside me starts and then fades away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
Touching your hand makes me feel like music is playing.
A beautiful melody
From some enchanted land.
The music I feel when touching your hand feels like it's coming from a magical place.
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
The music I feel inside me asks if today is the day.
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I am the only one who can hear this beautiful music.
I alone have heard this glad refrain,
I am the only one who can hear this happy melody.
Must it be forever inside of me,
Do I have to keep this music inside me forever?
Why can't I let it go,
Why can't I share this music with others?
Why can't I let you know,
Why can't I share this music with you specifically?
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
Why can't I express the music that truly represents my heart?
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
This beautiful music represents love, youth, and springtime.
The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.
The music I feel inside represents you perfectly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JEROME KERN, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind