Biography

In a relatively short period of time, Doug Beavers has established himself as a national presence in music, both as a cutting-edge studio trombonist and as an internationally renowned producer, composer, orchestrator and arranger, in a multitude of genres.

Recently garnering a Grammy® Award for his work on Eddie Palmieri’s star-studded release Listen Here (2005), Doug Beavers has become known for his meticulous attention to detail, natural-born leadership, and his unbridled enthusiasm for music. These endearing qualities have earned him the opportunity to perform throughout the world with prominent figures in jazz and latin music, including Eddie Palmieri, Rosemary Clooney, Giovanni Hildago, and Mingus Big Band.

Never intending to be a full time musician, Doug attended Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, CA, and studied music, math and science and ultimately earned a full scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at University of California, Davis. It was at this point that Doug decided that his musical talents could enable him to adopt a full-time career in music. He was accepted to California State University, East Bay, and earned his bachelor’s degree in music, studying classical music theory, classical trombone with San Francisco Opera Bass Trombonist Dave Ridge, and jazz trombone and arranging with renowned educator, arranger and trombonist Dave Eshelman. Doug quickly realized that he wished to take his talents to the national level, and set his sights on a career in New York City.

Doug auditioned for and was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music in 2000, where he studied jazz trombone with Conrad Herwig and studio arranging and orchestration with Mike Abene. Through Abene’s teachings, Doug expanded his compositional palette to include scoring for expanded symphony orchestras and film.

Musicians in New York began to take notice, and before long, Doug Beavers found himself amidst many opportunities for performing, composing, and arranging. He completed various arrangements for Conrad Herwig, Terrell Stafford, and many other arrangements for salsa vocalists and their bands. Doug’s achievements eventually brought him to the attention of the Mingus Big Band, where he was hired to complete arrangements for the band and earned a regular seat playing with the ensemble, joining them for a Hong Kong tour in 2002.

Doug’s reputation on the New York scene quickly brought him to the attention of legendary latin pianist Eddie Palmieri. Eddie afforded Doug the opportunity to bring back the sounds of his historical ensemble from the 1960’s, “La Perfecta”, through transcription and re-arrangement of the classic repertoire.
The work was immediately deemed to be accurate by Palmieri himself, and the new project La Perfecta II (2001) was born on the Concord label. The album featured a bevy of some of the world’s most talented Latin artists, including Dave Valentín, Brian Lynch, and Tito Puente alumni Mario Rivera and John Rodriguez, Jr.

Always an astute academic of music, Doug Beavers pursed his love for writing for symphonies and large ensembles. Championing the masterpieces of Mahler, Ravel, and Rimsky-Korsakov, he drew on these works for his primary source of inspiration. His work soon earned him the opportunity to fulfill several symphonic commissions, including a Frank Sinatra tribute with the Florida Orchestra and a selection featured by the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra in a concert with Rosemary Clooney. This concert was recorded as The Last Concert (Concord), and was released posthumously in 2003. The live album earned a Grammy® nomination, one of four that Doug Beavers has received in his career to date.

Doug continues to look for new artistic and innovative ways to positively contribute to the current musical climate. In 2006, he partnered with drummer and producer Steve Moretti (Rosemary Clooney, Toni Tenille, Michael McDonald) to form Disturbance Productions™, a production company geared to offer new, creative and artistic insight to the production of recorded music. Disturbing Productions also makes an active contribution to music education by teaching innovative programs, masterclasses, and clinics to prospective students of music at the high school and college levels.

Currently, Doug Beavers is working on a new symphonic commission for Eddie Palmieri, to be premiered in Puerto Rico in June 2006. He is also working on his first solo release with his critically acclaimed jazz nonet, Nine.

"Tin Tin Deo"
(Walter "Gil" Fuller - Chano Pozo)
Arranged by Doug Beavers & Eddie Palmieri
Orchestrated by Doug Beavers

Eddie Palmieri, piano
Brian Lynch, trumpet
Conrad Herwig, trombone
Doug Beavers, trombone
Donald Harrison, alto sax
John Benitez, bass
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, drums
Giovanni Hildago, conga, guiro
David Sanchez, guest soloist, tenor sax

Appears on Eddie Palmieri "Listen Here"*
*Grammy Award "Best Latin Jazz Album" - 2006

Major Concerts & Performances

Eddie Palmieri and Ray Barretto
“Salsa Meets Jazz” – Carnegie Hall Presentation June 26, 2005

Eddie Palmieri – Morocco, Africa Summer 2004

Eddie Palmieri – Marciac Jazz Festival, France Summer 2004

William Alvarez (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), Karen Joseph (fl), Giovanni Hildago (conga),
John Rodriguez (bngo), Jose Claussell (tmb), Jerry Madera (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Eddie Palmieri – Guadalupe, Martinique, French Antilles Summer 2004

William Alvarez (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), Karen Joseph (fl), “Little” Johnny Rivero (conga), John Rodriguez (bngo), Jose Claussell (tmb), Jerry Madera (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

“A Night of Salsa All Stars” – Seattle, WA February 6, 2004

Joe Santiago (bs), Giovanni Hildago (congas), Pablito “El Indio” Rosario (tmb), Giovanni Lugo (vcls, perc), Carlos Cascante (vcls), Ivan Renta (ts), Julio Jauregui (pno), Doug Beavers (tb), Luis de Jesus (quarto)

Eddie Palmieri – "Concert in Israel" Tel-Aviv, Israel - July, 2003

Eddie Palmieri – “La Perfecta II” Premiere – Carnegie Hall
New York City June 16, 2002

Reynaldo Jorge (tb), Chris Washburn (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), Herman Olivera (vcl),
Ismael Quintana (vcl), George Delgado (conga), John Rodriguez (bngo), Jose Claussell (tmb), Joe Santiago (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Big Kahuna & the Copa Cat Pack with Honolulu Pops
Honolulu, HI June 8, 2000

Rosemary Clooney with Lionel Hampton and Orchestra,
With special guest Dee Dee Bridgewater – Stuttgart, Germany July 16, 1999

Rosemary Clooney and Count Basie Orchestra
Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA August 7, 1999

Conducting

Manhattan School of Music Studio Orchestra – World Premiere
“The Telling of the Untold” – Original Composition May 2002

Florida Pops Orchestra “Tribute to Frank Sinatra”
“It Was a Very Good Year” – Arranged by Doug Beavers November 2000

Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall – New York City
“Tribute to Charlie Palmieri”

“Afro-World Suite” – Composed and Arranged by Eddie Palmieri
Additional Arrangement and Orchestration by Doug Beavers

Featuring: Eddie Palmieri, Ray Santos, Giovanni Hildago,
Jose “Cheo” Feliciano, Mario Rivera, Jimmy Bosch,
Alfredo de la Fe, Richie Ray, Edy Martinez, Herman Olivera,
Lewis Kahn, John Walsh, Bobby Porcelli and others. November 2004

Tours

Eddie Palmieri – Netherlands (North Sea Jazz Festival), Austria, Luxemburg, Italy (Summer 2004)

Doug Beavers (tb), William Alvarez (tb), Jerry Madera (bs), Karen Joseph (fl), John Rodriguez (bngo), “Little” Johnny Rivero (conga), c, Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Eddie Palmieri – Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA), The Palladium (Los Angeles, CA), Yoshi’s (Oakland, CA) (Summer 2004)

Jimmy Bosch (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), Karen Joseph (fl), George Delgado (conga), John Rodriguez (bngo), Jose Claussell (tmb), Joe Santiago (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Eddie Palmieri – Denmark, England, Austria, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Israel (Spring 2003)

John Walsh (tp), Doug Beavers (tb), John Rodriguez (bngo), George Delgado (conga), Jose Claussell (tmb), Joe Santiago (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Eddie Palmieri – Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, England, Netherlands (Summer 2003)

Eliut Cintron (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), John Rodriguez (bngo), Richie Flores (conga), Jose Claussell (tmb), Joe Santiago (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno)

Eddie Palmieri – Germany, England, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey (Fall 2002)

Brian Lynch (tp), Doug Beavers (tb), John Rodriguez (bngo), Karen Joseph (fl)
Papo Rodriguez (conga), Jose Claussell (tmb), Joe Santiago (bs), Eddie Palmieri (pno),

Anne Hampton Calloway
Riviera Festival, Chicago IL - Summer 2002

Dave Scott (tp), Brian Kettlehut (tp), Mike Olmos (tp), Doug Beavers (tb), Greg Saul (tb), Albert Alva (as), Jeff Prinz (as), Matt Cowan (ts), Jennifer Lovejoy (bs)

Mingus Big Band – Hong Kong - Fall 2002

Orrin Evans (p), Ali Jackson (dr), Boris Kaslov (bs), Alex Sipiagin (tp), Earl Gardner (tp), Kenny Rampton (tp), Frank Lacy (tb), Doug Beavers (tb), Earl McIntyre (b. tb), Craig Handy (as), Jaleel Shaw (as), John Stubblefield (ts), Wayne Escoffrey (ts), Ronnie Cuber (b. sax)

Michael Feinstein & Linda Eder
(East Coast Tour – Summer 2000)

Dave Scott (tp), Brian Kettlehut (tp), Mike Olmos (tp), Doug Beavers (tb), Greg Saul (tb), Albert Alva (as), Jeff Prinz (as), Matt Cowan (ts), Jennifer Lovejoy (bs)

Arrangements (A complete listing available on the Music page)

Recordings

Eddie Palmieri “Listen Here” (Concord CCD-2276-2) - June 2005

Carlos Cascante y Su Tumbao, Recuerdos, Bettermusik - December 2005

The Billy Nayer Show “Rabbit” - August 2004

Eddie Palmieri “Ritmo Caliente” (Concord CCD-2180-2) - May 2003

Eddie Palmieri “La Perfecta II” (Concord CCD-2136-2) - April 2002

Rosemary Clooney “Last Concert” (Concord CCD-2166-2) - November 2002

Rosemary Clooney “Sentimental Journey”
(Concord CCD-4952-2) - November 2001

Big Kahuna Band “Shake Your Hula Hips”
(Concord CCD 4960) - August 2000

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” – A Rosie Christmas
with Rosemary Clooney and Rosie O’Donnell
NBC Studios, New York City - November 4, 1999

Big Kahuna Band “Hawaiian Swing” (Concord CCD 4860) - June 1999

Rev. Cecil Williams & The Glide Ensemble
“The Sounds of Hope” - May 2002

Sonora U.S.A, Sonora USA (Cayman Records) - Fall ‘97