I was born in Hollywood back in the days before color TV, touch-tone phones and ZIP codes.

If fact, the name "Robert" was the third most popular name for boys born in the 1950's.  Times, however, have changed.  In the year 2006, the name "Robert" came in number 47, behind such names as Tyler, Austin, and Caleb!  Can you imagine?

To see where your name is in the standings, check out the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names.

Growing up in Hollywood was great.  My father's work as an actor and theater owner sparked my imagination and my mother instilled in me a great appreciation for music.

I learned the trombone in the seventh grade and ended up majoring in music in college. Finding no immediate employment as a trombonist, I spent many years in the commercial travel industry which gave me a chance to see the world. Singapore, Africa, Iceland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Tahiti, and many more destinations. That industry was fun in the 1980's.

Growing tired of the industry changes, airline mergers (and bankruptcies), I left the travel world and drew upon my musical talents to become a music editor for film and television.

What's a Music Editor?
A music editor works with the composer and director in the preparation and creation of the music score and supervises all the technical aspects of music, often creating new pieces of music by shortening or lengthening pieces created by the composer.

For more on what I do and what shows I've worked on, click on the Music Editing link on the menu to the left. Although the yellow fellow to the right will give you a big clue!

I am the Principal Trombonist with the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds.  Our group -- and a subset of the ensemble,- a seventeen-piece swing jazz band  -- perform regularly in the San Fernando Valley. 

Both bands have just returned from performing at the Mid Europe Music Festival this summer (2007) in Austria.

Photos can be found at:

• http://picasaweb.google.com/Schladming.Man

Here's a video clip of a concert we did in an old church. The piece is "Fanfare for the Vienne Philharmonic" and it features the brass and percussion sections:

Three more video clips are available on YouTube:

• Outdoor concert w/guest soloist Helen Goode
• Outdoor concert - "When the Saints Go Marching In"
• Indoor concert, church - "Sym. No. 3 - "Slavyanskya" (clip ends before piece is complete)

In 2004, we performed in the south of France and Italy. See pictures from the 2004 tour at: 2004tour.bobbeecher.com. The band has also performed at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December, 2004.

Jim Self and his Fluba at the Newman Scoring Stage, Fox Studios

I have also played with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Clarita Valley Concert Band , the Los Angeles Tuba Christmas concert and other ensembles. 

I have a collection of trombones and low brass instruments.  Learn about the many variations of the Trombone, the Baritone Horn, and the Euphonium.

AVIATION -  I am a Captain in the USAF Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol. 

My interest in aviation is represented by a library of juvenile flying stories I have collected.  These books, geared to young readers, were published starting just after the first planes took to the air up through the many adventures of WWII.

Some of the books were simply one volume and involved a young boy who ends up saving the day by flying in an airplane; but most of these books were series books (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and so on) and with each volume, the main character would be caught up in different adventures.

Old Recorded Music has also found its way into my collections. I have several antique phonographs, 78 RPM records, and a few Nipper dog items as well!

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