Bruce Fowler

Bruce Lambourne Fowler (born July 10, 1947) is an American trombonist and composer. He is known for his work on numerous recordings by Frank Zappa, as well as performances with Captain Beefheart and the Fowler Brothers Band. In addition to his performing career, Fowler has composed, arranged, and conducted music for film, contributing to a wide range of popular movies.

Bruce Fowler is the son of jazz educator Dr. William L. Fowler and Beatrice Fowler. He is one of five brothers, all musicians: Walt Fowler, a multi-instrumentalist; Steve Fowler, a flutist, saxophonist and composer (deceased), Tom Fowler, a bassist; and Ed Fowler, a multi-instrumentalist and composer.

Fowler has performed with the Band from Utopia, the Mar Vista Philharmonic, and Strange News from Mars, a project led by Norwegian musician Jon Larsen that features former Zappa collaborators Tommy Mars and Arthur Barrow. He also recorded albums as a member of Air Pocket, a jazz fusion band that included all five Fowler brothers.

Fowler is the recipient of the 2007 Film & TV Music Awards for Best Score Conductor and Best Orchestrator.

Discography With Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention Over-Nite Sensation – 1973 Apostrophe (') – 1974 Roxy & Elsewhere – 1974 Bongo Fury – 1975 (Captain Beefheart appears on this album as well) Zoot Allures – 1976 Studio Tan – 1978 Sleep Dirt – 1979 Orchestral Favorites – 1979 You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 – 1988 Broadway the Hard Way – 1989 The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life – 1991 You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 – 1991 Make a Jazz Noise Here – 1991 Beat the Boots – 1992 Unmitigated Audacity (rec. 1974) Piquantique (rec. 1973) You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 – 1992 Strictly Commercial – 1995 The Lost Episodes – 1996 Läther – 1996 Have I Offended Someone? – 1997 Cheap Thrills – 1998 Son of Cheap Thrills – 1999 Imaginary Diseases – 2006 Trance-Fusion – 2006 Wazoo – 2007 One Shot Deal – 2008 Road Tapes, Venue #2 – 2013 Roxy By Proxy – 2014 Roxy the Soundtrack – 2015 The Crux of the Biscuit – 2016 The Roxy Performances – 2018 Halloween 73 – 2019 Zappa - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – 2020 Zappa '88: The Last US Show – 2021

With Air Pocket/The Fowler Brothers 1976: Fly On (East Wind) 1985: Hunter 1988: Breakfast for Dinosaurs

With Captain Beefheart Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) – 1978 Doc at the Radar Station – 1980 I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do: Live at My Father's Place 1978 – 2000

With The Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band Farewell – 1980 From Toshiko With Love also released as Tanuki's Night Out – 1981 European Memoirs – 1982

Solo works Ants Can Count – 1990 Entropy – 1993 Synthetic Division (with Phil Teele) – 1994 The Good Shepherd Soundtrack (with Marcelo Zarvos – 2006 Inception – 2010

With Oingo Boingo Boingo Alive – 1988 Dark at the End of the Tunnel – 1990

With Randy Newman Bad Love – 1999 Harps & Angels – 2008

With other artists Stan Ridgway, The Big Heat – 1986 Ed Mann, Perfect World – 1990 Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company - 2004 J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido – 2006 Avenged Sevenfold, Avenged Sevenfold – 2007 Jon Larsen, Strange News From Mars – 2007 Stu Nevitt, The Marion Kind – 2007