Bob Pilkington is a trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator. 

​Originally from Louisville, KY, he’s been living and working in Boston, MA since 1974. He’s been playing trombone for over 58 years, composing and arranging for over 53 years, and teaching for 40 years. He studied performance and composition at the University of Louisville School of Music and Berklee College of Music, as well as additional studies with Hal Crook and Bob Brookmeyer. Other significant teachers include Nelson Keyes, Herb Pomeroy, Phil Wilson, and Michael Gibbs.

​Much of Bob’s career has been devoted to original music projects, both his own and those of others. His own projects include the Landscape Orchestra, Excursions, the Continuum Jazz Brass Band, Orquesta Tropical 2000, Fractal, Federator No.1, and Fusion Nouveau. He’s a resident composer and orchestra member of the Jazz Composers Alliance since 1989. He’s performed with numerous local/regional original music groups. He also wrote in varying degrees for most of them as well.

​Bob is Professor of Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music where he’s been teaching since 1982. He has been recognized with the Ted Pease Excellence in Teaching Award and the President’s Award in Information Technology for his work advancing Computer Aided Instruction in Music. 

At Berklee, Bob has taught all levels of jazz composition, arranging, harmony, ear training, and ensemble. His students can be heard in all areas of the music industry and have won many awards.

At Berklee, he regularly participates in concerts as a performer/writer, including two annual department concerts featuring compositions by himself and other faculty. He’s also performed with and/or written for a number of groups covering styles such as avant garde jazz, traditional jazz, big band jazz, fusion, rock, pop, klezmer, salsa, afro-pop, commercial music, and classical. 

Bob has written and published Counterpoint in Jazz Arranging. It is the first book devoted exclusively to counterpoint in the jazz idiom - as opposed to chapters in larger arranging texts. It provides a fundamental grounding in counterpoint as well as practical techniques for the arranger.