perfected the art of gathering
Bobi Loré – perfected the art of gathering
Bobi Loré, originally from a Brooklyn Italian family, grew up on Long Island, New York. While growing up, he listened to his father and grandfather’s record collection of 30s, 40s, and 50s music. He played trumpet, until dental braces forced a change to the trombone. Bobi studied music from 4th grade through high school. He benefitted from a great music program at South Side High School in Rockville Center on Long Island. He always played piano but most importantly he discovered he was naturally rhythmic on a friend’s drum set and it has since been his dominant instrument – he’s a drummer. He graduated in 1979.
As a drummer Bobi felt he could better feel and see the impact of the beat on the audience. He also found is quite inspiring to see the effect that listening to music has on people. Bobi moved away from strictly reading music charts and began listening to the music and actually playing music more kinetically. He feels listening is the ultimate education for a musician.
Bobi moved to Boston in the Spring of 1980. Initially, he was accepted at the Berklee School of Music in Boston but did not receive the scholarships he had expected and decided the loans would have been too serious an amount of debt to incur at 18. He performed around town for about five years getting very involved in the music and art community.
Four years later, at the suggestion of a friend, he moved to Anchorage, Alaska playing with a surprisingly large jazz community. Later that year he found a seasonal job in Seward, Alaska that allowed him to travel around the world during the offseason. He held the seasonal gig, working 3-5 summer months, for almost ten years.
In 1994, he moved to Seattle, married and had twin boys. This was shortly after Kurt Cobain, leader of the band Nirvana, had died. He met Krist Novoselic, bass player of Nirvana who wanted to put together a band for a festival and chose Bobi to be the drummer. A friend of Krist, Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam sat in with them and sang the Beatles, “I Am the Walrus”, which Bobi had just taught the band. These were to be the highlights of Bobi’s musical career. He lived in Seattle for about 18 years – his adult children still live there.
Bobi went back to school and became a licensed massage therapist. His marriage had ended and he moved to Santa Rosa, California in 2012. During this period, one of his clients was Jon Allen who was from Key West and owned the Island House Resort. They became good friends, traveling companions, and later life partners. Jon took Bobi to Key West in 2015 and, like many others, he fell in love with the place. They moved to Key West in 2018. Jon was 19 years older than Bobi and was looking for someone to continue his legacy at Island House.
To Bobi, the diversity of Key West was overwhelmingly pleasant and he feels Key West has “perfected the art of gathering”. Bobi has never lived in a place where the community took better care of each other.
One evening in late 2021, Bobi was at the Little Room Jazz Club (LRJC). Larry Smith, Claire Caplan, and Skipper Kripitz were performing. Bobi was invited by Skipper to sit in on the drums. 
This was his first live music experience in Key West. It was great fun and showed Bobi there was a place for him as a musician in Key West.
Jon Allen died in December of 2021 and Bobi as owner manager had to focus completely on the Island House Resort and could no longer pursue music. The LRJC closed in May, 2025 and later in November, Larry Smith started a Monday Night Jazz Jam at the American Legion Post 168 at 803 Emma Street in Bahama Village. Bobi offered to bring in a set of congas and has been sitting in and playing almost every Monday since.
For Bobi it has become one of the best gathering places in Key West. All the energy from the Little Room Jazz Club transferred to the American Legion Hall and the newly established Key West Cultural Center housed at the same facility. Bobi feels the history of all the Chitlin Circuit performers that frequented the Legion Hall in the era of segregation and their vibe is still present in the facility and it has become almost a museum of musical art.
Later, Bobi met singer-guitarist Jeff Moss who had a one-man gig at the Bourbon Street Pub for over ten years. He had a drum set on stage but no one was playing. Bobi offered, and the two have been playing regularly ever since. Playing drums at Bourbon Street and congas at the American Legion have given new life to Bobi’s musical activities.
Bobi Loré is also a candidate for Key West City Commission, District 2. He wants to give something back to the community that he loves. Don’t forget to register and vote August 18th.
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