Malach comes from a musical family, his brothers are also professional musicians. During his time in high school, he often performed with John Lee and Gerry Brown. In 1976 he moved to New York City, where he studied with Eddie Daniels.
Until 1978 he played in Stanley Clarke’s band and from 1976 to 1979 with Alphonse Mouzon with whom he repeatedly toured with in Europe. As a studio musician, Malach played with Stevie Wonder, Jon Faddis, Hank Jones, Horace Silver, Spyro Gyra and the Brecker Brothers. With Jasper van’t Hof “Eye Ball,” he has performed in Europe and also with Charlie Mariano, Aldo Romano, Didier Lockwood (“Live in Montreux”) and Urszula Dudziak.
Since 1985 he has been a member of the Bob Mintzer Big Band and in 1989 he also joined the George Gruntz Concert Jazz band. He played in a duo with Michel Petrucciani (“Conservations With Michel”) and (“The Prague Concert” “Dinner for Two”) and also toured with Jasper van’t Hof.
In 1991 he joined Miles Davis and Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Furthermore, Malach is featured onrecordings of Loose Ends and Leni Stern, Ivan Paduart, Miroslav Vitouš, Madonna, Mose Allison, Steve Miller Band,Dominique Eade and Joe Zawinul (“My People” & “Faces and Places”). In 2001 and 2002 he performed with Mike Stern and Ben Sidran on a concert tour. He also performed with the Metropole Orkest and Ivan Paduart.
Bob Malach is primarily known for the tenor saxophone but also plays alto saxophone, flute and clarinet. Stylistically, Bob Malach is often associated with saxophonist Michael Brecker, who is considered his most significant influence and with whom he worked. The German jazz critic Joachim Ernst Berendt characterized Malach’s sax game once as follows: “Hawkins, Trane, Gene Ammons, Rollins – they all live in his game.”