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Key point: Much of the music we recall from the Big Band era, is remembered not because of the melody of the music, or the interest of the Lyric, but rather for the beauty of the Arrangments used by the Big Bands. Yet, curiously, the names of most all the great arrangers remain in relative obscurity. In the early days of the XX century (the 'teens and early 1920s), arrangers mostly learned what they could on their own by experimenting and talking to other musicians, since there really were no books on "big-band" arranging at the time. (There were no "Big Bands".) A somewhat 'loose' "Arrangers Timeline" might be (this is a very incomplete list): The Pioneering arrangers (mostly 1920s on) were:
The Swing Era arrangers (say from mid-1930s on):
From the 1950s up:
The enormous success of the Paul Whiteman orchestra is one interesting instance. A great many writers have made some unkind remarks regarding Whiteman. They snikker about his moniker "The King Of Jazz", and question the reason for his extra-ordinary popularity. And yet, - the reason for his popularity is right there under their noses, -his orchestra's beautiful arrangements. Certainly a great deal of Whiteman's success is due to his arrangers. When Whiteman, formed his own very first band, the pianist and arranger was his friend Ferdé Grofé . It was Grofé, and the pianist/arrangers who followed him, -men such as Lennie Hayton, and Ray Turner- together with Whiteman's genius for picking good sidemen - that brought the band such great fame. (I believe Ray Turner only recorded once. Turner, Lou Busch (aka: Joe "Fingers" Carr") and Marvin Ash, cut a Capitol record entitled "Honky Tonk Piano". ) A reader has sent this autographed photo (source unknown) of Ferde Grofé, which reads "To Joe Sanders with best wishes from "an old fan". Ferde Grofé. Ferdinand "Ferdie" (later "Ferdé") Rudolph von Grofé was born in New York City on March 27, 1892, a son of German immigrants. His father was a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and his mother was an accomplished cellist who had studied with Klengel at the Leipzig Conservatory. Ferde received his earliest piano and viola lessons from her. In 1900, his father died, and Ferde and his mother travelled to Germany. In Leipzig, he continued his viola and piano lessons for several years, also studying composition. In 1903, Ferde and his mother again returned to New York. It is not known why, but Ferde ran away from home at the age of 14, and eventually wound up in Northern California. There he found work as a pianist in miners camps, bordellos, and other places. After a brief visit home, he returned to California, and in 1909 began work as violinist in the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, then under the direction of Adolf Taendler. (This same orchestra had featured Grofé's grandfather as first cellist, while his uncle, Julius Bierlich, had served as concertmaster for more than 10 years.) In addition to the L.A. Symphony, Ferde also worked with local dance orchestras, playing the ragtime tunes in their repertoires. Early in 1915, he became a member of drummer Art Hickman's dance band. It was Grofé (and Hickman ??) who worked up perhaps the earliest arrangements for dance bands. Grofe was the first arranger to come up with different orchestrations for the various choruses of a given song. Little recalled now, it was his arrangements that made the saxophone section a standard component of dance orchestras. In early 1917, a national mania for dance music quickly broke out across the U.S. with the introduction of the first Jazz recordings. With the end of World War I, a public tired of wartime austerity clamored for more of the newly popular Jazz, and ballrooms and other dance venues sprang up all over. The "Jazz Age" of the "Roaring Twenties" was starting. Many under-paid, classically trained musicians threw themselves wholeheartedly into this new music, -Grof�was one of them. In 1919, he left the Los Angeles Symphony and formed his own Jazz band. Whiteman knew Grofé from the time that they both worked with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. Near the end of 1919, they again met, this time in San Francisco, where Ferde was playing piano with John Tait's band (at the Portola Louvre Club). Tait hired Whiteman as a violinist, but fired him the very next day, because "he couldnt play Jazz." So, in 1919, Whiteman became one of those young classically trained violinists putting together his own Jazz band. Early in 1920, the band was playing in the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles. Whiteman, searching for a capable musician who could take over some of the arranging, hired Grof�as pianist and arranger, replacing pianist Charles Caldwell. That same year, Whiteman moved the band to the East Coast. The band members were Paul Whiteman (leader, violin), Henry Busse (trumpet), Bert "Buster" Johnson (trombone), Hale "Pee-Wee" Byers (saxophones), Gus Mueller (clarinet, saxophones), Ferde Grof�(piano, arranger), Mike Pingitore (banjo), Sammy Heiss (bass), and Harold McDonald (drums). Grofé's method was to consult with Whiteman on the bands new numbers, and, during the initial rehearsal, the musicians were free to offer suggestions. For the second rehearsal, Ferde had incorporated the suggested changes and improvements into the arrangement, and the charts for the new numbers were committed to paper, right down to the last note. Thereafter, as long as the number remained in the repertoire, the band always played in precisely the same way. With frequent rehearsals, the more popular numbers were often played without reference to the charts. The Whiteman bands first East Coast engagement began in June 1920, with a booking at Atlantic City's Ambassador Hotel. On October 1, 1920, the band open at the Palais Royal on Broadway in New York City. Thanks to frequent rehearsals, Whiteman's iron discipline, and Ferde Grofé's delightful arrangements, the band became a "hit" with New Yorkers. On Monday, August 9, 1920, the band cut their first 4 tunes for Victor, in the Camden New Jersey studio. (Bandleader Paul Whiteman received $50 per tune; the other musicians got $25 each.) Released at the end of 1920, these first four recordings (featuring Ferde Grofé as pianist and, except for one selection, arranger), were a great success. "Whispering" and "The Japanese Sandman" sold tens of thousands of copies within the first months of their release, quickly establishing Grof� reputation as an arranger. From 1921 on, the Victor company was releasing two Whiteman recordings per month; with only a few exceptions, the arrangements were handled by Ferde Grof� Ferde Grof� salary grew to $375 per week ($1500/month in 1921) making him the highest-paid sideman of his time. By early 1924, Whiteman had a 'corps' of arrangers working with the band, including reed player Ross Gorman and pianist Phil Boutelje. Grof�was the band's mainstay, rarely performing. The principal pianist was now Harry Perrella, with Phil Boutelje as second pianist. Whiteman had commissioned composer George Gershwin to write a special work for piano and Jazz band. Gershwin felt rather diffident about the commission, but on repeated urgings, he finally agreed. The score that Gershwin delivered, in the last weeks of January 1924, had been written for two pianos only. After several long days and nights of labor, Ferde Grof�provided an orchestration for 23 pieces. It was Grofe's orchestration of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" that was heard on it's debut performance at New York's Aeolian Hall. (And still often heard today.) Grofé, with Whiteman's encouragement, then tried his own hand at writing a serious piece of music, and in October 1924, he released his tone poem "Broadway at Night". In 1925, while still with the Whiteman band, Grofé completed his second major composition, the "Mississippi Suite". The final theme of that suite, with lyrics added by Harold Adamson, would become a successful song in 1942, under the title "Daybreak". In 1927, Grofé completed his third work "Three Shades of Blue" (the "Heliotrope" section was rather complex). In 1928, he released "Metropolis", which Whiteman premiered on October 7, 1928, at New York's famed Carnegie Hall. It was not well received. Grofé even wrote a special vocal chorus for the Rhythm Boys, - (l-r) Bing Crosby, Harry Barris, and Al Rinker. (Barris was singer- with Jimmie Grier Orch.- Loyce Whiteman's husband, and Al Rinker was singer Mildred Bailey's brother - and brother and sister were part Native-American), Whitemans vocal group. Two of the pieces themes were provided by Whitemans violinist/arranger/composer Matty Malneck and vocalist/composer Harry Barris. Grofé also provided some arrangements for the 1929 early 'Talkie' motion picture The King of Jazz, in which the Paul Whiteman band appeared. In August 1931, Whiteman married Margaret Livingston. During the wedding, Whiteman ordered a new, modern, major composition from his chief arranger. Ferde promised to come up with something. The 'something' that Grofé came up with was a suite he first entitled "Five Pictures of the Grand Canyon". It was premiered on November 22, 1931, at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago, and almost immediately became known as the "Grand Canyon Suite". It was a major success. Now in his 40s, Grofé decided to leave Whiteman and go out on his own. He held firm even though Whiteman tried to convince him to remain. He started to rehearse an orchestra in New York for a charity performance of the "Grand Canyon Suite" in support of unemployed musicians. However, a major blowup occured between the two friends when Whiteman also planned to introduce the "Grand Canyon Suite" to New York audiences in the very same month. (Grof�did later resume providing arrangements for Whiteman.) In 1931, he became conductor of New York's Capitol Theater Orchestra . In 1932, Grofé commenced teaching music theory at New York's famed Juilliard School of Music. He was quite busy now, even forming his own dance band. He was actively working as conductor, arranger and composer for several radio shows, and appearing in various venues. He also composed the "Tabloid Suite," subtitled "Four Pictures of a Modern Newspaper". This was a major work which captured the typical sounds and atmosphere of a big city newspaper's 'city room' and newspaper printing plant. Included in the score were sounds of several typewriters and some revolvers. On January 23, 1933, the suite premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall. He followed this in 1935 with "Symphony in Steel". For its first performance, in Cincinnati, Grof�conducted a 100-piece orchestra. Grofé and his band were also heard on various radio shows including The Fred Allen Show (1934), The Burns and Allen Show (1935-6), and Saturday Night Party (1936-7). At the 1939 New York Worlds Fair, his composition "Trylon and Perisphere" was performed. In 1945, He provided some arrangements and orchestrations for Hollywoods film biography of George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue. Among his original film scores are 'Knute Rockne, All-American' (1940), 'As Thousands Cheer' (1943), 'Time Out of Mind' (1947), and 'Rocketship X-M' (1950, with Samuel J. Hoffman on a Theremin). In 1946, he composed his last major work, the "Aviation Suite", musically interpreting an airplane ride. On April 3, 1972, Ferdé Grofé died in Santa Monica, California, after a series of heart attacks; a largely forgotten pioneer. Still, musical history will forever remember him as the 'Father of Arrangers'. (As best we can tell, Ferde Grof�was the first arranger to be credited by name for his work.) In September 1930, Whiteman's band became resident at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. With the Great Depression creating an international economic disaster, Whiteman was forced to economize. Among the changes, Whiteman's new pianist/arranger, Roy Bargy, took over most of Grof� responsibilities. Grofe still remained as chief arranger, and continued to provide some arrangements. Roy Bargy (né: Roy Frederick Bargy) was born in Newaygo, Michigan on July 31, 1894 but grew up in Toledo, Ohio. At age five, he started taking piano lessons which lasted until he was 17. By then, he had become a very competent Classic pianist. (He was in fact, a child prodigy.) Unfortunately he would not be able to follow his classical career because, at that time, the American musical Establishement didn't permit American artists access to the concert halls and operatic stages unless they had extensive European training, - a situation that remained until after World War II. Bargy's first professional jobs came in Toledo, OH, as a pianist in the local Silent movie theatres. (In school, he led his own orchestra.) By 1919, he was in Chicago, IL, where Charlie Straight, employed him to both to write his own novelty and Ragtime music, and to edit popular songs of the day for publication by the Imperial Piano Roll Company. The Imperial company used Bargy as their answer to QRS's new star of novelty piano, Zez Confrey. Zez had a similiar Classics background and in 1918 had already begun to create syncopated novelties. Even though Roy was hired to compete with Confrey, he in no way ever imitated him. Bargy's compositions never achieved the same popularity as Confrey's works, but they were fully equal in inventiveness. In 1921, still working for Imperial, Straight introduced Roy to Edgar Benson, a booking agent who had a band (The Benson Orchestra of Chicago that was recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Benson hired Bargy as pianist, arranger and musical director of the dance orchestra. Bargy's work for the Benson Orchestra established him as a triple-threat talent, and his services were soon sought out by other bands. In late 1921, after a falling out with Benson, Bargy left and formed his own orchestra, taking many members of the group with him. He disbanded a few years later and joined the band led by composer-saxophonist Isham Jones. In 1928, Bargy began a twelve-year association with Paul Whiteman's great dance orchestra as pianist/arranger. Now his experience in editing and writing songs for the old Imperial Piano Roll company stood him in good stead. Many of the early Whiteman arrangements were done by Bargy. He remained with Whiteman until 1940 working not only as a Pianist and arranger, but even becoming second in command and often leading the band when Whiteman couldn't be present. Not too well recalled now, but it was Bargy's piano that was afeatured attraction during Whiteman's famous debut of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". After leaving Whiteman in 1940, Bargy remained very active working as a conductor in radio and recording studios. He spent a couple of years working on the Lanny Ross radio show, and also led bands for the studio orchestras for Xavier Cugat, Lanny Ross, and Gerry Moore. In 1943, comedian Jimmy Durante hired Bargy as his musical director. Bargy remained with Jimmy for the next twenty years. In 1963, Both Jimmy and Roy retired. Roy would spend most of his time playing golf (a sport also enjoyed by Zez Confrey). Bargy died at his home in Vista, California on January 16, 1974. Another one of Whiteman's Arrangers who certainly deserves mentioned is Lennie Hayton (b: Feb. 13, 1908, New York, NY, USA; d: April 24, 1971, Palm Springs, CA.) Like Redman and Durham, Lennie Hayton's career spanned two quite different periods of music, Early on he was a Dixieland Jazz pianist and arranger appearing on many Jazz dates of the late 1920's. Among those with whom he worked are Red Nichols, Roy Bargy, Bill Rank, Arthur Schutt, Pee Wee Russell, Jack Fulton, Stan King, Charles Strickfaden, and Frank Signorelli. He subsequently worked as an arranger and conductor during the Big Band Swing era. At age six, he began to study the piano. In 1926, one of his first professional jobs came when he found work with Spencer Clark in 'The Little Ramblers'. 1927 was spent as a member of the Cass Hagan Orchestra following which he joined the Paul Whiteman orchestra remaining with Whiteman from Sept. 1928 until May 1930. In 1928, he recorded two numbers as a leader (and eight more tunes in 1959 with his own shortlived big band.) Even while working with Whiteman, Hayton recorded as a sideman with such musicians as Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Red Nichols and Miff Mole. In the 1930's, he began to lead his own orchestra, and slowly drifted away from Jazz. He briefly worked as Bing Crosby's musical director. In later years, Lennie Hayton worked as the musical director for his vocalist wife Lena Horne. During 1941-'53, he was working for the MGM film studio. Among the films to which he contributed are 'Hello, Dolly!' (1969); 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952); ' The Pirate' (1948 - uncredited); 'The Hucksters, (1947); 'Till the Clouds Roll By' (1947 - his incidental music was uncredited); and 'The Harvey Girls' (1946), and maybe 30 or 40 more films. Another very talented arranger working from the late 1920s and well into the 1930s 'Swing Era' was Will Hudson. Among the bands to whom he contributed scores include Cab Calloway, Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, Ina Ray Hutton, Jimmy Lunceford, Earl 'Fatha' Hines, Erskine Tate and McKinney's Cotton Pickers. In addition to his arranging, he also wrote many lovely hit songs, and was also a successful bandleader, first with his Will Hudson Orch., and then with the Hudson-DeLange Orch. Quinn Wilson began his career when the 'Brass Bass" (Tuba) was in vogue, and continued on to play the String Bass, and still later, the bass guitar. He played with such men as John Lee Hooker, Jelly Roll Morton (playing tuba) and Earl Hines. Quinn was equally at home in the Folk, Blues, and traditional Jazz idiom. As a child, he started with violin, and went on to study both composition and arranging. His professional career began in the mid-1920s, when he played with such bands as Tiny Parham and Walter Barnes. In 1927, he had made a few recordings with Jelly Roll Morton. In 1928, he began a three year long stint with the Erskine Tate orchestra. In 1929, he recorded with pianist and bandleader Richard M. Jones. From 1931 through 1939, he played bass and arranged for the Earl Hine orchestra (and also recorded a few sides with the Jimmy Noone orchestra). During the next 10 years, he often played with the Rhythm and Blues group of 'Lefty' Bates, and recorded with John Lee Hooker, as well as many other Blues singers. In the 1960s, he was back playing Jazz with clarinetist Bill Reinhardt, and in the 1970s with trumpeter Joe Kelly. The old saying "they don't make them like they used to", certainly applies to Quinn Wilson, - a very talented musician. Arranger Bill Challis was born on July 8, 1904 in Wilkes Barre, PA and died on Oct. 4, 1994. Bill was largely self-taught. Benny Carter once remarked 'Bill Challis was my idol.' Interestingly, in 1925, Bill started his career as the staff arranger for the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. Challis is 3rd from the right in this 1925 Goldkette Bus Photo. In 1927, he joined the Paul Whiteman band remaining there until 1930. It was Bill Challis who wrote so many of the best Jazz and Pop oriented charts for both the Whiteman and Goldkette bands', including Whiteman's "Sunday," "My Pretty Girl," "Changes," "Dardanella," "Sugar", "'Taint So Honey 'Taint So", "Changes" and most notably "San". At one time, the arrangement of "Sugar" was attributed to Ferdé Grofé, and the arrangement of "Singing The Blues" was attributed to Fud Livingston, but both are now known to be Challis arrangements. ( Challis was also one of the few arrangers who knew how to score for a small violin section.) In addition, Challis also arranged the charts for Frankie Trumbauer's small-group dates with Bix Beiderbecke. ) He also worked in England for Fred Elizalde's Orchestra. In the mid-1920s, The Jean Goldkette Orch., -with such wonderful sidemen as Bill Rank, Ray Ludwig, Chauncey Morehouse, and Bix Beidebecke, owed much of it's success to their arrangers Bill Challis, Steve Brown and Fred Farrar. Challis had a way of writing with each of the bandsmen in mind. It is said that he wrote for Bix the way Ellington wrote for Rex Stewart. (Incidentally, Russ Morgan was also working as an arranger for the Goldkette band.) Goldkette's band enjoyed a wonderful reputation among some of the
biggest stars of Jazz. That reputation still survives in the recollections of other musicians
who were present at the Goldkette band's live performances. On October 1926, one such performance took place at New
York's Roseland Ballroom, where Goldkette's and Fletcher Henderson's orchestra were locked in a "battle of the bands". Years later, reflecting
on that night, trumpeter Rex Stewart wrote that
It is little recalled now, but it was Challis who assisted Beiderbecke in putting the music of his piano pieces (including "In a Mist") onto paper. Subsequently, Challis contributed arrangements to many of the best big bands, including Fletcher Henderson, Nat Shilkret, the Dorsey Brothers, the Casa Loma Orchestra, Artie Shaw ("Blues in the Night"). He also contributed to many radio and studio orchestras, and remained active until the 1960s. As mentioned, Challis contributed to the Frankie Trumbauer band. Another fine arranger who also contributed "Jazz" charts to both Frankie Trumbauer , and Red Nichols , (as well as to Paul Whiteman's orchestra) was Fud Livingston (né: Anthony Joseph Livingston). Born April 10, 1906, in Charleston, S.C., USA, he died on March 25, 1957, in New York, NY. USA. Fud originally studied Piano, Clarinet and Sax. His first professional experience came as a member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, where for five years he played sax and did arranging. After Whiteman, he worked with Freddie Rich and with Andre Kostelanetz, and others. Fud was one of the important figures in the early "White" Jazz genre, playing clarinet and writing many arrangements. During 1927-'29, he was working with Red Nichols, then with Frankie Trumbauer, In 1928, the Red Nichols group recorded (under the name of "Miff Mole and The Little Molers") one of Fud's original compositions "Imagination", Fud can also be heard playing his clarinet on this tune. Here's what R. G. V. Venables, wrote in an English publication [Melody Maker Mag. Jan. 5, 1940]
Retiring from actively playing Jazz in his later years, he found work with some Music Publishers. In 1943, he supplied the lyrics for songs in the film "Honeymood Lodge", for which he was uncredited. In 1929, Andy Kirk formed his "The Clouds of Joy Orch". Andy played Bass Sax, but it was his pianist-arranger-soloist, Mary Lou Williams who gave the band it's style. (Another Black lady pianist arranger who helped Joe "King" Oliver's, and her husband Louis Armstrong's bands was Lil Hardin.) Another band, not too well recalled these days is Harlan Leonard's Orch.. Leonard had some great arrangers; - James Ross, Richard Smith, Eddie Durham, Buster Smith, Rozell Claxton, and Tadd Dameron. Tadd Dameron (né: Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron) was born Feb 21, 1917 in Cleveland, OH, and died March 8, 1965 in New York, NY. Though recalled now as perhaps the definitive arranger of the 'Bop' era, Tadd actually began his career during the Swing era where he toured with the Zack Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels, and Blanche Calloway bands. Many of his finest arrangements were written for Harlan Leonard's Kansas City Orchestra, and he also wrote for Vido Musso in New York. His work for Leonard's band estabilished his reputation and soon Dameron was writing charts for such bands as Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie (1945-47) in addition to vocal charts for Sarah Vaughan. In 1947, he appeared with Babs Gonzales' Three Bips and a Bop. During 1948-49, he led a sextet that featured Fats Navarro (and later Miles Davis) at a New York City club (the Royal Roost). At the 1949 Paris Jazz Festival, Dameron co-led a group with Davis. Tadd remained in Europe for a few more months (writing for Ted Heath's Orch.) before returning to New York. In 1949, Tadd contributed arrangements to Artie Shaw's last orchestra. During 1951-52, he also played and arranged R&B for the Bull Moose Jackson Orch. 1953 found him leading his own nonet featuring Clifford Brown and "Philly Joe" Jones, but by this time, his drug habit began to interfere with his music. The years 1959-'61 were spent in Jail. After his release from prison, Dameron wrote for Sonny Stitt, Blue Mitchell, Milt Jackson, and Benny Goodman. During his career, Tadd Dameron had written such standards as "Hot House", "Good Bait", "Lady Bird", "Our Delight", and "If You Could See Me Now". He wrote melody lines and full arrangements. Although he never financially prospered, from the mid-1940s on, Tadd was an influential force. In 1965, he lost his battle with cancer. During 1931-'35, the success of the Isham Jones Orch., was due in no small part to his arrangers among whom were Gordon Jenkins, Joe Bishop, and Victor Young. Here's a photo of Gordon Jenkins who began his career working as pianist, Trumpeter and percussionist in the broadcast studios, before he turned to arranging. He was soon writing for such stars as Benny Goodman and singer Dick Haymes. In the 1950s, his arrangements were used by Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, and Judy Garland, among others. It is sometimes interesting to see the end results of an arrangers work. For example, if Billy May was the right man for really big, meaty Swinging arrangements, and if Nelson Riddle could produce both uptempo and smooth ballads, then surely Gordon Jenkins was the man for dramatic, dark and melancholy images. He received a grammy for his work on the Sinatra album September OF My Years. One of his last charts for Sinatra were the arrangements for Sinatra's 1981 torch song album She Shot Me Down. Jenkins died in 1984. The Gene Kardos Orchestra's chief arrangers were Bernie Green and Vic Schoen. Many musicians know that virtually all of the early Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orch. success was due to songwriter Winston Tharp, whose biography is rather interesting on it's own, and the band's success was especially due to the writing of the gifted Gene Gifford. (Very few though know of his work with fellow songwriter Tharp.) It is no exageration to say that Gifford's arrangements led the Casa Loma into becoming one of the most popular big bands of the pre-Swing era. Gene Gifford grew up in Memphis, TN, where he both arranged and played banjo with his high school band. After graduation, he worked with such territory bands as Bob Foster, Lloyd Williams and Watson's Bell Hops. After touring Texas with his own band, he found work with Blue Steele's Orch. (he played guitar) and in 1928, with Henry Cato's Vanities Orchestra. He subsequently arranged for Jean Goldkette's Orchestra before becoming, in 1929, a member of a band called the Orange Blossoms, that soon became known as the Casa Loma Orchestra. He was Casa Loma's chief arranger until late-1933. In 1935, Gifford led his own only recording date which resulted in four selections for the Victor label. Among Gifford's compositions were the Casa Loma's memorable theme "Smoke Rings," "Casa Loma Stomp", "Maniacs Ball", "Mister Rhythm Man", "Georgia Camp Meeting", "Plymouth Rock", "Rhythm of the River", "Sam Don t Slam the Door", "Shady Lady", "White Jazz," "Black Jazz", "Blue Jazz", and maybe 30 others. In 1939, Gifford departed the Casa Loma and began arranging for many of the top bands of the day, as well as for the radio studios. In 1948-'49, he rejoined the Casa Loma band (now called Glen Gray's Orchestra). He spent most of the 1950's and 60's working as a radio engineer (although he continued to write and teach music on a part-time basis. Gifford was a gifted songwriter and an influential arranger whose work for the Casa Loma Orchestra pre-dated the rise of Benny Goodman and the Swing era. Gene was proficient at writing uptempo numbers, and yet able to write the dreamiest of ballads. It is pretty fair to say that his writing gave the Casa Loma Orchestra its style and personality, yet he was virtually unknown to the general public during the swing era. Benny Goodman, (who is rightfully called the "King of Swing") utilized such arrangers as Spud Murphy, Jimmy Mundy, and Fletcher Henderson. Lyle "Spud" Murphy (composer/reeds/arranger; b: August 19, 1908, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, d: Aug. 5, 2005, Hollywood, CA, USA. (2 weeks before his 97th birthday - Complications from surgery). Spud Murphy enjoyed a long career in music that also spanned two very different periods: Dixieland Jazz and Swing. During his career, he worked with such Jazzmen as Jimmy Mundy, Jess Stacy, Bunny Berigan, Horace Henderson, Teddy Wilson, Toots Mondello, vocalist Helen Ward, Bill Miller, Nate Kazebier, Joe Harris, Ralph Muzillo, and Leo White. In his early early childhood, Spud studied the clarinet, then at age 14, he studied trumpet with Red Nichols' father. His first job was playing clarinet in a ship's band that plied the route between the U.S.A. and China. In 1927-'28, he played sax with Jimmy Joy's band. In 1928, he was with the Ross Gorman band. During 1929-'30, he did the arranging for the Tracy-Brown orchestra. From '30-'31, he played sax with the Austin Wylie orchestra. '31-'32 saw him in the Jan Garber Orch., '33 with Mal Hallett's orchestra and in '34 with Joe Haymes orch. Between 1935-'37, Spud contributed many arrangements to the Benny Goodman (over 100) and Casa Loma (over 70) orchestras. From 1938-'41, he led his own band (with a weekly jazz show on radio WJZ in 1940). Spud had studied conducting with Ivan Boutnikoff, former conductor of the Brussels Symphony, The Vienna Philharmonic and the Bolshoi Ballet. He then settled in Hollywood, CA, and freelanced. He contributed to more than fifty movies for Columbia Pictures, working under the musical direction of Morris Stoloff arranging dance routines for such well known stars as Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe. Even The Three Stooges were graced with Spud's arrangement of "Three Blind Mice." It was during this time that he developed his own 12-tone system, and in 1954-'55 he enjoyed a successful return to Jazz. Among the students of his 12-tone system were Curtis Counce; Oscar Peterson, Alvin Stoller, Gerald Wiggins, Bennie Maupin and Jimmy Haskell. Over his career, he wrote over 100 compositions, most of which were recorded, and he has also written 26 books on music theory and instrumental technique. In 1981, the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers presented Spud with their prestigious Golden Score Award. The Los Angeles Jazz Society presented him with the Jazz Educator of the Year award, and he also has three different awards from the Mayor and City Council of Los Angeles. Spud's more than 200 stock arrangements are still in use today, sixty years later, all around the world. He is still (2002) an internationally recognized arranger. Jimmy Mundy (b: June 28, 1907, Cincinnati, OH, USA, d: April 24, 1983, New York, NY, USA) was another of Benny Goodman's arrangers, and certainly one of the finer arrangers of the swing era. His first real experience came in 1932, when played Tenor Sax in, and arranged for, the Earl Hines band. (Previously, he had only played in local bands.) His best known charts for Hines were "Copenhagen", and "Everything Depends on You". Interestingly, his own composition, "Cavernism" was a big hit for the Hines orchestra, but Jimmy didn't do the arrangement, that arrangement was done by basssist/arranger Quinn Wilson (b. Dec. 26, 1908, Chicago, IL, USA, d: June 14, 1978, Evanston, IL, USA) ("Cavernism" was recorded Feb. 13, 1933). In 1936, Jimmy joined Benny's orchestra as a staff arranger. Among his works for the Goodman band are such charts as "Swingtime in the Rockies", "Bugle Call Rag", "Jumpin' at the Woodside", "Solo Flight," and "Sing, Sing, Sing". Subsequently, he supplied arrangements for Paul Whiteman, Gene Krupa, Count Basie, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. In 1954, he was signed by Decca where he arranged for, and led orchestras backing, many vocalists including Carmen McRae. He remained active into the 1970s. The Count Basie band certainly owes much of it's success to a gentleman by the name of Eddie Durham (b: Aug. 19, 1906, San Marcos, TX, d: March 6, 1987, New York, NY) who was one of our most significant Swing Era arrangers. While still a child, he was playing guitar and trombone along with his six siblings in the Durham Brothers band. Later, Eddie also played in the 'Oklahoma Blue Devils Orchestra'. As a young man, he toured the midwest territory as a member first of Walter Page's Blue Devils, and then during 1929-'33, with the Bennie Moten Band (he made his recording debut with Moten). In 1934, he relocated to New York City where he found work as an arranger for the Willie Bryant band. During 1935-'37, he played with Jimmie Lunceford's band, and during 1937-'38, with Count Basie (1937-1938). During this same period, he was also contributing arrangements to the Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller orchestra libraries. In 1940, he led his own short-lived big band. Interestingly, during 1936-'38, Eddie supplied many arrangements for Ina Ray Hutton's "All Girl" Band, and during 1941-1943, for The International Sweethearts of Rhythm another "all-girl" orchestra. In addition, Eddie Durham later led his own "Durham's All Girl Orchestra (while also freelancing as an arranger). Some of the Charts for which he will always be remembered are Glenn Miller's "In the Mood". "Moten Swing" for Bennie Moten, Jimmy Lunceford's "Lunceford Special". For the Count Basie band, perhaps his greatest work was "Jumpin' at the Woodside", but who will forget his "Topsy," and "Swinging the Blues," both for Basie. Durham recorded the Kansas City Five sessions (for producer John Hammond) which featured himself on the electric guitar. Interestingly, today these sessions are billed as Lester Young sessions, although Lester does NOT play on them! Many of Durham's Compositions are still played by Jazz bands today, including:" Topsy" (co-composer: Edgar Battle), "Sent for You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today)", "Lunceford's Special", "Good Morning Blues", "Swingin the Blues", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Lafayette", "Wham! Re Bop Boom Bam", "Sliphorn Jive", "Glen Island Special", "John's Idea", and "Magic Carpet" . For legal reasons, he is uncredited for "Moten's Swing" and "One O'Clock Jump". Lester also appeared in such films as "Born to Swing" and "Last of the Blue Devils". While best recalled as a guitarist, Eddie also played trombone during most of his career. In 1938, Eddie, then with the Kansas City Five, was featured on the Electric Guitar, thus predating Charlie Christian by one year. Eddie finished his wonderful career again working as a sideman. In 1969, he returned to actively playing, working with the Buddy Tate orchestra, and later with 'The Countsmen', and also with 'The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band'. Over his career, Eddie played with, and contributed to, such bands as Bennie Moten, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford. Harry James, Artie Shaw, Andy Kirk, Jan Savitt, Willie Bryant, The Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, Ina Ray Hutton's Melo-Dears, and The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, He also had his own short-lived 'Durham's All Girl Orchestra'. Durham's arrangement of "In The Mood" earned bandleader Glenn Miller millions. While Eddie Durham is a somewhat forgotten name in Jazz history, his music lives on entertaining millions. In it's later years, Count Basie's band gained a good deal of it's reputation playing the charts of Sammy Nestico, and Quincy Jones. (Photo of Nestico while serving in the U.S.Airforce in 2002. Photo Source is uncredited.) Sammy (né: Samuel Louis Nestico) born Feb. 6, 1924 in Pittsburgh, PA, is a cousin of tenor saxophonist Sal Nistico (April 2, 1948 in Syracuse, NY, d: March 3, 1991 in Berne, Switzerland) who had such wonderful tenor sax solos with the 1962-'65 Woody Herman band. Sammy was self-taught on the trombone, and by just age 17 was already working as a studio musician in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He served in the U. S. Army, and in 1950 he earned his music degree at Duquesne University. For many years, he served as the staff arranger for the U.S. Air Force Band. Nestico was also busy working as a freelance arranger during this time. In 1963, he began working with the U.S. Marine Band often leading the orchestra at White House state performances. In 1967, He began to contribute arrangements to the Basie orchestra library. In the following 15 years, Sammy would contribute the charts for such Basic albums as 'Prime Time', 'Warm Breeze' and the big band tracks on '88 Basie Street' (and sometimes for entire Basie albums such as 'Have a Nice Day') Nestico was the music adaptor and the orchestrator for the 1985 film, "The Color Purple", which starred Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey among others. As a leader, Sammy recorded one album 'Dark Orchid (a 1982 Palo Alto release). Another arranger, Manny Albam, gave Georgie Auld's Orchestra a 'swinging book', and Auld's other arrangers like Todd Dameron, Budd Johnson, Neal Hefti, and Al Cohn certainly helped. Here's a photo of Manny Albam (né: Emmanuael Albam) who was born on June 24, 1922, in Samana, Dominican Republic. and died Oct. 2, 2001 in Croton, NY, USA. He grew up in New York City and became a top arranger whose peak years in jazz were during the 1950s and early '60s. His pre-World War II experiences came as a sideman and arranger with such orchestras as Muggsy Spanier (1941), Bob Chester (1942), Georgie Auld, Charlie Spivak, and Boyd Raeburn (1943-1945). (George Handy was another arranger that worked for the Boyd Raeburn orch.) During WWII, he spent a year (1945-6) in the U.S.Army, after which he resumed his career playing for such Big Bands as Charlie Barnett (1948-1949), Sam Donohue, and Jerry Wald. But the Big Band era was over and Manny became a full-time freelance arranger and composer. During this time, among the artists who were playing his arrangements were such Jazz greats as Count Basie, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Gerry Mulligan, and Buddy Rich. From 1955 to 1962, Albam led record dates for RCA, and several other labels. Starting in 1964, Manny became active in jazz education, teaching at the famed Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and at Glassboro State College (NY). In 1966, he again recorded several albums (for the Solid State label). He died at his Croton, NY, home losing his battle with cancer. During the height of the big band era, orchestras would often hire arrangers to adapt a previously written song to accommodate the talent level and style of that band. At no other time in Jazz history was arranging such a major part of the music scene. Not all of the "dance" and "society" bands of this era played Jazz, but it has been argued that those band's arrangers may have taken on the role of the Jazz musicians, by creating a form of improvisation, even if the performers were reading the charts. This era produced such prolific arrangers as Sy Oliver , Claude Thornhill , and Gil Evans (see below). Sy Oliver (né: Melvin James Oliver) was born on Dec. 17, 1910 in Battle Creek, MI. He died May 28, 1988 in New York, NY. Sy Oliver's sophisticated and melodic arrangements greatly helped to define Jimmy Lunceford's band in the 1930s, and Tommy Dorsey's band in the 1940s. Both Sy's father (a concert singer) and his mother taught music in Zanesville, OH. USA. Sy studied trumpet with his father. Upon graduating from High School in June 1928, he found work playing with Zach Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels in Cincinnati, OH. Also in the late 1920s, he worked with the Alphonse Trent band. Late in 1933, he joined Jimmy Lunceford's band, remaining with Jimmy until Oct. '39, when he joined Tommy Dorsey as arranger. Leonard Feather in his "Encyclopedia of Jazz" has said of Oliver:
Among the songs Oliver arranged for Lunceford are:
In Oct. 1939, Oliver jumped at the chance to make a lot more money arranging when he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Sy was a major player in bringing fame, as well as drummer Buddy Rich, to the Dorsey band. (It was quite a blow to Lunceford when he left.) For the Tommy Dorsey Orch., (in which he also sang occasionally), he arranged such originals as "Easy Does It", "Well Git It", "Swing High", and "Opus 1". During '43-'45, Sy led his own band while in the U. S. Army. After discharge he worked on and off again for Dorsey. He also led his own band on a radio show named "Endorsed By Dorsey". From 1946 on, Oliver worked mainly as a freelance arranger and producer. In 1944, he won the Met. Poll as arranger while in 1941 and 1945, he won the Downbeat Poll. From the late 1940s, he worked on and off as Mus. Dir, staff Arranger and recording
supervisor for Decca Records. From 1947 on he occasionally led a band.
While he was regularly leading a band as late as 1975-1980, Sy will always be remembered for his great Lunceford and Dorsey Charts, and as a excellent trumpeter, and a likable vocalist. In the 1920s, John Nesbit played trumpet and did the arranging for a band called "The Synco Band". The orchestra's booking agent was Jean Goldkette, who made them change their name to McKinney's Cotton Pickers. Nesbit was their chief arranger until Don Redman came onboard. Redman came to McKinney's Cotton Pickers from Fletcher Henderson's orhcestra where brilliant arrangements had greatly helped Henderson. Donald Matthew "Don" Redman was another wonderfully talented arranger (b: July 29, 1900 Piedmont, WV. USA; d: Nov 30, 1964 in New York, NY, USA)
Born into a musical family, -his father played in Brass Band and his mother sang contralto - Don was a child prodigy playing the trumpet at age 3. He was able to occasionally play in a band at just age 6, and spent a good deal of his childhood studying every instrument in the band as well as harmony, theory, composition. As a young man, he completed his studies at Boston and Detroit Conservatories, and by early 1923, was recording with Fletcher Henderson, joining the band soon after at the Club Alabam. It was Redman, who, as Leader of McKinney's Cotton Pickers from 1927 to '31, thoroughly drilled that group turning them from pedestrian performers into a highly precise musical group. From '31-'40, he led his own band (formed with Horace Henderson's help) which was one of the top Black orchestras of the day, and the first to play a sponsored radio series (for 'Chipso' in 1932). In 1940, he started work as a freelance arranger writing for the Chamber Music Society and Hot Jazz Orchestra of Lower Basin Street radio show. (Henry 'Hot Lips' Levine led one of the orchestras, and a young Dinah Shore got her start as a singer on the show.) He was also doing arrangements for Paul Whiteman, Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey and numerous other bands. During the 1940s, he led band for occasional night club and recording work and had a 1946-'47 European tour. In 1951, he became musical director for singer Pearl Bailey, and for a while he led her band on theatre engagements as well as appearing in a small acting role in her 1954-55 Broadway show "House of Flowers". In '58-59, He cut several albums for Roulette and and one for the Urania label after many years of complete inactivity as an instrumentalist. Leonard Feather in his "Encyclopedia of Jazz" has said of Oliver:
His most successful compositions were "Cherry" "How'm I Doin'" and his famous band theme of the 30s, "Chant of the Weed". Here's a photo of Nelson Riddle another arranger who supplied charts for the Tommy Dorsey orchestra. Riddle had a completely unmistakable style and his imaginative big band arrangements greatly helped Dorsey. Riddle was at ease writing both Uptempo Swing, and dreamy, romantic ballads, and he contributed some great charts for Dorsey's boy singer, Frank Sinatra. Sinatra sang Nelson's charts on some of his best Capitol albums, including Songs For Swingin' Lovers, In The Wee Small Hours, and his first two Capitol productions Songs For Young Lovers, and Swing Easy. Though there were tensions between Riddle and Sinatra at times, the two continued a successful co-operations over many years. Nelson later led his own orchestra with large success, and was busy in the film and television studios. Beside Sinatra, he supplied charts to many other well known singers including Rosemary Clooney and Ella Fitzgerald. Most of the charts in Ella's Great American Songbook album were supplied by Riddle. His output was somewhat reduced in the 1970s due to a worsening health. In the 1980s, his American Songbook for singer Linda Ronstadt was greeted with the highest critic praise. When Riddle died in 1985, he was 66 years old. Another of the late 1940s/'50s arrangers who must be mentioned is Pete Rugulo (Born Dec 25, 1915 in San Piero, Sicily) who during 1945-'49, was without a doubt, one of the most prolific arrangers for Stan Kenton's 1945-1949 orchestra. His family moved to the United States when he was five years old. After settling in Santa Rosa, California, his father started Rugolo playing the baritone bass, but the piano became his main instrument. Rugolo earned his bachelor's degree in music at San Francisco State College. He then wanted to study composition with Darius Milhaud at Mills College, but at that time, Mill's was a girl's school. Rugolo applied anyway and became the first male to graduate from the school. While studying at Mills, he often visited the Sweets Ballroom where many famous Jazz musicians appeared. He wrote an arrangement for Gene Krupa's Orch., and although he was never paid for the charts, Krupa often played them, thus helping to advance Rugulo's career. In 1940, Rugulo went first on tour with Leon Mojica's band, and followed this with a gig as pianist with The Johnny Richards Orchestra. Now his confidence and style, both as an arranger and pianist, began to develop. Unfortunately. World War II intervened, and Rugulo was drafted into the U. S. Army. He was able to spend time with the San Francisco army band, playing with Paul Desmond and others. In those days, his idol was Stan Kenton, and on his own initiative, he composed a number of charts for the Kenton band and sent them to the band leader. He heard nothing further until Stan Kenton telephoned him. The call was the start of a relationship that lasted until that band's demise in late 1948, when the frenzied pace of Kenton's "Progressive Jazz Orchestra" had become too much for Kenton, and he disbanded. While with Kenton, he turned out a series of "Artistry in..." compositions ( "Bass," "Percussion," "Bolero," "Boogie"), as well as some of the most startling pieces for Kenton's Innovations In Modern Music Orchestra. In 1954, he briefly led a big band. It was Kenton who recommended Rugulo to be an A&R representative for the New York office of Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records label. During the next two years, Rugulo both produced most of the sessions at that studio and wrote most of the arrangements. He discovered Harry Belafonte, and worked with such other artists as Mel Torme, Nat "King" Cole, the Four Freshmen, and Peggy Lee. He was also the producer for Miles Davis' fantastic "Birth of The Cool" sessions. After departing Capitol Records, Rugulo would spend the next 30 years arranging for movies and television. From 1951 to 1956, he worked at MGM scoring most of the musicals produced by the Joe Pasternak group. (Composer Arthur Freed had the other musical group.) Among the films to which he contributed arrangements are "The Strip," "Jack The Ripper," "Where The Boys Are," and "Kiss Me Kate." He composed the scores for a number of television shows including The Fugitive, Richard Diamond, Fantasy Island, I Love Lucy, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1957, he became music director of Mercury Records, and made a number of albums for the label. Over his career, he had made 25 recordings, but is perhaps best known for his collaboration with vocalist June Christy, whom he met while with Kenton. He has also worked with other artists including Patti Page, Dinah Washington, and Billy Eckstine. He is receiver of three Emmy awards and two Grammys, but perhaps his most cherished awards is the City of Los Angeles' 1991 "Pete Rugolo Day" commemoration. All of the great Big Bands of the late '30s and 40s had truly fine arrangers. In fact, when one lists the great big bands, we get a roll call of the great arrangers of the Swing era. The chief arrangers for Eddie Grady and the Commanders Charley Shirley and Tutti Camarata. (Later Covington was the leader briefly.) Among the arrangers for the Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights Orch. were Frankie Carle, and Frank DeVol. In 1933, Charlie Barnett, a skilled arranger himself, formed his first band with trumpeter/arrangers Tutti Camarata and Eddie Sauter, and Chris Griffin as third trumpet. Later, such other arrangers as Billy May and Skip Martin joined the band. It has been noted that Hal Kemp's first big band had such great trumpeters as Bunny Berrigan and Jack Purvis. But Kemp also had a great arranger in John Scott Trotter, followed by Hal Mooney and Lou Busch (aka: Joe "Fingers" Carr). The 1938 Tommy Dorsey band, with singers Edythe Wright and Jack Leonard featured the "hot" arrangements of Sy Oliver (1910-1988). During WWII, Tommy amplified his band's sound by adding a string section giving the band a bigger sound than any band had before. Bill Finegan was the arranger (Finegan later also wrote for Glenn Miller's band.) Incidentally, Dorsey's trumpeter Joe Bauer, vocalist Jack Leonard, and a blond haired arranger named Odd Stordahl also functioned as a vocal trio called "The Three Esquires". Odd Stordahl was later to become (photo of) Axel Stordahl, the first important arranger who wrote for vocalist Frank Sinatra. In 1942, Stordahl began a ten year tenure with Columbia Records where he was responsible for many of Sinatra's finest vocal charts. In 1961, Stordahll and Sinatra again co-operated when Stordahl supplied the arrangements for the last Capitol Concept album Point of No Return. Alvino Rey's Orch. employed many of the top arrangers in the business, in addition to Frank Devol there were, Neal Hefti, Ray Conniff, Johnny Mandel and Billy May. Billy was born in 1916 and began his career as a Trumpeter in the Glenn Miller orchestra. In the '40's he began to do more and more arranging. He did a great deal of work in the film, broadcast and television studios. In the '50's, May also led his own Big Band. Here's a photo of Billy May who supplied vocal charts to many of the era's best known singers including Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole, "Dean Martin" and "Sammy Davis Jr". For Frank Sinatra, May supplied the arrangements for the Capitol albums Come Fly With Me, Come Dance With Me, and Come Swing With Me. As is true with most of our great arrangers, May's talent was such that he was equally at home writing uptempo or delicate ballads, but his "sound" was 'big and meaty'. Some critics feel that his work shows substantially more imaginativeness than many other arrangers, when forinstance he would add some more or less exotic instruments to an otherwise standard arrangement. He was one of those men who often did their best work under time contraint pressure. Two of Freddie Slack's Orch. arrangers were Les Baxter, who also played tenor sax in the band, and later led his own great band, and Phil Moore, not part of the band, but a pianist/vocal coach/composer who helped. Another Bandleader/arranger, Shorty Rogers was one of the first arrangers trying his hand at experimenting with 12-tone writing. Here's a photo of "Shorty", (né: Milton M. Rajonsky) who was born on April 14, 1924 in Great Barrington, MA, and died Nov 7, 1994 in Van Nuys, CA. Shorty Rogers reputation rests more on his arranging, than on his middle-register "cool Jazz" trumpet playing. His early professional experience came with playing with Will Bradley and Red Norvo before serving in the U. S. Army. In the late 1940s, Shorty played with a number of big bands, and arranged for Woody Herman's First Herd (1945-1946) and Second Herds 1947-1949). He later arranged for 'Stan Kenton's Innovations Orchestra' (1950-1951), and enjoyed writing for Maynard Ferguson. Later, Rogers settled in Los Angeles, CA, where he formed his own Jazz group (the Giants) and cut a number of 'West Coast Cool Jazz' albums for RCA Victor. The 'Giants' were first a quintet, then a nonet and at times a big band. For the Hollywood studios, he composed music for the avant-garde UPA cartoons featuring Theodore Geisel ("Dr. Seuss") and Stan Freberg. His scores for 'The Wild One' and 'The Man With the Golden Arm' (starred Frank Sinatra in a dramatic role, not as a singer) are still memorable. At the same time, he continued to arrange and perform many Pop and Jazz recordings. After 1962, Rogers arranged mostly for television and films. In 1982, he began a Jazz comeback when he reorganized and led the 'Lighthouse All-Stars'. He continued to play in both club and recording dates even though his playing was not as strong as it had been. Shorty Rogers died during the radio station KLON West Coast Jazz Festival. As one might suspect, many arrangers went on to front their own orchestras. Marty Paich is best known for his studio work in Hollywood all during the 1950's and 1960's. In his home town of Oakland, he and Pete Rugulo had worked early on as arrangers for the Gary Nottingham orchestra. Larry Clinton (b: Aug 17, 1909 in Brooklyn, NY, d: May 2, 1985 in Tucson, AZ). This Arranger, composer, bandleader, trumpeter, was known for "swinging the classics". In the 1930s, Clinton was adept at taking the classical works of such composers as Debussy and Tchaikovsky, and adding texts and light syncopation. This was nothing new. In the previous decade of the 1920s, Paul Whiteman's arranger, Ferde Grofe, had done the same. During the early part of his career, Clinton worked primarily as an arranger. All through the 1930s, he provided conventional arrangments for groups led by Ferde Grofe, the Dorsey brothers, Isham Jones, Claude Hopkins, Glen Gray, Louis Armstrong, Bunny Berigan and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Between 1937 to 1941, and again from 1948 to 1950, Clinton led his own band. During the '34-'41 period, some of his "swinging classics' were beautifully sung by his vocalist Bea Wain. Even after disbanding, Clinton remained active in the publishing and recording end of the music business. Warren Covington, (b: Aug. 7, 1921 in Philadelphia, PA.) was a Leader, Trombonist, and arranger who began his career as a 'sessions' man in the late 1930s. In 1939, he was in the Isham Jones orchestra, after which he joined the Les Brown band and Gene Krupa in the mid-'40s, when he joined the CBS network staff. During 1946 and '47, he led The Commanders a group formely led by Eddie Grady. In 1950, he recorded with Tommy Dorsey's band, becoming its leader in 1958 upon Dorsey's demise. From 1961 into the '70s, Covington toured with the band leading it under his own name. During the '70s, Covington was again active as a sessions man in the studios accompanying such men as Charles Mingus, Randy Weston, Bobby Hackett and George Benson. Leader, Composer, Arranger, Pianist Gil Evans (né: Ian Ernest Gilmore Green) was born May 13, 1912 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and died March 20, 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He was the son of Margaret Julia MacChonechy and a father he never knew. His mother re-married a miner, and Gil took the name of his stepfather, thus becoming Gil Evans. His mother worked taking care of the children of rich families, and also prepared meals for the Miner's campsites. Moving wherever his stepfather's work took them, they went from one mining site to the next, including Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and such Northwestern U.S. states as Idaho, Montana, and Washington. Gil was placed in boarding houses, moving from one family to the next, until about 1922, when they finally settled permanently in California. Gil attended school in Berkeley, where his real musical training began. He was initiated to Jazz by one of his stepfather's friends who was a Jazz fanatic. In 1927, he took the two teenagers to see Duke Ellington at the Orpheum theater in San Francisco. Gil decided to devote his life to music, and that year, bought his first record, "No One Else But You," by Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines. He also started transcribing the music from the recordings of such great Jazz arrangers as Red Nichols, Duke Ellington, and Don Redman. In 1933, he put together (photo of) his first Sextet (Gil is 3rd from left) in Stockton, CA. which soon grew to a Nonet in 1934. They played the Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, and Duke Ellington charts, that Gil had previously transcribed from their recordings. It is little remembered today, but, in 1935, the orchestra was on the same bill at the Palomar Ballroom as the triumphant Benny Goodman. After that, they were hired to play at the Rendez-Vous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA, remaining until 1938. Gil Evans did all the writing and conducting, and, -from time to time-, Stan Kenton held the piano chair. In 1938, Alex Holden, an agent for MCA, offered the Gil Evans' orchestra a chance to accompany singer Skinnay Ennis. Gil accepted, and his orchestra now came to be known as the 'Skinnay Ennis Orchestra', with Gil doing all the arranging. Ennis found work for the group on comedian Bob Hope's radio show for NBC in Hollywood. MCA then called up another arranger to work with the group, Claude Thornhill, who in 1937, had scored a big hit with his arrangement of "Loch Lomond" for singer Maxine Sullivan (a little lady he had discovered while working on New York City's famed 52nd Street). In 1939, Thornhill who had already put together his own orchestra in New York, began touring, and found itself, in the summer of 1940, at the Rendez-Vous ballroom in Balboa Beach. Thornhill and Gil Evans became friends, and, in 1941, the two arrangers decided to quit that particular job. In 1941, Thornhill decided to move back to New York, and on March 20, the orchestra began a three-month residency at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle (a suburb of New York). Gil Evans joined him there as arranger, along with arranger Bill Borden. On November 17, for the first time in his career, one of Gil's arrangements was recorded. Unfortunately, World War II interfered and the manpower draft compelled Thornhill to disband. He remained stateside, assigned to various army bands in which he often played the bass drum, most notably in Augusta, GA, where he first met Lester Young. It was during his army duty that Gil Evans became attracted to the nascent bebop music. In 1946, after his service discharge, he moved to New York, and settled into a small furnished room on 55th street that was destined to become a mythical landmark. He renewed his collaboration with Claude Thornhill when the latter reformed his orchestra. Evans stayed on with Thornhill until 1948. By now, his room on 55th street had become a meeting place for such musicians as Gerry Mulligan, Dave Lambert, John Carisi, George Russell, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. At that time, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan conceived of a medium-sized orchestra that would combine the sound texture of the Thornhill orchestra, but with the with the new bebop phrasing. Charlie Parker was first proposed as leader, but finally Miles Davis was chosen. In 1948, a nonet was formed, and was booked at the Royal Roost on 47th street (New York). When the engagement ended, they disolved the band. Still, during 1949 and 1950, the group managed to record twelve sides (including two arranged by Gil Evans) that, in 1953, would be compiled under the title "The Birth Of The Cool", an album that is now considered a turning point in the history of Jazz writing. Circa 1949, Gil married Lilian Grace (they later divorced), and produced very little music until 1956. He did occasionally write for singers, and for the radio, and television studios. In 1950 he worked with Pearl Bailey and Billy Butterfield, and in 1953, with Charlie Parker. In 1956, his career took a definite upturn. First, Gil collaborated with Helen Merrill (on the album "Dream Of You"), then with Miles Davis, who had signed with Columbia and chose Gil Evans for his first recording. The album, "Miles Ahead", was released in 1957, with several other collaborations following, including 1958s "Porgy And Bess", 1960s "Sketches Of Spain ", 1962s "Quiet Nights", all of which became Jazz classics. During this same period, Gil Evans was also recording several albums under his own name, mostly with smaller groups, and by the 'Gil Evans And Ten' (1957), including the albums "New Bottle, Old Wine" (1958). which featured Cannonball Adderley, "Great Jazz Standards" (1959), and "Out Of The Cool" (1960). In 1960, the orchestra was resident for six weeks at New York's 'Jazz Gallery'. From 1962 to 1965, Gil again recorded, - notably the albums "The Individualism Of Gil Evans", "Guitar Forms" with Kenny Burrell, and "Look To The Rainbow" with singer Astrud Gilberto. After his own 1963-'64 sessions for Verve, Evans waited until 1969 before he again recorded as a leader. "Blues in Orbit" was his first somewhat successful effort at combining acoustic and electric instruments; followed by sessions for Artists House, and Atlantic labels. In 1962, he met Anita Cooper and married her in 1963. This marriage produced two sons, Noah (born in 1964), and Miles (born in 1965). For the next four years, Gil concentrated on raising his family and produced little music. In 1969, he was again recording. In the 1970s, Gil started to utilize electronics. A projected collaboration with Jimi Hendrix was cut short by the Jimi's premature death. Gil's orchestra then toured Europe. In 1975, he recorded one of his last studio albums, 'There Comes a Time' (David Sanborn was one of the sidemen), -most all of his subsequent recordings were live albums, including those cut in New York, "Priestess" (1977) and "Live At The Public Theater" (1980), and those recorded in London, "Live At The Royal Festival Hall" (1978). Beginning in 1970, he began playing with his large orchestra in New York clubs. His band featured such all-star players as George Adams, Lew Soloff, Chris Hunter, Hiram Bullock, Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson, Hamiet Bluiett, Pete Levin, Howard Johnson, and Arthur Blythe among others. After 1975's 'There Comes a Time' (David Sanborn was one of the sidemen), most of Evans' recordings were from live performances. In 1980, he recorded a series of duets with Lee Konitz (Heroes and Anti-Heroes), and, in 1984, his orchestra was hired to play Monday nights at a New York club, Sweet Basil. The Monday Night Orchestra, as it became known, played at the club until Gil's death, and recorded several albums. In 1985 and 1986, Gil contributed music for several movies, most notably Julian Temple's Absolute Beginners and Martin Scorsese's The Color Of Money. 1987 was marked by many recordings and several European tours, including a concert with pop star Sting. In December 1986, collaborating with his old accomplice, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, he recorded a duet album, "Paris Blues". On March 20, 1988, Gil Evans died of pneumonia in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where, in 1979, Charles Mingus had also come to die. Gil Evans was one of the most significant arrangers in the Post-1950s Jazz history. This is a photo of Don Costa (1925-1983) who is another arranger little mentioned today. Don began his career as a guitarist working as a session musician in the broadcast and recording studios. HIs first arranging experiences came when he worked for the husband and wife vocalists Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. In the '50s and '60s he supplied charts to many popular vocalists before finally working with Frank Sinatra. In the 1980s, it is probably safe to say that Don became Sinatra's main musical partner and was responsible for nearly all of Sinatra's productions. Sinatra sang Don's charts on his two hits "My Way", and "New York New York". Costa also helped other stars such as Barbra Streisand, He also wrote the music for several films. His arrangements showed him to be equally at home writing melodic 'Pop' song arrangements as well as Big Band Swing. In the 1980s, heart disease severly curtailed his work and to a large extent he withdrew from Show business. In 1983, Don Costa died. Among those arrangers working during the Rock era, we should mention
Gigi Gryce and John Clayton, Jr.
John Clayton has also worked extensively as a freelance bassist and arranger, with such folks as Count Basie, Al Schmitt, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mandel, Freddie Green, Marilyn Baker, George Bohannon, Charles Loper, Assa Drori, Larry Bunker, Dan Higgins, Maurice Spears, Tommy LiPuma, John Chiodini, Harold Jones, and Chuck Domanico. His charts are sometimes reminiscent of Thad Jones' style. He's not only a fine bassist capable of playing exquisite solos, but also a top-notch arranger and composer. He is a protégé of Ray Brown (they have recorded together a couple of times, including one session with fellow bassist Christian McBride in the late-1990s. John Clayton deserves much more recognition. Here's a photo of Gigi Gryce (Nov. 28, 1925 - March 17, 1983.)
Upon returning to the USA, he settled in New York and became involved in Jazz. During this time he was performing and recording with such men as Howard McGhee, Tadd Dameron, and Max Roach. In 1953, he was playing with Clifford Brown, also toured Europe with the Lionel Hampton band. In 1954 he played and recorded with Thelonious Monk, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, and others, In 1955, he co-led his own group (the Jazz Lab Quintet), with Donald Byrd. In 1955, Gryce, Art Farmer, and Oscar Pettiford played at a Greenwich Village club (Cafe Bohemia). Gryce eventually formed his own group that featured Richard Williams. During the 1960s, he ceased playing jazz professionally and became a teacher. His best-known jazz composition is "Minority." Among his classical compositions are three symphonies and various chamber works. So,----the next time someone says something to the effect of "Wasn't "For Dancers Only" a great Lunceford tune", your reply should be, - "I'm sorry, but that was a great Sy Oliver tune. All Lunceford did was wave his baton!" When someone says "Wow! "In The Mood" was a sensational Glenn Miller song. Your reply should be "No. That was a great Eddie Durham song, Glenn Miller just blew into his trombone."
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eMail/Webmaster: [ mlp@nfo.net ] murray pfeffer
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