Don Sebesky (born December 10, 1937) is an American arranger,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

, and keyboardist.

Biography

Sebesky trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played with Kai Winding,

Claude Thornhill Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You". Early years Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

Warren Covington Warren Covington (August 7, 1921 – August 24, 1999) was an American big band trombonist. He was active as a session musician, arranger, and bandleader throughout his career. Biography Covington, who was born in Philadelphia, played early o ...

, Maynard Ferguson and

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

. In 1960 he began devoting himself primarily to arranging and conducting; one of his best-known arrangements was for

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

's 1965 album ''Bumpin. Other credits include

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

's ''The Shape of Things to Come'',

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

's ''From the Hot Afternoon'' and Freddie Hubbard's ''First Light''. His song "Memphis Two-Step" was the title track of the

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...

1971 album of the same name. His 1973 release, ''Giant Box'', hit #16 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He has worked with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, and the Toronto Symphony. He has been nominated for thirty-one Grammy Awards and won three Grammys in the 1990s: Best Instrumental Arrangement for " Waltz for Debby" (1998) and for "

Chelsea Bridge Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank, and split between the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kens ...

" (1999), and

Best Instrumental Composition The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

for "Joyful Noise Suite" (1999). Grammy Awards Allmusic.com Twice, he won the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. This category was eliminated with the 2011� ...

, for '' Parade'' (1999), and ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stag ...

'' (2000). Sebesky won a

Tony Award for Best Orchestrations The Tony Award for Best Orchestrations is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of musical orchestrators in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1997. Winners and nominees 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Award records Mult ...

for the revival of ''Kiss Me, Kate'' (2000). In 1975, Sebesky wrote ''The Contemporary Arranger,'' which was published with three accompanying LP phonograph records. His Broadway theater credits include ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

'' (London production by

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

), Sinatra at the Palladium, '' Sweet Charity'', ''

'', ''Bells Are Ringing'', ''

Flower Drum Song ''Flower Drum Song'' was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, '' The Flower Drum Song'', by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the ...

'', ''Parade'', ''The Life'', ''Cyrano'', ''

The Goodbye Girl ''The Goodbye Girl'' is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Neil Simon and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings and Paul Benedict. The film, produced by Ray Stark, centers on an od ...

'', ''

The Will Rogers Follies ''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld ...

'', Sinatra at Radio City, ''Pal Joey'', ''

Come Fly Away ''Come Fly Away'' is a dance revue conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, around the songs of Frank Sinatra. The musical, set in a New York City nightclub, follows four couples as they look for love. It premiered on Broadway in M ...

'', ''

Baby It's You! ''Baby It's You!'' is a jukebox musical written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, featuring pop and rock hits of the 1960s, with a special emphasis on songs by the Shirelles and other acts signed to Scepter Records. The show "tells the story of ...

'' and ''Honeymoon In Vegas''. Sebesky's work for television has garnered three Emmy nominations, for ''Allegra's Window'' on Nickelodeon, ''The Edge of Night'' on ABC, and ''Guiding Light'' on CBS. He also composed film scores that include '' The People Next Door'' (1970), '' F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles''' (1974), and ''

The Rosary Murders ''The Rosary Murders'' is a 1987 American mystery film, mystery crime film directed by Fred Walton (director), Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer (actress), Belinda Bauer, and Josef Sommer. Its plot follows ...

'' (1987). Sebesky has arranged for hundreds of artists, including

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, Britney Spears,

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCa ...

Michael Buble Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, Liza Minnelli,

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

, and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

. Don Sebesky has been married since 1986 to Janina Serden and has two daughters with her, Olivia and Elizabeth. He has two sons from a previous marriage, Ken and Kevin and two daughters, Ali and Cymbaline.

Discography

As leader

* ''Don Sebesky and the Jazz-Rock Syndrome'' (1968) * ''Distant Galaxy'' (1968) * '' Giant Box'' ( CTI, 1973) * '' The Rape of El Morro'' (CTI, 1975) * ''Three Works for Jazz Soloists and Symphony Orchestra'' (1979, 2LP, Gryphon Records) * ''Sebesky Fantasy'' (1980) * ''Moving Lines'' (1984) * ''Full Cycle'' (1984) * ''Symphonic Sondheim'' (1991) * ''Our Love Is Here to Stay'' (

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner (recording engineer), Jack Renner and Robert Woods (producer), Robert Woods. ...

, 1997),

w/Don Sebesky combo * ''I Remember Bill: The Tribute to Bill Evans'' (1998) * ''Joyful Noise: A Tribute to Duke Ellington'' (1999) * ''Kiroron I-Kiroro Melodies'' (2000)

As sideman

With

* '' Viva Kenton!'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

, 1959) * '' Road Show'' (Capitol, 1959) with June Christy and

The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the barbershop tradition. The singers accom ...

As arranger

With Chet Baker *'' She Was Too Good to Me'' (CTI, 1974) *''

You Can't Go Home Again ''You Can't Go Home Again'' is a novel by Thomas Wolfe published posthumously in 1940, extracted by his editor, Edward Aswell, from the contents of his vast unpublished manuscript ''The October Fair''. It is a sequel to ''The Web and the Rock'', ...

'' (Horizon, 1977) *'' The Best Thing for You'' (A&M, 1977 989 *'' Studio Trieste'' (CTI, 1982) with Jim Hall and

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

With

Joe Beck Joe Beck (July 29, 1945 – July 22, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who was active for over 30 years. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Beck moved to Manhattan in his teens, playing six nights a week in a trio setting, which gave him an opp ...

*'' Beck'' (Kudu, 1975) With

*'' Shape of Things to Come'' (A&M, 1969) *''

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...

'' (CTI, 1972) *'' Bad Benson'' (CTI, 1974) *''

The Other Side of Abbey Road ''The Other Side of Abbey Road'' is a 1970 studio album by American guitarist George Benson of songs from the Beatles' 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was his last album for A&M Records. The front cover is a photograph of Benson by Eric Meola in ...

'' (A&M Records, 1970) With

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Lat ...

* '' A New Dimension'' (Verve, 1968) With

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

*'' Blues – The Common Ground'' (Verve, 1968) *'' Night Song'' (Verve, 1969) *'' God Bless the Child'' (CTI, 1971) With Ron Carter *''

Pastels A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

'' (Milestone, 1976) With Hank Crawford *''

Help Me Make it Through the Night "Help Me Make It Through The Night" is a country music ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album '' Kristofferson''. It was covered later in 1970 by Sammi Smith, on the album '' Help Me Make It Through the ...

'' (Kudu, 1972) *'' We Got a Good Thing Going'' (Kudu, 1972) With

*'' Summertime'' (A&M/CTI, 1968) *'' From the Hot Afternoon'' (A&M/CTI, 1969) *'' Bridge Over Troubled Water'' (A&M/CTI, 1970) *''

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'' (CTI, 1973) *'' Pure Desmond'' (CTI, 1975) With Maynard Ferguson * '' A Message from Newport'' (Roulette, 1958) – also composer and performer *'' Swingin' My Way Through College'' (Roulette, 1959) – also performer *'' Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz for Dancing'' (Roulette, 1959) – also performer *''

Let's Face the Music and Dance "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is a song written in 1936 by Irving Berlin for the film ''Follow the Fleet'', where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and featured in a celebrated dance duet with Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The jazz song has als ...

'' (Roulette, 1960) *''

Double Exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...

'' (Atlantic, 1961) with Chris Connor *'' "Straightaway" Jazz Themes'' (Roulette, 1961) *'' Maynard '62'' (Roulette, 1962) * '' Maynard '64'' (Roulette 1959-62

963 Year 963 ( CMLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 15 – Emperor Romanos II dies at age 25, probably of poison admini ...

– also performer track*'' The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson'' (Cameo, 1963) *'' Come Blow Your Horn'' (Cameo, 1963) *'' The Blues Roar'' (Mainstream, 1965) With

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbe ...

*''

The Shadow of Your Smile "The Shadow of Your Smile", also known as "Love Theme from ''The Sandpiper''", is a popular song. The music was written by Johnny Mandel with the lyrics written by Paul Francis Webster. The song was introduced in the 1965 film '' The Sandpiper' ...

'' (Verve, 1965) *'' Beach Samba'' (Verve, 1967) *'' Windy'' (Verve, 1968) With Dizzy Gillespie *''

Cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

'' (Solid State, 1969) With Jim Hall *'' Commitment'' (A&M/Horizon, 1976) With Freddie Hubbard *'' First Light'' (CTI, 1971) *'' Sky Dive'' (CTI, 1972) With

Jackie and Roy Jackie and Roy was an American jazz vocal team consisting of husband and wife singer Jackie Cain (1928-2014) and singer/pianist Roy Kral (1921-2002). They sang together for 56 years and made almost 40 albums. Kral's 2002 obituary in ''The New Y ...

*'' Time & Love'' (CTI, 1972) *'' A Wilder Alias'' (CTI, 1973) With Milt Jackson *'' Sunflower'' (CTI, 1972) With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding *''

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

'' (A&M/CTI, 1968) With

*'' Afro-Classic'' (CTI, 1970) *''

The Rite of Spring , image = Roerich Rite of Spring.jpg , image_size = 350px , caption = Concept design for act 1, part of Nicholas Roerich's designs for Diaghilev's 1913 production of ' , composer = Igor Stravinsky , based_on ...

'' (CTI, 1971) *'' Morning Star'' (CTI, 1972) *'' Carnegie Hall'' (CTI, 1973) With

*'' Bumpin''' (Verve/Polygram, 1965) *'' California Dreaming'' (Verve, 1966) *'' A Day in the Life'' (A&M, 1967) *'' Down Here on the Ground'' (A&M, 1968) *'' Road Song'' (A&M, 1968) With Airto Moreira *'' Free'' (CTI, 1972) With

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...

*''The Prophet'' (Verve, 1968) With

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

*'' If I Could'' (MusicMasters, 1993) With

Walter Wanderley Walter Wanderley (born Walter Jose Wanderley Mendonça, May 12, 1932 – September 4, 1986) was a Brazilian organist and pianist, best known for his lounge and bossa nova music and for his instrumental version of the song ''Summer Samba'' whic ...

*'' When It Was Done'' (A&M/CTI, 1968) With

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious ...

*'' Blue Moses'' (CTI, 1972) With Kai Winding *'' The In Instrumentals'' (Verve, 1965)

References

External links

* *
Don Sebesky
at the Internet Off Broadway Database
Don Sebesky Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebesky, Don 1937 births Living people People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Musicians from New Jersey American trombonists Male trombonists American music arrangers American male composers 21st-century American composers Tony Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Manhattan School of Music alumni 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American male musicians CTI Records artists