Frank Theodore Hundertmark (October 19, 1919 – December 15, 2005), known as Frank Hunter, was an American trombonist, bandleader and music arranger. He is now best known for his 1959 exotica album ''White Goddess''. Early in his career he used the name Frank Huntermark, and on some recordings of

Latin American music The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporates African music from enslaved African people who were ...

he was credited as Francisco Cazador ("''cazador''" being Spanish for "hunter").

Biography

Born and brought up in the

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ger ...

area of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Hunter attended Mastbaum Vocational High School. Vince Trombetta, "Remembering Frank Hunter", ''Allegro'', Volume CVI, No. 2, February 2006
/ref> He began as a professional musician in jazz bands in and around the area. In 1940 he began playing in the house band at radio station WCAU, before touring with

Al Donahue Al Donahue (June 12, 1904, Dorchester, Massachusetts - February 20, 1983, Fallbrook, California) was an American violinist and big band leader. Donahue got his start playing in Boston-area campus bands and led a band at Boston's Weber Duck Inn i ...

. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he scored revues, and arranged shows for the

West Point Band The West Point Band (also known as the U.S. Military Academy Band or USMA Band) is the U.S. Army's oldest active band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy, traces its roots to the American Revolutionary War. At that time, fife ...

. Frank Hunter, ''Clear Mud Publications''
Retrieved 24 April 2019 After the war, as Frank Huntermark, he joined

Elliot Lawrence Elliott Lawrence Broza (February 14, 1925 – July 2, 2021), known professionally as Elliott Lawrence, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he pl ...

's orchestra where he worked as an arranger, later competing for the role with the younger

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

. Biography by Eugene Chadbourne, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 24 April 2019 He appeared in, and arranged for, ''

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

's TV Teen Club'' in the early 1950s. According to Whiteman's biographer Don Rayno, Hunter's "arranging ability was legendary – he could arrange, without piano, while the band was playing another song, spreading out the parts on the floor, working on a moment's notice when necessary." Don Rayno, ''Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music, 1930-1967'', Scarecrow Press, 2012, p.428
/ref> At

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the company ...

in 1955, he recorded the album ''Sounds of the Hunter''. Frank Hunter, Credits, ''Discogs.com''
Retrieved 24 April 2019 In 1956, he toured as trombonist with the Tex Beneke Band, before starting work as a full-time arranger. He worked as an arranger for Bethlehem Records, with singer

Frances Faye Frances Faye (November 4, 1912 – November 8, 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. Born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, she was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye. Career Born as Franc ...

, trumpeter Howard McGhee, and others. He went on to work for several other

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

s in the mid-1950s, including

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

Medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, and Top Rank, and with musicians including Johnny Hartman, Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Carmen McRae,

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

, and Eddie Heywood. His work for Kapp Records in the late 1950s included arrangements for

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

, Jane Morgan,

Joe Harnell Joseph Harnell (August 2, 1924 – July 14, 2005) was an American composer, musician, and music arranger. Early life His father was a vaudeville performer who also played in jazz and klezmer ensembles. Harnell began playing piano at age six and ...

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, and Hoagy Carmichael, as well as the 1958 album ''Great Melodies From The Motion Pictures''. His own project on Kapp, ''White Goddess'', "combines original compositions and standards, orchestrated and arranged for an unusual combination of instruments" including

Ondioline The Ondioline is an electronic keyboard musical instrument, developed and built by Frenchman Georges Jenny. Sometimes referred to as the "Jenny Ondioline," the instrument is considered a forerunner of the synthesizer. First conceived by Jenny in ...

, chromatic bongos, Chinese bells, and the "buzzimba". The result has been described as "something of a cross-over between jungle exotica and

space music Space music, also called spacemusic or space ambient, is a subgenre of new-age music and is described as "tranquil, hypnotic and moving". It is derived from ambient music and is associated with lounge music, easy listening, and elevator music. ...

and right up there with the very best in both categories". Frank Hunter, ''SpaceAgePop.com''
Retrieved 24 April 2019 Because of both its quality and scarcity to collectors, the album "has been compared to the Holy Grail by exotica fans". After leaving Kapp around 1960, Hunter worked on arrangements on labels including Everest,

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

, Columbia, Reprise, and

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

. In 1961, as Francisco Cazador, he released the album ''The Passionate Valentino Tangos'' on Reprise. Musicians and singers with whom he worked in the 1960s included Bobby Hackett, Tutti Camarata, Frankie Avalon,

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...

Georgia Gibbs Georgia Gibbs (born Frieda Lipschitz; August 17, 1918December 9, 2006) was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs achieved acclaim and notoriety in the mid-1950s interp ...

, Erma Franklin,

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...

, Ed Ames,

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

Leo Diamond Leo Diamond (June 29, 1915 – September 15, 1966) was an American harmonica player. Regarded as a virtuoso of the instrument, and employed in several film scores, he had two US chart hits, "Off Shore" (1953) and " Melody of Love" (1955), and ...

Ketty Lester Ketty Lester (born Revoyda Frierson; August 16, 1934) is an American singer and actress known for her 1961 hit single "Love Letters", which reached the top 5 of the charts in the U.S. and the UK. She is also known for her role as Hester-Sue Terh ...

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

Gloria Lynne Gloria Lynne (born Gloria Wilson; November 23, 1929 – October 15, 2013), also known as Gloria Alleyne, was an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Career Lynne was born in Harlem in 1929 to John and Mary W ...

, and Chad and Jeremy. He also contributed to a series of

box sets A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

for Columbia, presenting arrangements of the past year's

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

hits. By the mid-1960s, his style of arrangements had become less fashionable, but he continued to contribute to commercials, and between 1973 and 1975 was musical director for '' The Mike Douglas Show''. He also arranged for brass bands,

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

s, and

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

s. He taught at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, for two years in the late 1970s. Some years after retiring, Hunter was called upon again in 2001 to contribute arrangements for the continuing

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

Orchestra. Hunter died in 2005 at the age of 86.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Frank American trombonists Easy listening musicians American music arrangers 1919 births 2005 deaths