Kenneth Lee Ascher (born October 26, 1944 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production.''Who's Who in Rock Music'', by William York,

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

(1982); With Paul Williams, he wrote the song "

Rainbow Connection "Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film ''The Muppet Movie'', with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson – as Kermit the Frog – in the film. "Rainbow Connection" reached ...

" for ''

The Muppet Movie ''The Muppet Movie'' is a 1979 American musical road comedy film directed by James Frawley, produced by Jim Henson, and the first theatrical film featuring the Muppets. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film w ...

''. Both Williams and Ascher received Oscar nominations for the 1979

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

("Rainbow Connection") and Best Original Score (''

'' Soundtrack). The song was also nominated for the

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for "

" that same year.

His work

Ascher's work through the years has included keyboard parts and string arrangements on

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's albums ''

Mind Games Playing mind games (also power games or head games) is the largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the a ...

'', '' Walls and Bridges'' and '' Rock 'n' Roll'' and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

's ''

A Story ''A Story'' is an album by Yoko Ono, recorded in 1974, during the "lost weekend" sessions in which John Lennon produced ''Walls and Bridges''. It was unreleased until the 1992 box set ''Onobox'', which featured material from ''A Story'' on dis ...

'', music for several songs from

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 List ...

's remake of '' A Star Is Born'' (where he also served as music coordinator), and arrangements for portions of Jim Steinman and

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

's masterpiece '' Bat Out of Hell'' (produced by

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

). Ascher's own rendition of ''

The Rainbow Connection "Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film ''The Muppet Movie'', with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson – as Kermit the Frog – in the film. "Rainbow Connection" reached ...

'' was featured in the closing credits of '' The Break-Up'' (starring

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...

and

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

). Ascher is the pianist with the

Birdland Big Band The Birdland Big Band is a 16-piece jazz orchestra that performs at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. The Birdland Big Band is led by saxophonist David DeJesus DeJesus joined as saxophonist and leader in October 2017 and brought with him a ...

, which performs Fridays from 5:15 to 7 at Birdland in New York City. The Birdland Big Band performs ''The Rainbow Connection'', arranged by

Lew Anderson Lewis Burr Anderson (May 7, 1922 – May 14, 2006) was an American actor and musician. He is widely known by TV fans as the third and final actor to portray Clarabell the Clown on ''Howdy Doody'' between 1954 and 1960. He famously spoke Cl ...

. In the latter 1960s, Ascher played piano and arranged for the Woody Herman Orchestra. Herman hired Ascher — on the advice of Frank Foster — to replace

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

, who had departed. Ascher has been a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

since 1968.

Selected compositions

* ''Three for the Show'', m & arr. Ascher (1960) * ''The White Rabbit'', music & arr. Ascher (1960) * ''Scotch Mist'', music & arr. by Ascher (1960) * ''Theme for Ken's Men'', m & arr. Ascher (1960) * ''Retrospect'', words & arr. Ascher (1960) * ''Typically April: A Revolutionary Musical'', lyrics and music by Ascher (1966) * ''Stars and Sand'' (1967) * ''Nightling'' (1967) * ''April's in my Lady's Face'' (1967) * ''Colors'' (1967) * ''Dressed Up For a Dream'' (1967) * ''These blues were made for cookin' '' (1967) * ''Who can hear the nightingale?'' (1967) * ''It seems different to me now'' (1967) * ''Lullaby'' (1967) * ''Last night's rain'' (1967) * ''Laughin' Place'' (1967) * ''Miss Fitz'' (1967) * ''Maybe another spring (1967) * ''Funny little girl'' (1967) * ''Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra'' (1968) * ''1968 Baltimore Colts Highlights (ASCAP 1968) * ''Music for Orchestra'' (Master's essay,

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

) (1968) * ''Bittersweet wild child'', words by Donna Lee, music by Ascher (1968) * ''Cavettina'' (1968) * ''Silent Partners'', words Donna Lee, music Ascher (1968) * ''So I told it to the rain'', words Donna Lee Levitt (Donna Lee), music by Ascher (1968) * ''You can't make this child cry'', words Donna Lee Levitt, music by Ascher (1968) * ''Here I Go Again'', words Donna Lee (Donna Lee Levitt), music by Ascher (1968) * ''My memory bank's been robbed'', words Donna Lee (Donna Lee Levitt), music by Ascher (1968) * ''Leaf in the Wind'', words and music by Lon Ritchie & Ascher (1969) * ''Omnibus'', words & music by Ascher, Donna Lee &

Joe Renzetti Joe Renzetti (born January 4, 1941) is an American film composer and session musician. He scores for films and television, and composes works for orchestra, chamber groups, and solo artists. Career Born in Philadelphia, Renzetti began his career ...

(1969) * ''One for Jim'' (1970) * ''Another Kind of Blues'' (1970) * ''Mosaics : a piece for guitar, string quartet and woodwind quartet with accompanying aesthetic commentary and description'' (thesis for

) (1972) * ''Inspiration'', by Paul Williams, Ascher (1973) * ''Bugaloo and Such'' (1973) * ''Play, piper, play'', words Donna Lee Levitt, music Ascher (1973) * ''Little Bit of Love'', words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * ''Lone Star'', words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * ''Loneliness'', words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * ''Nilsson sings Newman'', by Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * ''Sad Song'', words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * ''Sunday'', words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * ''You Know Me'', by Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * ''She Sings for Free'', words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974, 2002) * ''

You and Me Against the World ''You and Me Against the World'' is the fifth studio album from Norwegian electronic rock music band Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a ...

'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * ''Makin' the same mistakes'' (1974) * ''Isn't It Odd?'' (1974) * ''Candlelight Dreamer'' (1974) * ''Bein' a Movie Star'' (1974) * ''Coming Undone'' (1974) * ''With You'', words Carole Bayer Sager, music Ascher (1975) * ''Don't you worry child'', words Carole Bayer Sager, music Ascher (1975) *From the 1976 film, '' A Star is Born'' *# ''Watch Closely Now'', Paul Williams, Ascher *# ''Hellacious Acres'', Paul Williams, Ascher *# ''The Woman in the Moon'', Paul Williams, Ascher *# ''Finale: With One More Look at You/Watch Closely Now'', Paul Williams, Ascher * ''Run for life'', vocal music by Ascher, lyrics by Albert Lerman (1978) *From the 1979 film, ''

'' *# ''

'', words & music by Ascher and Paul Williams (1979) *# ''Movin' Right Along'', Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# ''

Never Before, Never Again! ''The Muppet Movie: Original Soundtrack Recording'' is the soundtrack album from the 1979 film, ''The Muppet Movie'', featuring the songs and select score written by Paul Williams (songwriter), Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. Originally releas ...

'', – Miss Piggy, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# ''

'', –

Instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# '' I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!'', – Kermit and

Rowlf Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet character, a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. He was created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Rowlf is the Muppet Theatre's resident pianist on ''The Muppet ...

, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# ''Can You Picture That?'', Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# '' I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!'', – Instrumental *# ''For Goodness Sake'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) *# ''Finale, the magic store'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''For the Life of Me'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Making Friends'', Waring & LaRosa; arr. Ascher (1979) * ''Gift'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Little more like you'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Save me a dream'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Go Away'' * ''Song for children of all ages'', words and music by Ascher * ''Kenny's ballad'', music by Ascher (1980) * ''Perfect Crime'', music & lyrics by Ascher & John Barranco (1989)

Selected discography

As leader * Kenny Ascher, the Moog Machine, '' Switched-On Rock'' (played on Moog by Kenny)

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

(1969) * Kenny Ascher, ''Christmas Becomes Electric / The Moog'' (played on Moog by Kenny)

(1970) As arranger *

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

and the Thundering Herd, ''Concerto for Herd'' (

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jaz ...

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

(September 17, 1967) : ''Woody's Boogaloo'', arranged by Ascher * Paul Williams, '' Here Comes Inspiration'', (LP) (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist) A&M Records (1974) *

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a member of the ...

, ''

Virgin Land A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...

'' (Salvation, 1974) *

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

, ''No Way To Treat A Lady'',

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

(1975) : B3 – ''You Know Me'', by Ascher and Williams *

Lori Lieberman Lori Lieberman (born November 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on guitar and piano. She first came to public attention in the early 1970s with a series of albums on Capitol Records, the first of which featured t ...

, ''Letting Go'',

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 ...

, arrangements by Ascher (June 19, 1978) As sideman or band member, on keyboards *

Howard Tate Howard Tate (August 13, 1939 – December 2, 2011) was an American soul music, soul singer and songwriter. His greatest success came with a string of hit singles in the late 1960s, including "Ain't Nobody Home" and "Get It While You Can," the ...

, ''Keep Cool (Don't Be a Fool)'', The Hit Factory (Oct 12, 1971) * Tom Scott, ''Smoothin' On Down'',

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 ...

/ Ode,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(July 1971) * The J.B.s, "Food For Thought"

People Records __NOTOC__ Over the course of his career James Brown owned and operated several different record labels, which he used primarily to release his own Record producer, productions of artists associated with his revue. Try Me Brown founded his first la ...

New York, 1971, (Ascher electric piano) *

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

, '' Moon Shadow'' (Ascher performs on tracks A3, A4, B2, B4),

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

(1972) *

Yvonne Elliman Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...

, ''Yvonne Elliman'',

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

(1972) * Bill Quateman, ''Bill Quatemen'', (Ascher plays keyboards, produced the album, and wrote the string arrangements) CBS Records (1972) *

, ''

'' (1973) * Johnny Hartman, ''I've Been There'' (1973) * Cecil Holmes, ''Cecil Homes Soulful Sounds, The – Black Motion Picture Experience'', Buddah Records (1973) *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

, ''

'',

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

(1973) * Morgana King, ''New Beginnings'',

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramount Records was formed in 19 ...

(1973) : A4 – The Sands of Time and Changes (Ascher, piano) : B2 – ''A Song for You'' (Ascher, piano) * Mark Murphy, ''Mark II'', Muse Records (1973) * John Prine, Sweet Revenge,

(1973) *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

, ''

Hotcakes A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying with ...

'',

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

(1974) * Martha Reeves, ''Martha Reeves'',

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

(1974) : B2 – ''Sweet Misery'' (Ascher plays

clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...

and organ) * Johnny Winter, ''

John Dawson Winter III ''John Dawson Winter III'' is the seventh studio album by Johnny Winter, released in 1974. It again follows Winter's pattern of mixing original songs with cover versions, including covering an Allen Toussaint song for the second album running. T ...

(1974) *

, " Whatever Gets You thru the Night" (single) (Ascher plays clavinet) Apple Records (1974) *

, '' Walls and Bridges'' (Ascher plays keyboards), Apple Records (1974) * Paul Williams, ''A Little Bit of Love'', by Ascher & ''Nice to Be Around'', by Williams (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist) 45 RMP, Promo (1974) * Paul Williams, '' A Little Bit of Love'' (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist), A&M Records (1974) : A1 – ''A Little Bit of Love'', by Ascher : A4 – ''Sunday'', by Ascher : B2 – ''She Sings for Free'', by Ascher : B5 – ''Loneliness'', by Ascher : B6 – ''Sad Song'', by Ascher *

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, '' Walking Man'', Warner Bros. Records (1974) * Harry Nilsson, ''

Pussy Cats ''Pussy Cats'' is the tenth album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records in 1974. It was produced by John Lennon during his " Lost Weekend" period. The album title was inspired by the bad press Nilsson and Lennon were getting ...

'' (Ascher: piano, conductor, orchestration),

(1974) *

, ''

Feeling the Space ''Feeling the Space'' is Yoko Ono's fourth solo album, her last one on Apple Records. History The entire album adopts a feminist theme, focusing on issues affecting women in the 1970s. Its liner notes parody adult advertising, giving the teleph ...

'' (recorded 1974, released 1997) * Airto, ''Virgin Land'',

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

(Feb. 1974) : B4 – ''I Don't Have to Do What I Don't Want to Do'' (Ascher plays melletron on this track) *

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...

, '' Judith'',

(1975) * Merry Clayton, ''Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow'', Ode Records (1975) *

, '' Rock 'n' Roll'' (Ascher plays keyboards),

(1975) *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

, ''

Still Crazy After All These Years ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' is the fourth solo studio album by Paul Simon. Recorded and released in 1975, the album produced four U.S. Top 40 hits: " 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (No. 1), "Gone at Last" (No. 23), "My Little Town" (No. 9 ...

'' (Ascher plays organ),

(1975) * Gladys Knight & The Pips, '' 2nd Anniversary'' (Ascher plays keyboards) (1975) : B1 – ''

'', arr Don Hannah, written by Ascher and Williams *

John Tropea John Tropea (pronounced 'tro-pay'; born January 7, 1946) is an American guitarist. Career Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz guitar, harmony, ...

, ''The Jingle'', West Orange, New Jersey, Marlin (1975) *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...

, ''Closeup'', Private Stock Records (1975) *

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

, '' Hollywood Be Thy Name'',

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

(1975) * Nanette Natal, ''The Beginning'', New York, Evolution (date unknown, prob late 1970s) * Leslie West, '' The Leslie West Band'' Phantom Records, distributed by

RCA Records 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 A ...

, and later, ESP Management Inc. (1975) *

and Kris Kristofferson, ''A Star Is Born'' (soundtrack),

(1976) : A1 – ''Watch Closely Now'', by Ascher : A5 – ''Hellacious Acres'', by Ascher : B1 – ''The Woman in the Moon'', by Ascher and Williams : B4 – ''Finale: With One More Look At You / Watch Closely Now'', by Ascher and Williams * Paul Williams, ''Classics'', A&M Records (1977) : A2 – ''You and Me Against the World'', by Ascher and Williams : A4 – ''Loneliness'', by Ascher and Williams : B2 – ''With One More Look at You'', by Ascher and Williams :: (Ascher produced tracks: A2, A4, B4, B5) * Phoebe Snow, ''

Never Letting Go ''Never Letting Go'' is the fourth album by singer–songwriter Phoebe Snow, released in 1977. Reception In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote "...the record marked a fall-off in both her commercial success and h ...

'',

(Ascher performs on keyboards and orchestrates on selections) (1977) *

, ''

Lady Put the Light Out ''Lady Put the Light Out'' is an album by Frankie Valli, released in November 1977 on the Private Stock label. Background, composition and recording Frankie Valli assembled some New York City session players for the album ''Lady Put the Light O ...

'', Private Stock Records (1977) *

, '' Bat Out of Hell'',

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

(1977) (RIAA 14xPlatinum Certified) : A3 – ''Heaven Can Wait'' (string arrangement by Ascher) : B1 – ''Two Out of Three Ain't Bad'' (string arrangement by Ascher) * Tom Scott, '' Blow It Out'', Ode Records (1977) : A2 – ''Smoothin' On Down'' (Ascher plays

on this track) *

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

, ''

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

'',

(1977) *

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

, ''Movin' Right Along'', (45 RPM) CBS Records Australia (1979) *

, ''

'' Original Soundtrack Recording (Ascher co-writes, co-arranges, and performs on keyboards),

(1979) *

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

, ''

'',

(1980) * Earl Klugh, ''Late Night Guitar'' *

, ''Walking On Thin Ice'' (45 RPM), Geffen Records (1981) : B – ''It Happened'' (Ascher, keyboards on the flipside only) * Marvin Stamm, ''Stammpede'', New York, Palo Alto (1983) * Peter Dean, ''Radio'',

Inner City Records Inner City Records was a jazz record company and label founded by Irv Kratka in 1976 in New York City. The company was a division of Music Minus One and also owned the label Classic Jazz. It started with reissues, then moved on to new recordin ...

, New York (1984) * Pat Williams' New York Band, ''10th Avenue'', New York, Soundwings (Dec. 1986) * Warren Bernhardt, ''Hands On'' (Kenny performs on the 2nd and 4th works) (CD) (1987) *

, ''Mos' Scocious: The Dr. John Anthology'',

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

(1993) : 2-15 – ''Back by the River'' (Ascher plays keyboard) * David Matthews Orchestra, ''Furuhata Jazz in N.Y.'', New York,

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

(Japan) (1997) * '' The Wiz'' (Original Soundtrack),

(1997) * Gary LeMel, ''Moonlighting'' (Ascher is assistant conductor), Skylark Atlantic 83178-2 (1998) * Alex Donner, ''White Tie'', New York & Astoria, Black Tie Records (Mar 10, 1998-Sep 8, 2000) *

, ''Labelle'',

Wounded Bird Records Wounded Bird Records is an American compact disc only re-issue record label that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from popular and lesser known artists, including Paul Butterfield, Cactus, Herbie ...

(2000) : 1 – ''Morning Much Better'', Ascher – piano : 6 – ''Running Out of Fools – If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody'', Ascher – piano : 10 – ''Time'', Ascher – piano : 11 – ''When the Sun Comes Shining Through (The Ladder)'', Ascher – piano * Wally Dunbar, ''Everything in Time'', Nardis Consolidated Artists CAP953 (2000) * Nelson Foltz, ''The Longing Hours'', New York & Northvale, N.J., Syberdelix (2001) * Jane Monheit, ''In the Sun'', New York, N Coded Music (March–June 2002) * Jane Monheit, ''Live at the Rainbow Room'', N Coded Music (September 23, 2002) * Scott Whitfield Jazz Orchestra East, ''Live at "Birdland"'',

Summit Records Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the large brass ensemble Summit Brass in the late 1980s. It was established by David Hickman and Ralph Sauer. Four Summit Records recordings have been nom ...

(March 10, 2003) * Clay Aiken, ''

Merry Christmas with Love ''Merry Christmas with Love'' is the first Christmas album and second studio album by American recording artist Clay Aiken. It was released on November 16, 2004, through RCA Records. The production on the album was produced by Phil Ramone and Wal ...

'',

(2004) * Susan Robkin, ''Surfacing to Breathe'' (May 2004) * Don Payne (bass), ''Rhapsodic Echoes'', (Ascher plays piano on tracks 5 & 8
Recycled Notes Music Company
(May 5, 2004) : 5 – ''Unscheduled Departures'' : 8 – ''M.A.P.S.'' (Bob Mann, Kenny Ascher, Don Payne, Allen Schwartzberg) * Scott Whitfield, ''Diamonds for Nat'', New York,

(April 12 & 13, 2005) *

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

, '' Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV'',

J-Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

(Oct. 18, 2005) * Steve Tyrell, ''The Disney Standards'', Walt Disney Records (2006) : 10 – ''When She Loved Me'' (Ascher, keyboards) : 14 – '' Baby Mine'', (Ascher, keyboards & string arrangements) * Steve Tyrell, ''Back to Bacharach'', Koch Records (2008) : 4 – ''One Less Bell to Answer'' (piano, Ascher; arr

Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...

; strings arr, Ascher) : 11 – ''Close to You'' (Ascher, piano) : 12 – ''A House is Not a Home'' (Ascher, piano) * The Birdland Big Band, ''The Lew Anderson Tribute Concert (live)'', I.E.G. Inc. (June 1, 2007) * Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band, ''Live from New York'' (DVD) I.E.G. Inc. (Jan 1, 2009) ) * Andy Farber and His Orchestra, ''This Could be the Start of Something Big'' (2009) * Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band, ''Eleven'' (11-11-11) * Ron Sunshine "Bring It Home" Rondette Jazz (November 20, 2015) Ascher piano.

Awards & award nominations

Awards * 1976 —

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Original Score, ''A Star is Born'',

34th Golden Globe Awards The 34th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1976, were held on January 29, 1977. Winners and nominees Film Television Best Series — Drama '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' *'' Captains and the Kings'' *'' Charlie ...

, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams Nominations * 1978 —

Anthony Asquith Award This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, which is presented to film composers, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts si ...

nomination for Film Music, ''A Star is Born'',

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, Kenny Ascher * 1979 —

nomination for

, ''

'',

37th Golden Globe Awards The 37th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1979, were held on 26 January 1980. Winners Film Television Best Series - Drama ''Lou Grant'' *''Backstairs at the White House'' *'' Centennial '' *''Dallas'' *'' ...

, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams * 1979 —

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score, ''

'',

52nd Academy Awards The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1979 and took place on April 14, 1980, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p. ...

, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams * 1979 —

nomination for

, ''

'',

, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams

Critically acclaimed live performances

* Feb 1973 — Ascher played piano with Marvin Stamm at Sam's Jazz Upstairs (1220 2nd Avenue at 64th St., New York City): Bob Dougherty (bass) and

Ronnie Zito Ronald "Ronnie" Zito (born February 17, 1939) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Zito was born in Utica, New York, into a musical family including his brother Torrie Zito. He began playing drums at the age of 10 and at age 14 took a year a ...

on drums. Stamm said, "In 21 years of playing music, this is the best group of musicians I've ever been with." Reflecting on that statement, John Stuart Wilson (1913–2002), longtime jazz critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' said, "That might have sounded like a fatuous statement leaders often make in introducing their musicians to a jazz club audience. In this case, however, it was completely believable because Mr. Stamm's quartet is the most exciting group that has turned-up in New York for a long time." * May 1973 — Kenny Ascher Trio, Sundays, Jimmy Weston's, 131 E 54th St., New York City * Jan 13, 2009 — Mike Berkowitz and The New Gene Krupa Orchestra,

Iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...

* Dec 2000 —

Michael Feinstein Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for cele ...

with a small swing band led by Kenny Ascher, the Regency, New York City * July 2001 — Jay Leonhart with Kenny Ascher and Michael Leonhart, July 13–21, Oak Room of the

Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...

Jingle writing

Ascher has composed (or co-composed)

jingles A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

for: * The 1968

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

Federal Express FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

# ''Applause'' # ''Gotcha'' # ''Larry'' # ''Mr. Calm'' * Heineken #''The Beer'' #''Combined'' *

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

# ''Brilliant Idea/ GE Brings Good Things to Life'' # ''Cooking'' *

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...

''(Class Act)'' *

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Campbell's Soup Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become ...

– ''Never Underestimate the Power of Soup'' campaign # ''Never Underestimate'' # ''Canned Chef'' # ''Hockey'' # ''Makes Itself'' # ''Red Dress'' # ''Snowman'' # ''Stay Young'' # ''Storm Radio – Winter'' # ''Superhero'' # ''Superman'' # ''Tennis Anyone?'' # ''Wild Ride'' * Frigidaire ''(Nightfeeding)'' * Diet Pepsi ''(Uh-Huh Blues – You've Got The Right One, Baby'', with

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

)'' * American Dairy ''(Warm All Over)'' * Coors Brewing Company #

Herman Joseph Hermann Joseph, (c. 11507 April 1241) was a German Premonstratensian canon regular and mystic. Never formally canonized, in 1958 his status as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church was formally recognized by Pope Pius XII. Life Hermann was born ...

– ''Polo'', revised'' arr by Kenny Ascher (1981) #

– ''Tennis'', comp. & arr. by Kenny Ascher (1981) # ''Sailboat'' music and arr. by Kenneth Ascher (1980) # ''Billiards'', music and arr. by Kenneth Ascher (1980) * National Airlines ''(Generic/scope)'', music by Ken Ascher (1978) * Ford Motors ''(National Test Drive)'' Many of Ascher's jingle compositions were (i) produced by Sunday Productions (Hilary Jay Lipsitz, born 1933, president), (ii) published by Ahoskie Music, Inc. (Hilary Jay Lipsitz, president), and (iii) licensed by

Academic education

Ascher holds three diplomas from

: * 1966 —

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(music composition),

Columbia College, Columbia University Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King' ...

* 1968 —

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(music composition), Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Columbia University * 1971 — Doctor of Musical Arts (music composition), School of the Arts, Columbia University While at Columbia, Ascher studied composition with

Otto Luening Otto Clarence Luening (June 15, 1900 – September 2, 1996) was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music. Luening was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to German parents, Eugene, a conducto ...

Jack Beeson Jack Hamilton Beeson (July 15, 1921 – June 6, 2010) was an American composer. He was known particularly for his operas, the best known of which are ''Lizzie Borden'', ''Hello Out There!'', and ''The Sweet Bye and Bye''. Early life Born in Muncie ...

, and Vladimir Ussachevsky and piano with William Albert Beller
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz
'' the late Leonard Feather (ed.) & the late

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

, Oxford University Press (1999), pg. 110; (1900–1986). Ascher graduated from William F. Dykes High School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

, and entered

on a math scholarship. In 1966, while in college, the Kenny Ascher Quintet performed live in WKCR's ''Stone Soup'' at midnight."Radio: Music", ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', pg. 77, col. 2, December 16, 1966

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascher, Kenney American jazz pianists Post-bop pianists Big band pianists American film score composers American male film score composers American jazz composers American male jazz composers American rock pianists American male pianists American organists Golden Globe Award-winning musicians 20th-century American keyboardists Musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Washington, D.C. Songwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from Washington, D.C. Living people 1944 births Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Plastic Ono Band members ASCAP composers and authors 20th-century American pianists Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni