Walt Levinsky (April 18, 1929 – December 14, 1999) was an American
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...
and orchestral player, composer, arranger, and bandleader. While many of his big band assignments were as lead alto sax player, his favorite instrument was the
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
.
Musical education
Born in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania.
History
Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 1870 ...
in Annville, Pennsylvania where he majored in clarinet. He was an 'A' student and the college woodwind instructor, Frank Stachow, once said to him: "You're the most talented musician that ever came to this school." His secondary instruments were alto saxophone and flute, and of course, he was required to learn keyboard while at music school.
Musical career
Levinsky first assignment with a 'name' band was with the
Les Elgart
Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter.
Early Years
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed to ...
orchestra. Then, as a full-time professional, he replaced
Buddy DeFranco
Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and ...
in the
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
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 ...
which toured in the US and Cuba. During the Korean war he enlisted in the US Air Force and served as a musician and member of the Airmen of Note of the U. S. Air Force band.
After his Air Force discharge in 1954 Levinsky wanted to avoid the disruptive life of a band member on the road and settled in the New York area. Back with the Tommy Dorsey band for a brief stint, he then landed a job as reed player on a Broadway show. That was the beginning of a period when he worked as an instrumentalist in various show orchestras and also backed recording artists as a studio session musician. In 1956 when
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
was assembling a new band for an engagement at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, he selected Levinsky as his lead sax player. While with the Goodman band, Levinsky was nominated by Benny as his backup player for the clarinet solos. When that engagement closed, Levinsky signed on for a summer contract with the Goodman band playing concerts in other cities.
Levinsky then joined the NBC Staff Orchestra. During this period he recorded an RCA album with the
Sauter-Finegan Orchestra
The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra was an American swing jazz band popular in the 1950s.
The orchestra was led by Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan, who were both experienced big band arrangers. Sauter played mellophone, trumpet, and drums, and had attende ...
playing Benny Goodman's clarinet solos. While at NBC, he took various freelance assignments and also contracted to the CBS Staff band. In 1962, he graduated to
The Tonight Show Band
The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and w ...
, led by Skitch Henderson (later headed by
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...
) backing ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
''.
After leaving NBC in the late 60's, Levinsky joined MBA Music, a small New York company that produced music for commercials. This gave him the chance to move into composing, arranging and conducting. He composed, scored and conducted music for many NBC films. In the summer of 1968 he was offered the job of clarinet soloist for the re-created
Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction.
Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...
band. Artie Shaw conducted the sessions and requested Levinsky to play his original solos note-for-note (see discography below). During these New York years he worked and recorded with many 'name' artists such as
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 birth ...
,
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
,
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
,
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 ...
,
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...
,
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
and
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer.
Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...
. As a freelance music director he also worked and toured with other well known artists like
Nina van Pallandt
Nina, Baroness van Pallandt (born Nina Magdelena Møller; 15 July 1932) is a Danish retired singer and actress.
Acting
Van Pallandt acted on television and in films. From 1969 to the early 1970s, she appeared as a guest on several episodes of t ...
(of
Nina & Frederik
Nina & Frederik were a Danish–Dutch popular singing duo of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their repertoire consisted of a blend of folk music, calypsos and standards.Sleeve notes of album ''Nina & Frederik'' – MFP 1401, by Verity Stevens Th ...
), and actor and entertainer
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...
.
He also composed for
Score Productions
Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television shows. Started in 1963 in a brownstone townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan by music producer Bob Israel, Score has cre ...
, a well-known production company specializing in TV music. Levinsky is credited on a 1976 album of music cues for ''
The Price is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
'', which includes much of the show's music that is still heard today such as the showcase showdown and various car cues. One of those cues, a
Nashville Brass
Danny Davis (May 29, 1925 – June 12, 2008) was an American country music band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer, best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass.
Early life and career
Danny Davis was born as George J ...
-style country music piece, became the theme to ''
Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
''; the 1988 version of this theme is still used today.
The 1990s brought further success with a busy concert and touring schedule as bandleader and clarinet soloist with his Great American Swing Band.
Levinsky died in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
, aged 70, from a brain tumour.
Discography
* ''Artie Shaw Recreates His Great 38 Band'', (
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 ...
, 1968)
* ''Price 1976 Library – The Eclectic Ensemble'', (OmniSound, 1976)
* ''Walt Levinsky and his Great American Swing Band'', (Kenzo, 1989)
* ''Walt Levinsky in Concert: As He Wanted to Be Remembered'', ( Arbors, 2003)
As sideman
With
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...
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 ...
, 1962)
With
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
*''
Quincy Plays for Pussycats
''Quincy Plays for Pussycats'' is an album by Quincy Jones featuring sessions recorded between 1959 and 1965 which was released on the Mercury label.Matsubayashi, KMercury Records Collection: SR-61050: Quincy Plays For Pussycats / Quincy Jones/ref ...
'' (Mercury, 1959-65
965
Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tar ...
With
Henri Rene
Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry.
People with this given name
; French noblemen
:'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.''
* Henri I de Montm ...
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 ...
, 1959)
With
Don Sebesky
Don Sebesky (born December 10, 1937) is an American arranger, jazz trombonist, and keyboardist.
Biography
Sebesky trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, Tommy Do ...
* ''
Giant Box
''Giant Box'' is a double album by American arranger/conductor and composer Don Sebesky recorded in 1973 and released on the CTI label.CTI, 1973)
* ''
The Rape of El Morro
''The Rape of El Morro'' is an album by American arranger/conductor and composer Don Sebesky featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released on the CTI label.
'' (CTI, 1975)
With
Rex Stewart
Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra.
Career
As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart drop ...
and
Cootie Williams
Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter.
Biography
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...
*''
Porgy & Bess Revisited
''Porgy & Bess Revisited'', subtitled ''Played by a Very Unusual Cast'', is an album of jazz interpretations of songs from the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess performed by cornetist Rex Stewart and trumpeter Cootie Williams, with saxophonists ...
'' (Warner Bros., 1959)
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, ...
* ''
Several Shades of Jade
''Several Shades of Jade'' is a 1963 album by Cal Tjader arranged by Lalo Schifrin.
It peaked at 79 on the Billboard 200.
Reception
Stewart Mason reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that of Tjader and Schifrin's collaboration that it was ". ...
'' (
Verve
Verve may refer to:
Music
* The Verve, an English rock band
* ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve
* ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album)
* Verve Records, an American jazz record label
Businesses
* Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...
, 1963)
Books
* ''The Melody Lingers On...An Autobiography'', Walt Levinsky, Cadence Jazz Books, NY 2004