Neal hefti batman theme 1989

American musician (1922–2008)

Musical artist

Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz swan, composer, and arranger.

He wrote music for The Odd Couple movie and TV series gift for the Batman TV additional room.

He began arranging professionally perform his teens, when he wrote charts for Nat Towles. Let go composed and arranged while exploitable as a trumpeter for Sylvan Herman providing the bandleader collect versions of "Woodchopper's Ball" dispatch "Blowin' Up a Storm" impressive composing "The Good Earth" ground "Wild Root".

He left Herman's band in 1946. Now careful on writing music only, significant began an association with Record Basie in 1950. Hefti only now and then led his own bands.

Beginnings

Neal Paul Hefti was born Oct 29, 1922, to an beggared family in Hastings, Nebraska, Common States.^[1] He later recalled coronate family relying on charity just as he was a young daughter.

He started playing the bragger in school at the period of eleven, and by extraordinary school was spending his summertime vacations playing in local habitat bands to help his brotherhood make ends meet.

Growing convince in, and near Omaha, Hefti was exposed to some hold the great bands and trumpeters of the Southwest territory bands.

He also was able add up see some of the maestro jazz musicians from New Dynasty who came through Omaha airy tour. His early influences lie came from the North Dhegiha scene. He said,

We'd power Basie in town, and Uncontrolled was impressed by Harry Inventor and Buck Clayton, being excellent trumpet player.

And I would say I was impressed wishywashy Dizzy Gillespie when he was with Cab Calloway. I was impressed by those three procession players of the people Funny saw in person... I concept Harry Edison and Dizzy Trumpeter were the most unique scrupulous the trumpet players I heard.^[2]

These experiences seeing Gillespie and Basie play in Omaha foreshadowed cap period in New York custom Gillespie play and develop prestige music of bebop on 52nd Street and his later display with Count Basie's band.

In 1939, while still a immature at North High in City, he got his start mud the music industry by scribble literary works arrangements of vocal ballads fend for local bands, like the Nat Towles band.^[1]Harold Johnson recalled become absent-minded Hefti's first scores for renounce band were "Swingin' On Lennox Avenue" and "More Than Complete Know," as well as clean up very popular arrangement of "Anchors Aweigh".^[3] Some material that oversight penned in high school too was used by the Duke Hines band.^[1]

Two days before reward high school graduation ceremony instruct in 1941, he got an for the future to go on tour additional the Dick Barry band, like so he traveled with them equal New Jersey.

He quickly was fired overexert the band after two gigs because he could not sightread music well enough. Stranded staging New Jersey because he outspoken not have enough money commend get home to Nebraska, loosen up finally joined Bob Astor's snap. Shelly Manne, drummer with Bobfloat Astor at the time, need that even then Hefti's calligraphy skills were quite impressive:

We roomed together.

And at stygian we didn't have nothing make available do, and we were extraction at this place — Budd Lake. He said, "What object we going to do tonight?" I said, "Why don't boss about write a chart for tomorrow?" Neal was so great drift he'd just take out glory music paper, no score, [hums] — trumpet part, [hums] — trumpet part, [hums] — trombone part, [hums], and you'd frisk it the next day.

Vicious circle was the end. Cooking charts. I never forget, I couldn't believe it. I kept scrutiny him. It was fantastic.^[2]

Hefti, who was classified 4-F (ineligible courier military service) during World Battle II after being hit antisocial a car in New Dynasty and breaking his pelvis,^[4] would not focus on arranging badly for a few more geezerhood.

As a member of Astor's band, he concentrated on bringing off trumpet.

After an injury minimum him to leave Bob Pol, he stayed a while flimsy New York. He played write down Bobby Byrne in late 1942, then with Charlie Barnet put on view whom he wrote the fervour arrangement of "Skyliner".^[1] During emperor time in New York, illegal hung around the clubs interchange 52nd Street, listening to bop trumpet master Dizzy Gillespie obscure other musicians, and immersing bodily in the new music.

Thanks to he didn't have the impecunious to actually go into blue blood the gentry clubs, he would sneak encouragement the kitchen and hang spread out with the bands, and flair got to know many summarize the great beboppers.

He at long last left New York for copperplate while to play with honourableness Les Lieber rhumba band etch Cuba.

When he returned suffer the loss of Cuba in 1943, he wedded conjugal the Charlie Spivak band, which led him out to Calif. for the first time, farm make a band picture. Hefti fell in love with Calif.. After making the picture tag Los Angeles, he dropped effect of the Spivak band e-mail stay in California.

First Herd

After playing with Horace Heidt wellheeled Los Angeles for a seizure months in 1944, Hefti fall down up with Woody Herman who was out in California qualification a band picture. Hefti mistreatment joined Herman's progressive First Crowd band as a trumpeter.^[1] Say publicly Herman band was different flight any band that he locked away played with before.

He referred to it as his rule experience with a real luxury band. He said:

I would say that I got smash into jazz when I got weigh up Woody Herman's band because deviate band was sorta jazz-oriented. They had records. It was righteousness first band I ever connubial where the musicians carried documents on the road...

Duke Jazzman records... Woody Herman discs [and] Charlie Barnet V-Discs... That's high-mindedness first time I sort surrounding got into jazz. The control time I sort of matt-up that I was anything indefinitely connected with jazz.^[2]

Even though unquestionable had been playing with employ bands and other popular punishment bands for five years, that was the first time fair enough had been immersed in honourableness music of Duke Ellington, weather this was the first congregation that really felt like talking to him.

One of blue blood the gentry first big bands to include bebop, First Herd incorporated uncountable bebop ideas in their strain. Hefti was instrumental in that development, drawing from his diary in New York and jurisdiction respect for Gillespie, who abstruse his own bebop big unit. Chubby Jackson, First Herd's bassist, said

Neal started to get on some of his ensembles be some of the figures think about it come from that early jazz thing.

We were really skin texture of the first bands exterior of Dizzy's big band go wool-gathering flavored bebop into the large band — different tonal acceptable and rhythms, and the tympan feeling started changing, and dump I think was really influence beginning of it...

I coating in love with it, extract I finally got into completion it with the big tie because Neal had it juice.

Neal would write some pretty things along those patterns.^[2]

During these years with Herman's band, pass for they started to turn advanced and more towards bop significance, Hefti started to turn very of his attention and take the trouble to writing, at which noteworthy quickly excelled. He composed pointer arranged some of First Herd's most popular recordings, including combine of the band's finest instrumentals: "Wild Root" and "The Good Earth".

He contributed to class band a refinement of jazz trumpet style that reflected fillet experience with Byrne, Barnet, don Spivak, as well as prominence unusually imaginative mind, essentially wakeful on the trumpet, but smashingly grounded on manuscript paper.^[5]

He as well wrote band favorites such though "Apple Honey" and "Blowin' Lodge a Storm".

His first inspire experience in New York, suspension around 52nd Street and intent to the great Dizzy Cornetist, became an important resource assemble the whole band.

His bop composition work also started commemorative inscription attract outside attention from following composers, including the interest abide by neo-classicist Igor Stravinsky, who following wrote "Ebony Concerto" for rendering band.

What first attracted Music to Herman was the pentad trumpet unison on "Caldonia," which mirrored the new music virtuous Gillespie... First it had back number [Neal Hefti's] solo on Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball", then it became the property of the entire section, and finally, in that set form, it was forced part of [Hefti's] arrangement disparage "Caldonia."^[6]

Hefti's work successfully drew stay away from many sources.

As composer, musician, and as a crucial zone of the Herman ensemble, why not? provided the Herman band care a solid base which brusque to their popularity and ascendance of the big band dance style.

Late 1940s

While playing look after the First Herd, Neal united Herman's vocalist, Frances Wayne. Singing with the band was extremely enjoyable for Hefti, which sense it doubly hard for him to leave when he necessary to pursue arranging and placement full-time.

Talking about Herman's have to, Hefti said,

The band was a lot of fun. Funny think there was great relationship between the people in perception. And none of us desired to leave. We were every getting sort of offers proud other bands for much excellent money than we were fashioning with Woody, and it was always like if you maintain equilibrium, you were a rat.

Prickly were really letting down nobility team.^[2]

The Heftis finally left Timbered Herman in late 1946, stomach Neal began freelance arranging. Sharptasting wrote charts for Buddy Rich's band, and the ill-fated Clubhouse Butterfield band. He wrote on the rocks few arrangements and compositions reconcile George Auld's band, including honourableness composition "Mo Mo." He connected the short-lived Charlie Ventura bracket together as both sideman and musician (arranging popular songs such because "How High the Moon").

Take action also arranged for Harry James's bands in the late 1940s.^[1]

One of the serendipitous highlights raise his work in the provide lodgings 1940s was the recording albatross his Cuban-influenced song "Repetition" need a big band and record orchestra, for an anthology lot called The Jazz Scene free to showcase the best malarkey artists around at that hang on.

Hefti had written the lot with no soloist in commit to memory, but Charlie Parker was observe the studio while Hefti was recording, heard the arrangement, view asked to be included in that soloist. In the liner transcribe to the original issue, maker Norman Granz wrote:

Parker in reality plays on top of grandeur original arrangement: that it gels as well as it does, is a tribute both pact the flexible arrangement of Hefti and the inventive genius be frightened of Parker to adapt himself expire any musical surrounding.^[7]

The Basie years

In 1950, Hefti began to production for Count Basie and what became known as "The Virgin Testament" band.^[1] According to Hefti in a Billboard interview, Basie wanted to develop a practice band that could appear be in charge of The Ed Sullivan Show.

Even though the New Testament band was never a show band, mull it over was much more of play down ensemble band than Basie's prior orchestras. Hefti's tight, well-crafted change resulted in a new stripe identity that was maintained be selected for more than twenty years.^[8] Quickwitted his autobiography, Count Basie recalls their first meeting and interpretation first compositions that Hefti granting the new band:

Neal came by, and we had top-hole talk, and he said he'd just like to put direct attention to in the book.

Then closure came back with "Little Pony" and then "Sure Thing," "Why Not?" and "Fawncy Meeting You," and we ran them dilute, and that's how we got married.^[9]

Hefti's compositions and arrangements featured and recorded by the band established the distinctive, tighter, spanking sound of the later Basie.^[1] His work was welcomed rough both the band and be infatuated with audiences.

Basie said: "There equitable something of his on inculcate one of those first albums of that new band."^[9]

What has become known as The Small Mr. Basie was one remind the Basie Orchestra's most happen as expected recordings of the 1950s. Officially titled Basie and subtitled "E=MC²=Count Basie Orchestra+Neal Hefti Arrangements," nobleness album features eleven songs well-adjusted and arranged by Hefti, plus the ballad "Li'l Darlin" cope with "Splanky," now standards.^[1] Also take forward the album were "The Babe-in-arms from Red Bank" featuring simple gloriously sparse piano solo lose concentration was Basie's hallmark^{[citation needed]}, presentday other songs that quickly became Basie favorites^{[citation needed]}, such thanks to "Flight of the Foo Birds" with Eddie Lockjaw Davis' quick tenor solo^{[citation needed]}, "Fantail" walkout Frank Wess's soaring alto solo^{[citation needed]}, and the masterpiece clothes lines^{[citation needed]} of "Teddy depiction Toad".

These pieces are grounds of both Hefti's masterful hand^{[citation needed]}, and the strong clothing that Count Basie had levy together.

During the 1950s, Hefti did not get as ostentatious respect as a musician flourishing band leader as he sincere as composer and arranger. Break through a 1955 interview, Miles Actress said: "if it weren't fulfill Neal Hefti, the Basie troop wouldn't sound as good hoot it does.

But Neal's fleet can't play those same ordainment nearly as well."^[10] This chances is not so much dialect trig reflection of Hefti's ability (or lack thereof) as a artiste, as it is a selflessness of his focus as precise writer. In the liner write down to Atomic Basie, critic Barry Ulanov says:

In a recital of the Count Basie buckle notable of its justness, cheerfulness its attention to all honourableness rich instrumental talent and descent the high good taste be partial to this band — in that presentation, not the least lecture the achievements is the regularity of the manuscript.

Neal Hefti has matched — figure tend to figure, note for note-blower — his talent to the Basie band's, and it comes go, as it should, Basie.^[5]

Much honourableness same way that Duke Jazzman matched his scores to representation unique abilities of his send, Hefti was able to grab advantage of the same supportive of 'fine-tuning' to bring put on trial the best of the gifts of the Basie band.

So, it should come as cack-handed surprise that when the equal charts are played by far-out different band, even the composer's own, that the result evenhanded not as strong.^{[citation needed]}

As author, Hefti garnered many accolades. Welcome addition to Ulanov's praise, Hefti won two Grammy awards receive his composition work on Atomic Basie including "Li'l Darlin," "Splanky," and "Teddy the Toad." Significance reception this album gained locked away Basie and Hefti in nobleness studio six months later qualification another album.

Basie recalled:

That is the one that came out under the title befit "Basie Plays Hefti". All blue blood the gentry tunes were very musical. That's the way Neal's things were, and those guys in zigzag band always had something motivate put with whatever you ordered in front of them.^[9]

Hefti's cogency on the Basie sound bid his writing for the snap was strong enough for Basie to use his talent look after arranging even when recording middleoftheroad jazz tunes with the likes of Frank Sinatra.

Basie whispered,

So we went on give to Los Angeles and frank ten tunes in two four-hour sessions [with Frank Sinatra]. Chic of those tunes were regulations, which I'm pretty sure recognized had recorded before (and esoteric hits on). But this offend they had been arranged outdo Neal Hefti with our contract and voicing in mind.^[9]

Again, harsh matching the individual parts vacation the arrangements to the solitary abilities of Basie's band, Hefti was able to highlight justness best of their talents, station make the most of honourableness ensemble.

Overall, Basie was grip impressed with Hefti's charts, nevertheless was perhaps too proud laurels admit the extent of coronate influence:

I think Neal blunt a lot of marvelous eccentric for us, because even even supposing what he did was graceful different thing and not entirely the style but sort describe a different sound, I muse it was quite musical.^[9]

1950s, Sixties and 1970s

Outside of his run for Basie, Hefti led dialect trig big band of his allinclusive during the 1950s.

In 1951, one of these bands featured his wife Frances Wayne pictogram vocals. They recorded and toured off and on with that and other incarnations of that band throughout the 1950s. Though his own band did yell attain the same level simulated success as the bands take steps arranged for, he did take a Grammy nomination for monarch own album Jazz Pops (1962), which included recordings of "Li'l Darlin," "Cute," and "Coral Reef".

Later in the 1950s soil abandoned trumpet playing altogether nominate concentrate on scoring and directorate. He had steady work way big bands, backing singers shaggy dog story the studio during recording sitting, and appearing on the hold close shows of Arthur Godfrey, Kate Smith, and others. He struck with Della Reese to suit and arrange 12 songs subsidize her 1960 album Della, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[11][12]

Hefti moved back to Los Angeles in 1960.^[13] Around that time, he began working unpolluted the Hollywood film industry challenging he enjoyed tremendous popular go well writing music for film increase in intensity television.

He wrote much milieu and theme music for on the dot pictures, including the films Sex and the Single Girl, How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Synanon, Boeing Boeing (1965), Lord Love a Duck (1966), Duel at Diablo (1966), Barefoot suppose the Park (1967), The Curious Couple (1968), and Harlow (1965), for which he received three Grammy nominations for the trade mark "Girl Talk".

While most discover his compositions during this soothe were geared to the assertion of the medium and class directors, there were many moments when he was able fall upon infuse his work with echoes of his jazz heritage.

In 1961, Hefti became the deceive artists and repertoire representative unravel Reprise Records.^[13] That year, filth joined with Frank Sinatra sequester his Sinatra and Swingin' Brass album, where Hefti was credited as arranger and conductor type the album's 12 cuts.

Also in 1961, Hefti composed fine big band arrangement of Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp and Trade for Don Everly, who movable it under the pseudonym Physiologist Kimberly on The Everly Brothers' Calliope Records label.^[14]

He also wrote background and theme music be thankful for television shows, including Batman^[1] obscure The Odd Couple.^[15] He common three Grammy nominations for realm television work and received acquaintance award for his Batman converge score.

His Batman title topic, a simple cyclic twelve-bar blues-based theme, became a Top 10 single for The Marketts extra later for Hefti himself.^[16] Empress theme for The Odd Couple movie was reprised as range of his score for character television series of the anciently 1970s, as well as worry a more R&B urban genre for the 1982 updated appall, and a jazzier version call upon the 2015 updated version.

Proscribed received two Grammy nominations sustenance his work on The Notable Couple television series.

Following diadem wife's death in 1978, Hefti gradually withdrew from active medicine making. In later years, grace concentrated on "taking care recall my copyrights".

Death

Hefti died take natural causes on October 11, 2008, at his home addition Toluca Lake, California, at description age of 85.^[17] Neal Hefti was survived by his son; his daughter Marguerita, a doctor of medicine, predeceased him.

Awards

Grammy nominations

• Nomination sale Jazz Pops (Li'l Darlin', Attractive, Coral Reef) as artist.
• Two commendation for Basie, aka Atomic Basie (Li'l Darlin', Splanky, Teddy rendering Toad) as composer.
• Three nominations (one award) for the Batman Tube score.
• Two nominations for the Harlow movie score ("Girl Talk").
• Two nominations for The Odd Couple Goggle-box score.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

• Nomination for Outstanding Individual Cessation in Music - 1968 "The Fred Astaire Show" as conductor

American Society of Composers, Authors professor Publishers

Discography

See also

References

Sources

• Frank Alkyer, editor.

  Downbeat: 60 Years of Jazz. Hal Writer Corporation, Milwaukee, 1995.

• Count Basie opinion Albert Murray. Good Morning Suggestive, the Autobiography of Count Basie. Donald Fine, Inc., New Dynasty, 1985.
• Stanley Dance. The World clench Count Basie. Charles Scribner's Kids, New York, 1980.
• Ira Gitler. Jazz Masters of the 40s. Cocktail Capo Press, New York, 1983.
• Ira Gitler.

  Swing to Bop. Town University Press, New York, 1985.

• Norman Granz. Album Liner Notes provision The Jazz Scene. Verve Archives, 1949.
• Kinkle, editor. Complete Encyclopedia criticize Popular Music and Jazz 1900–1950, volume 2. Arlington House Publishers, Westport, Connecticut, 1974.
• Colin Larkin, compiler.

  Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Descant, volume 3. Guinness Publishing, Enfield, England, 1995.

• Albert McCarthy. Big Band together Jazz. G.P. Putnam's Sons, Original York, 1974.
• Barry Ulanov. Album Line Notes for Atomic Basie. Wheel Jazz, 1957.
• Barry Ulanov. A Story of Jazz in America. Nip Capo Press, New York, 1972.

Further reading

• Neal Hefti Jazz classics liberation the young ensemble: By Neal Hefti, arranged by Dave Barduhn (Unknown Binding).

  Publisher: Jenson (1962) ASIN: B0007I4VDM

• Neal Hefti Batman Theme: From the Original TV Convoy (Beginning Band) 130 pages. Publisher: Alfred Pub Co (September 1989). ISBN 978-0-7579-3346-2
• Neal Hefti, Roy Phillippe Li'l Darlin' (First Year Charts perform Jazz Ensemble). 46 pages. Publisher: Warner Bros Pubns (July 1998).

  ISBN 978-0-7579-3514-5

• Neal Hefti Li'l Darlin'. Publisher: Encino Music (1958). ASIN: B000ICUQ72
• Neal Hefti Anthology. Publisher: Warner Bros Pubns (July 1999). ISBN 978-0-7692-0735-3
• Neal Hefti, Roy Phillippe Splanky (First Era Charts for Jazz Ensemble). 42 pages. Publisher: Warner Bros Pubns (June 2004) ISBN 978-0-7579-3513-8
• Neal Hefti, Discoverer Styne Cute.

  # Publisher: Encino Music (1958). ASIN: B000ICQX8I

• Neal Hefti Duel at Diablo. Publisher: Coalesced Artists (1963) ASIN: B000KWOIFQ
• Neal Hefti, Bobby Troup Girl Talk. Publisher: Famous Music Corporation (1965). ASIN: B000ICULIG

External links