NEA Jazz Master Johnny Mandel

JOHNNY MANDEL_BEGINNINGS _#212

(2:00)

NOW, A JAZZ MOMENT…

MUSIC: Shadow of Your Smile (maybe something for Basie would be better)

NEA JAZZ MASTER JOHNNY MANDEL IS CONSIDERED ONE OF AMERICA’S FINEST COMPOSERS AND ARRANGERS IN JAZZ, POP, AND FILM MUSIC. HE LAUGHS TO THINK OF HOW LITTLE HE KNEW WHEN HE STARTED OUT…

Johnny Mandel: I guess somebody writes the music for the band to play and what sort of person is this? And I inquired around and I found out he was called an arranger, now… In 1940, nobody knew what an arranger was, really. People thought an arranger was somebody who moved [LAUGHING] chairs around or something.

MANDEL EVENTUALLY FOUND A TEACHER, NAMED VAN ALEXANDER.

Johnny Mandel: He goes over to the closet in his apartment, pulls out a big bunch of yellow paper and brings it over to me. I said, ‘what’s that?’ He said, ‘that’s a score’ and I said, ‘well, what’s...
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