Don Sebesky

Don Sebesky
Birth name	Donald John Sebesky
Born	(1937-12-10)December 10, 1937 Perth Amboy, New Jersey,U.S.
Died	April 29, 2023(2023-04-29)(aged 85) Maplewood, New Jersey,U.S.
Genres	Jazz big band
Occupation(s)	Musician arranger composer conductor
Instrument(s)	Trombone keyboards electric piano organ accordion clavinet
Years active	1956–2023

Donald John Sebesky(December 10, 1937 – April 29, 2023) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, andjazztrombonist.He was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of other instruments: keyboards,electric piano,organ,accordion, and clavinet.

Biography

Sebesky trained in trombone at theManhattan School of Music;in his early career, he played withKai Winding,Claude Thornhill,Tommy Dorsey,Warren Covington,Maynard FergusonandStan Kenton.In 1960 he began devoting himself primarily to arranging and conducting; one of his best-known arrangements was forWes Montgomery's 1965 albumBumpin'.Other credits includeGeorge Benson'sThe Shape of Things to Come,Paul Desmond'sFrom the Hot AfternoonandFreddie Hubbard'sFirst Light.His song "Memphis Two-Step" was the title track of theHerbie Mann1971album of the same name.His 1973 release,Giant Box,hit #16 on the U.S.BillboardJazz Albums chart.

Sebesky worked with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, and the Toronto Symphony.

Sebesky was nominated for thirty-oneGrammy Awardsand won three Grammys in the 1990s:Best Instrumental Arrangementfor "Waltz for Debby"(1998) and for"Chelsea Bridge"(1999), andBest Instrumental Compositionfor "Joyful Noise Suite" (1999).Twice, he won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations,forParade(1999), andKiss Me, Kate(2000). Sebesky won aTony Award for Best Orchestrationsfor the revival ofKiss Me, Kate(2000).

In 1975, Sebesky wroteThe Contemporary Arranger,which was published with three accompanyingLP phonograph records.

His Broadway theater credits includedPorgy and Bess(London production byTrevor Nunn), Sinatra at the Palladium,Sweet Charity,Kiss Me, Kate,Bells Are Ringing,Flower Drum Song,Parade,The Life,Cyrano,The Goodbye Girl,The Will Rogers Follies,Sinatra at Radio City,Pal Joey,Come Fly Away,Baby It's You!,andHoneymoon In Vegas.

Sebesky's work for television garnered three Emmy nominations, forAllegra's Windowon Nickelodeon,The Edge of Nighton ABC, andGuiding Lighton CBS. He also composed film scores that includeThe People Next Door(1970),F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles'(1974), andThe Rosary Murders(1987).

Sebesky arranged for hundreds of artists, includingBarbra Streisand,Tony Bennett,Christina Aguilera,Britney Spears,John Pizzarelli,Michael Buble,Liza Minnelli,Seal,andPrince.

Don Sebesky married Janina Serden in 1986, and had two daughters with her; Olivia and Elizabeth. He had two sons from a previous marriage, Ken and Kevin, and two daughters, Ali and Cymbaline.

Sebesky died inMaplewood, New Jersey,on April 29, 2023, at the age of 85.

Discography

As leader

• Don Sebesky and the Jazz-Rock Syndrome(1968)
• Distant Galaxy(1968)
• Giant Box(CTI,1973)
• The Rape of El Morro(CTI, 1975)
• Three Works for Jazz Soloists and Symphony Orchestra(1979, 2LP, Gryphon Records)
• Sebesky Fantasy(1980)
• Moving Lines(1984)
• Full Cycle(1984)
• Symphonic Sondheim(1991)
• Our Love Is Here to Stay(Telarc,1997),John Pizzarelliw/Don Sebesky combo
• I Remember Bill: A Tribute to Bill Evans(1998)
• Joyful Noise: A Tribute to Duke Ellington(1999)
• Kiroron I-Kiroro Melodies(2000)

As sideman

WithStan Kenton

• Viva Kenton!(Capitol,1959)
• Standards in Silhouette(Capitol,1959)
• Road Show(Capitol, 1959) withJune ChristyandThe Four Freshmen

As arranger

WithChet Baker

• She Was Too Good to Me(CTI, 1974)
• You Can't Go Home Again(Horizon, 1977)
• The Best Thing for You(A&M, 1977 [1989])
• Studio Trieste(CTI, 1982) withJim HallandHubert Laws

WithGeorge Benson

• Shape of Things to Come(A&M, 1969)
• White Rabbit(CTI, 1972)
• Bad Benson(CTI, 1974)
• The Other Side of Abbey Road(A&M Records, 1970)

WithKenny Burrell

• Blues – The Common Ground(Verve, 1968)
• Night Song(Verve, 1969)
• God Bless the Child(CTI, 1971)

WithHank Crawford

• Help Me Make it Through the Night(Kudu, 1972)
• We Got a Good Thing Going(Kudu, 1972)

WithPaul Desmond

• Summertime(A&M/CTI, 1968)
• From the Hot Afternoon(A&M/CTI, 1969)
• Bridge Over Troubled Water(A&M/CTI, 1970)
• Skylark(CTI, 1973)
• Pure Desmond(CTI, 1975)

WithMaynard Ferguson

• A Message from Newport(Roulette, 1958) – also composer and performer
• Swingin' My Way Through College(Roulette, 1959) – also performer
• Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz for Dancing(Roulette, 1959) – also performer
• Let's Face the Music and Dance(Roulette, 1960)
• Double Exposure(Atlantic, 1961) withChris Connor
• "Straightaway" Jazz Themes(Roulette, 1961)
• Maynard '62(Roulette, 1962)
• Maynard '64(Roulette 1959-62 [1963]) – also performer [1 track]
• The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson(Cameo, 1963)
• Come Blow Your Horn(Cameo, 1963)
• The Blues Roar(Mainstream, 1965)

WithAstrud Gilberto

• The Shadow of Your Smile(Verve, 1965)
• Beach Samba(Verve, 1967)
• Windy(Verve, 1968)

WithFreddie Hubbard

• First Light(CTI, 1971)
• Sky Dive(CTI, 1972)

WithJackie and Roy

• Time & Love(CTI, 1972)
• A Wilder Alias(CTI, 1973)

WithHubert Laws

• Afro-Classic(CTI, 1970)
• The Rite of Spring(CTI, 1971)
• Morning Star(CTI, 1972)
• Carnegie Hall(CTI, 1973)

WithWes Montgomery

• Bumpin'(Verve/Polygram, 1965)
• California Dreaming(Verve, 1966)
• A Day in the Life(A&M, 1967)
• Down Here on the Ground(A&M, 1968)
• Road Song(A&M, 1968)

With others

• Joe Beck,Beck(Kudu, 1975)
• Willie Bobo,A New Dimension(Verve, 1968)
• Ron Carter,Pastels(Milestone, 1976)
• Dizzy Gillespie,Cornucopia(Solid State, 1969)
• Jim Hall,Commitment(A&M/Horizon, 1976)
• Milt Jackson,Sunflower(CTI, 1972)
• J. J. JohnsonandKai Winding,Israel(A&M/CTI, 1968)
• Airto Moreira,Free(CTI, 1972)
• Cal Tjader,The Prophet(Verve, 1968)
• Stanley Turrentine,If I Could(MusicMasters, 1993)
• Walter Wanderley,When It Was Done(A&M/CTI, 1968)
• Randy Weston,Blue Moses(CTI, 1972)
• Kai Winding,The In Instrumentals(Verve, 1965)

See also

• List of music arrangers

External links

• Don Sebeskyat theInternet Broadway Database
• Don SebeskyatIMDb
• Don Sebeskyat theInternet Off Broadway Database
• Don Sebeskydiscography atDiscogs
• Don Sebesky Music