Johnny Mandel

John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925 – June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn. He won five Grammy Awards, from 17 nominations; his first nomination was for his debut film score for the multi-nominated 1958 film I Want to Live!

Johnny Mandel
Birth nameJohn Alfred Mandel
Born(1925-11-23)November 23, 1925
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 29, 2020(2020-06-29) (aged 94)
Ojai, California, U.S.
GenresPop, film music, jazz, folk song
Occupation(s)Composer, arranger
Years active1938–2020

Early life

Mandel was born in the borough of Manhattan in New York City on November 23, 1925.[1][2] His father, Alfred, was a garment manufacturer who ran Mandel & Cash; his mother, Hannah (Hart-Rubin), had aimed to be an opera singer[1] and discovered her son had perfect pitch at the age of five.[3][4] His family was Jewish.[5] They moved to Los Angeles in 1934, after his father's business collapsed during the Great Depression.[1] Mandel was given piano lessons, but switched to the trumpet and later the trombone.[3]

Career

Mandel studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. In 1943, he played the trumpet with jazz violinist Joe Venuti. The following year, he worked with Billy Rogers and played trombone in the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Georgie Auld and Chubby Jackson. In 1949 he accompanied the singer June Christy in the orchestra of Bob Cooper. From 1951 until 1953 he played and arranged music in Elliot Lawrence's orchestra, and in 1953 with Count Basie.[6][7] He subsequently resided in Los Angeles, where he played the bass trumpet for Zoot Sims.[8]

A 1944 Band graduate of New York Military Academy, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York,[1] he wrote jazz compositions including "Not Really the Blues" for Woody Herman in 1949, "Hershey Bar" (1950) and "Pot Luck" (1953) for Stan Getz, "Straight Life" (1953) and "Low Life" (1956) for Count Basie, as well as "Tommyhawk" (1954) for Chet Baker.[9][10]

Mandel composed, conducted and arranged the music for numerous movie sound tracks. His earliest credited contribution was to I Want to Live! in 1958,[10] which was nominated for three Grammy Awards.[11] His other compositions include "Suicide Is Painless"[12] (theme song for the movie and TV series M*A*S*H), "Close Enough for Love", "Emily" and "A Time for Love" (nominated for an Academy Award). "Emily" was a favorite of pianist Bill Evans and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, both of whom included it in live performances until they died, and Evans included it in a duo recording with Tony Bennett. Mandel wrote numerous film scores, including the score of The Sandpiper. The love theme for that film, "The Shadow of Your Smile", which he co-wrote with Paul Francis Webster, won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1966.[11]

Mandel performed an interpretation of Erik Satie's "Gnossiennes #4 and #5" on the piano for the film Being There (1979).[10][13]

He won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) in 1981 for Quincy Jones's song Velas, and again in 1991 for Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", and one year later once more for Shirley Horn's album Here's to Life.[11]

In 2004, Mandel arranged Tony Bennett's album The Art of Romance. Bennett and Mandel had collaborated before on Bennett's The Movie Song Album (1966),[8] for which Mandel arranged and conducted his songs "Emily" and "The Shadow of Your Smile",[14] and was also the album's musical director.[8]

Johnny Mandel, A Man and His Music, featuring The DIVA Jazz Orchestra and vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway was recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in May 2010, and released by Arbors Records in March 2011.[15]

In 2012, he worked on one of Paul McCartney's most recent songs at the time, "My Valentine". He provided the song with a new and original arrangement. It appeared on McCartney's expanded version of his album Kisses on the Bottom in November of that year.

Personal life, death and honors

Mandel married Lois Lee in 1959,[16] and Martha Blanner in 1972,[17] and had a daughter, Marissa, born in 1976.[18] Mandel was also the cousin of fellow film composer, Miles Goodman.[19][20]

Mandel was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1993.[21][22] He was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010.[23] He was a recipient of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award.[24] He subsequently received The Grammy Trustees Award in 2018,[6] which is awarded by The Recording Academy to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording".[25]

Mandel died on June 29, 2020, at his home in Ojai, California.[26][27] He was 94, and suffered from a heart ailment.[9]

Selected works

Compositions

Arrangements

Filmography

Johnny Mandel composed and/or arranged music for the following motion pictures or television programs:

Discography

See also

References
  1. Grode, Eric (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. Strunk, Steven (2003), Mandel, Johnny [John Alfred], Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J286900
  3. Aswad, Jem. "ASCAP Henry Mancini Award Honoring Johnny Mandel". Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. "Johnny Mandel | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
  5. "Johnny Mandel" (PDF). Jazzday.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  6. Blistein, Jon (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, Composer of 'M*A*S*H' Theme and More, Dead at 94". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  7. Savage, Mark (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel: Michael Buble leads tributes to 'genius' Mash composer". BBC News. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. "Johnny Mandel – Bio". National Endowment for the Arts. November 23, 1925. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  9. Greiving, Tim (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, composer who gave 'M.A.S.H.' its theme song, dies at 94". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  10. Hischak, Thomas S. (April 16, 2015). The Encyclopedia of Film Composers. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 438–439. ISBN 9781442245501.
  11. "Johnny Mandel – Artist". The Recording Academy. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  12. "MASH | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  13. Kim, Wook (November 26, 2012). "Being There – After 'The End': 10 Memorable End-Credit Scenes". TIME. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  14. "Tony Bennett – The Movie Song Album". Discogs. 1966. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  15. DIVA: Sherrie Maricle. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  16. California, Marriage Index, 1949–1959, a subscription site. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  17. California, Marriage Index, 1960–1985, a subscription site. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  18. Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music. Vol. 28. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale. 2000. ISBN 978-0787632533.
  19. "Miles Goodman, 47, Composer for Films". The New York Times. August 20, 1996. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  20. Jablon, Robert (August 18, 1996). "Miles Goodman, Film Composer and Jazz Record Producer, Dies". Associated Press. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  21. "Honorary Degree Recipients". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  22. "Commencement 1993". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  23. Grode, Eric (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  24. National Endowment for the Arts (January 4, 2011). "National Endowment for the Arts Announces Live Webcast of 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony & Concert on January 11, 2011". Washington: National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  25. "Trustees Award". The Recording Academy. October 18, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  26. Grode, Eric (June 30, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  27. Burlingame, Jon (June 29, 2020). "Johnny Mandel, Composer Who Wrote 'MASH' Theme Song, Dies at 94". Variety. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  28. "The Manhattan Transfer – The Christmas Album". Discogs. 1992. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  29. "Peggy Lee – Close Enough For Love". Discogs. 1979. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  30. "Johnny Mandel – The Americanization Of Emily – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  31. "Dave Frishberg – Do You Miss New York? Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  32. "101 Strings – Love Is Blue / The Shadow Of Your Smile". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  33. "The Mash / Johnny Mandel – Suicide Is Painless". Discogs. 1980. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  34. "Abbey Lincoln Featuring Stan Getz – You Gotta Pay The Band". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  35. "Cal Tjader – The Shining Sea". Discogs. 1981. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  36. "Shirley Horn – Shirley Horn With Strings – Here's To Life". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  37. "Dave Frishberg – The Dave Frishberg Songbook Volume No. 2". Discogs. 1983. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  38. "Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny – Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories)". Discogs. 1997. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  39. "Hoagy Carmichael – Hoagy Sings Carmichael". Discogs. 1982. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  40. "Frank Sinatra – Ring-A-Ding Ding!". Discogs. 1961. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  41. "Mel Tormé – I Dig The Duke – I Dig The Count". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  42. "Peggy Lee – Mirrors". Discogs. 1975. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  43. "David Sanborn – Pearls". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  44. "Diana Krall – When I Look In Your Eyes". Discogs. 1999. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  45. "Shirley Horn – You're My Thrill". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  46. "The Inductees". Billboard. Vol. 122, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 19, 2010. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  47. "The 3rd Voice". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  48. Craggs, Stewart R. (May 3, 2019). Soundtracks: International Dictionary of Composers of Music for Film. Routledge. ISBN 9780429777431.
  49. "Mister Roberts (1965/6)". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  50. "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  51. "Journey Through Rosebud". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  52. "Too Close for Comfort – The Ted Knight Show". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  53. "Amazing Stories". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  54. "Count Basie, Count Basie Orchestra – Complete 1953–1954 Dance Sessions". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  55. "Bill Perkins Quintet Featuring Victor Feldman – Quietly There". Discogs. September 18, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  56. "David Allen* – A Sure Thing – David Allen Sings Jerome Kern". Discogs. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  57. Josephson, Sanford (March 30, 2013). "DIVA Jazz Orchestra Celebrates 20th Anniversary at MPAC". Patch. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  58. "Jazz Listings". The New York Times. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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