Role

:

Composer Conductor

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

October 29, 1922 in Hastings, NE

Death

:

October 11, 2008 in Toluca Lake, CA

Genre

:

Band

 

 

Film

 

Neal Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer who was born on October 29, 1922, in Hastings, Nebraska. He was the son of an architect and a homemaker, and his family moved to Omaha when he was a child. Hefti began playing the trumpet at the age of 11 and was largely self-taught. He played in local bands in Omaha and later in Kansas City, where he became a member of the Count Basie Orchestra in 1942. Hefti's time with the Count Basie Orchestra was a formative period in his career. He played trumpet and arranged music for the band, and his arrangements helped to define the "Basie sound" of the 1940s. Hefti's most famous arrangement for the band was "Li'l Darlin'," which he wrote in 1957. The song became a hit and is still a jazz standard today. In addition to his work with the Count Basie Orchestra, Hefti also worked as a freelance arranger and composer in the 1940s and 1950s. He wrote arrangements for artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry James, and he composed music for films and television shows. Hefti's film credits include the scores for "The Odd Couple" (1968) and "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), both of which were directed by Gene Saks and starred Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Hefti's television credits include the theme songs for "The Odd Couple" and "Batman" (1966-1968). The "Batman" theme song, with its driving rhythm and blaring horns, became one of Hefti's most famous compositions. The song was a hit and helped to define the sound of the 1960s Batman television series. Hefti continued to work as a composer and arranger throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote music for films such as "Harlow" (1965) and "Duel at Diablo" (1966), and he arranged music for artists such as Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee. He also continued to write music for television shows, including "The Odd Couple" and "Barefoot in the Park," both of which were adapted into television series. Hefti's later years were marked by health problems, and he retired from music in the 1990s. He died on October 11, 2008, at the age of 85. Hefti's music was characterized by its catchy melodies, driving rhythms, and inventive arrangements. His work with the Count Basie Orchestra helped to define the sound of big band jazz in the 1940s, and his compositions for film and television helped to define the sound of those media in the 1960s. Hefti's music continues to be popular today, and his compositions and arrangements are still performed by jazz musicians and orchestras around the world.

More....