Don Sebesky | |
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| Background information | |
| 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. |
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| 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.
Sebesky trained in trombone at theManhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played withKai Winding,Claude Thornhill,Tommy Dorsey,Warren Covington,Maynard Ferguson andStan Kenton.[1] 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 Afternoon andFreddie Hubbard'sFirst Light. His song "Memphis Two-Step" was the title track of theHerbie Mann 1971album of the same name. His 1973 release,Giant Box, hit #16 on the U.S.Billboard Jazz Albums chart.[2]
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 Awards and won three Grammys in the 1990s:Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Waltz for Debby" (1998) and for "Chelsea Bridge" (1999), andBest Instrumental Composition for "Joyful Noise Suite" (1999).[3] Twice, he won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations, forParade (1999), andKiss Me, Kate (2000). Sebesky won aTony Award for Best Orchestrations for 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 Window on Nickelodeon,The Edge of Night on ABC, andGuiding Light on 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.[4][5]
WithStan Kenton
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