Mel Powell

Mel Powell and wife Martha Scott (1947)

Mel Powell , actually Melvin Epstein, (born February 12, 1923 in the Bronx , New York City , † April 24, 1998 in Sherman Oaks , California ) was an American jazz pianist and classical composer.

Mel Powell & Orchestra - When did you leave heaven

Powell began playing jazz in New York as a teenager. From 1941 to 1942 he played, arranged and composed for Benny Goodman . From February 1942 he recorded three singles for the small record label Commodore Records , the first being When Did You Leave Heaven? / Blue Skies . 1943-45 he was in Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band , where he also made recordings with Django Reinhardt in Paris at the end of the war (Glenn Miller's All Stars Featuring Django Reinhardt). He returned to Goodman for a short time after the war, but then worked in Hollywood . In January 1946 he played on the side of Dizzy Gillespie , Charlie Parker and Lester Young at one of the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. In the 1948 film "A Star is Born" he played himself as Goodman's pianist. From 1948 to 1952 he studied classical composition with Paul Hindemith at Yale . At Yale he was a member of the composition department from 1958 to 1969, founded the "Yale Electronic Music Studio" and was co-founder and editor of the "Perspectives of New Music". In 1969 he was founding director of the "California Institute of the Arts" in Valencia (California) , where he was Dean until 1978 and then Professor of Composition. In 1990 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his concert for two pianos and orchestra "Duplicates" . In 1987 he played jazz again with Benny Carter , Howard Alden , Milt Hinton and Louie Bellson on the "SS Norway" (released on CD on Chiascuro Records).

In 1998 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

From 1946 until his death he was married to the actress Martha Scott .

Discographic notes

Bird and Pres - The '46 Concerts Jazz at the Philharmonic (Verve, 1946)
Classics in Swing / All Star Groups ( Commodore , 1942) with Lou McGarity , Benny Goodman
Borderline / Thigamagig ( Vanguard , 1954) with Ruby Braff , Paul Quinichette , Bobby Donaldson
Easy Swing (Vanguard, 1954) with Jimmy Buffington , Mundell Lowe

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Members: Mel Powell. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed April 20, 2019 .

personal data
SURNAME	Powell, Mel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Epstein, Melvin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American jazz pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	February 12, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bronx , New York City
DATE OF DEATH	April 24, 1998
Place of death	Sherman Oaks , California

[1] Members: Mel Powell. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed April 20, 2019 .