Alonzo Levister
Alonzo Levister (born November 1, 1925 in Greenwich , Connecticut , † December 6, 2016 in Alcobaça , Portugal ) was an American arranger , composer , music producer and jazz pianist .
Live and act
Levister grew up in New York City and studied at the Boston Conservatory (1946), in Paris and at the Juilliard School . He wrote ballet music during the early 1950s. In addition, he initially worked for several dance orchestras and was a companion at Katherine Dunhma's dance school. In 1955 he worked for Thad Jones and Charles Mingus in the Big Band -Titeln portrait and that of Don Senay sung songs Makin 'Whoopee , The Edge Of Love and Funny . His suite Manhattan Melodrama was released as an album on Debut Records in 1956 . In 1957 he provided the arrangements for the Prestige All Stars album Roots . In the same year John Coltrane recorded his composition Slow Dance with the Red Garland Trio . In 1958, his one-act opera "Blues in the Subway" was performed in New York. He has also written everyday music such as jingles and has worked as a music producer for Motown and Verve .
After several decades of activities in other areas (including writing a libretto on Cyrano de Bergerac ), Levister finally returned to music. He died on December 6, 2016.
Discography
- Alonzo Levister: Manhattan Melodrama (Debut, 1956) with Louis Mucci , John LaPorta , Teddy Charles
- Charles Mingus: The Complete Debut Recordings (Debut / Fantasy, 1951–57)
- The Prestige All Stars: Roots (Prestige, 1957) with Idrees Sulieman , Jimmy Cleveland , Cecil Payne , Tommy Flanagan , Doug Watkins , Louis Hayes
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide of Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
- Leonard Feather : The Encyclopedia of Jazz (Da Capo Paperback) 1984, p. 310
- Bielefeld catalog jazz 1988 & 2001
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Levister, Alonzo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American arranger, composer, music producer and also jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 1, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenwich , Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 2016 |
| Place of death | Alcobaça , Portugal |