Billy Byers

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William Mitchell "Billy" Byers (* 1. May 1927 in Los Angeles , California ; † 1. May 1996 in Malibu , California) was an American jazz - trombone player , arranger and composer of film music and musicals.

Live and act

Billy Byers suffered from arthritis from an early age and had to give up his plans to become a pianist; therefore he switched to the trombone and initially played with the Hollywood Canteen Kids and Karl Kiffle and as a freelance musician in the film studios. Before his military service in 1944/45 he studied another year at Harvard University . In the second half of the 1940s he worked as an arranger and trombonist for Georgie Auld , Buddy Rich , Benny Goodman , Charlie Ventura , Bob Cooper / June Christy and Teddy Powell .

Byers then moved to New York, where he composed, arranged and played music for the radio and television station WMGM (AM). In 1954 he was a member of Al Cohn's Charlie's Tavern Ensemble ; In 1955 he recorded for the first time under his own name for RCA-Victor ( The Jazz Workshop ). 1956 put together a studio big band with strings for recordings with their own arrangements with the saxophonist Coleman Hawkins ( The Hawk in Hi-Fi ). In the same year he went to Paris to arrange for Ray Ventura ; During this time he also had his own recording session and recorded with Martial Solal and Kenny Clarke ( Plays André Hodeir , 1956). In the late 1950s he also worked in Europe with Harold Arlen (1959/60) and with the Quincy Jones Orchestra ( Free and Easy ). In 1961 he advised the actor Paul Newman on his role as trombonist in the film Paris Blues .

Back in New York, he became Jones' assistant at Mercury Records in the 1960s, arranging for the Count Basie Orchestra . Under his own name he played a few Duke Ellington standards . He then returned to California and continued writing for Quincy Jones and Count Basie . In 1974 he went on a tour of Japan and Europe with Frank Sinatra ; he has also worked for Harry Sweets Edison , Ellington, Sammy Davis Jr. , Billy Eckstine , Peggy Lee and other artists.

Byers arranged and wrote countless television and film scores as well as for Broadway productions and nightclubs, so he worked with Quincy Jones on the music for the film The Pawnbroker . Together with Marvin Hamlisch he wrote the score for Der Clou and Cherie Bitter .

As a trombonist, Byers has appeared on albums by Charlie Barnet , Maynard Ferguson , Urbie Green , Johnny Hartman , Michel Legrand (Legrand Jazz) , Warne Marsh , Hal McKusick ( Triple Exposure , 1957), Thelonious Monk ( Monk's Blues , 1969), Oliver, among others Nelson , Joe Newman , Anita O'Day , Sonny Rollins ( Big Brass , 1957), Jimmy Smith , Cootie Williams and heard on the last studio session of Billie Holiday in 1959 .

Awards

As a composer and arranger, he was awarded the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for the music for the musical City of Angels . In total, Byers won eight Emmys  - including six with Ian Fraser  - and orchestrated three Tony- winning shows , A Chorus Line , City of Angels and Will Rogers' Follies .

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personal data
SURNAME Byers, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Byers, William Mitchell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz trombonist, arranger and composer
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles , California, United States
DATE OF DEATH May 1, 1996
Place of death Malibu , California, United States