Mel Henke

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Melvin Erich Henke (born August 4, 1915 in Chicago , † April 1, 1979 in Canoga Park , California ) was an American pianist , composer and arranger in the field of West Coast jazz and easy listening .

Live and act

Henke's father was a classical pianist; The first piano solo and duo recordings were made in Chicago in 1939/40 for the Collector's Item label . As a pianist, he performed in local night clubs. In 1943, he replaced Frankie Carle in the big band of Horace Heidt ; he also worked with Bud Freeman . In 1946 he recorded four records for Victor Records , in 1947 under Mel Henke with Honeydreamers for the Vitacoustic label ( Honky Tonk Train / In a Mist ). Shortly thereafter he moved to Southern California a. a. worked u. a. with Bill Newman and Shelly Manne . Recordings were made in 1948/49 for Tempo in Los Angeles; Two LPs for Contemporary followed in 1954/55 . From 1955 he worked for Disneyland Television ; At the end of the 1950s he began to record albums for Warner Brothers with studio orchestras , musically from the 1960s in easy listening and space age styles, among which the LP La Dolce Henke stands out thanks to Henke's original arrangements.

Discographic notes

  • Dig (Contemporary, 1954)
  • Volume 2 - Now Spin This! (Contemporary, 1955)
  • Dynamic Adventures in Sound (Warner Bros. Records, 1962)
  • La Dolce Henke (Warner Bros. Records, 1962)
  • Love Touch (Dobre Records, 1977)
  • Sunset Strip-per (Cuca Records, 1977)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Vitacoustic Label ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hubcap.clemson.edu
  2. ^ Review of the album La Dolce Henke by Matthew Greenwald on Allmusic . Retrieved July 29, 2012.
personal data
SURNAME Henke, Mel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Henke, Melvin Erich (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American pianist, composer and arranger specializing in West Coast jazz and easy listening
DATE OF BIRTH 4th August 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH April 1, 1979
Place of death Canoga Park , California