Roberta Como

Roberta Como (born around 1922 in Derby (Vermont) ; † February 11, 2006 ) was an American musician ( piano , accordion , vibraphone ) and arranger in the field of jazz and classical music.

Live and act

Como was the youngest of seven children; She learned to play the piano by herself at an early age . She had her own radio show while she was in high school. At the age of 18, she went on tour as a jazz musician. She met her husband Frank at the Manhattan Serenaders . After numerous tours, the couple settled in New York City , where they continued their career as arranger and musician, including with Lionel Hampton , with whom she worked for twenty years. She has also worked for various singers and entertainers such as Neil Sedaka ; she also arranged for the Tonight Show band conducted by Skitch Henderson . Recordings were made with the Philadelphia Orchestra , the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler , as well as for several Broadway shows such as A Chorus Line , They're Playing Our Song and Leonard Bernstein's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue . In 1964 a joint album was created with jazz pianist Jeannie Cheatham , Academy Awards in Jazz . She received the ASCAP Award for her participation in the school program ABC's of Black History . In the field of jazz she was involved in two further recording sessions between 1980 and 1985. After retiring in 1988, Roberta Como moved with her husband Frank to Walnut Creek , California, where she continued to perform locally, including with Oz Ramsey's Bay Area Big Band . She died in February 2006 at the age of 84.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Obituary for Local 802
2. ↑ http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/sweet-baby-blues-band/
3. ↑ Tom Lord Jazz Discography