Walt Levinsky

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Walter "Walt" Levinsky (* 18th April 1929 in Paterson (New Jersey) ; † 14. December 1999 in River Edge , New Jersey was an American musician ( woodwinds ), who particularly as a studio musician , big band leader and composer emerged is.

Live and act

Levinsky played as an alto saxophonist in the big bands of Tommy Dorsey , Les Elgart , Ralph Flanagan, and Benny Goodman in the late 1940s and early 1950s . Until 1995 he was active as a busy studio musician; as a clarinetist, saxophonist and flutist he participated in more than 5,000 recording sessions, including a. with Tony Bennett , Paul McCartney , Quincy Jones , Henry Mancini , Stan Getz , Art Farmer ( Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra ) Gerry Mulligan , George Russell , Barbra Streisand , Joe Williams , Don Lamond , Blood, Sweat & Tears and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra . As an arranger and orchestrator he worked for artists such as Frank Sinatra , Liza Minnelli , Richard Harris and Doc Severinsen ; he also worked in the 1960s as a musician and arranger on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show . In his later years he composed theme songs for numerous CBS television shows such as CBS Evening News with Dan Rather , CBS News Nightwatch . In the field of jazz, he led the 17-member Great American Swing Band since the late 1980s , with whom he performed in New York's Carnegie Hall , the Hollywood Bowl and also in Japan. He wrote the music for the 1978 television movie Breaking Up and for an episode of the science documentary Science Times . Together with Dick Hyman , he was responsible for the film music of several Woody Allen films such as Zelig , Broadway Danny Rose , The Purple Rose of Cairo , Radio Days , Crimes and Misdemeanors , Beloved Aphrodite and Everyone Says I Love You . Shortly before his death in late 1999 at the age of 70, Levinsky, who had been suffering from a tumor since 1995, performed with Peter Appleyard in Toronto.

The pianist Ken Levinsky is his son.

Discographic notes

  • Walt Levinsky and his Great American Swing Band. Kenzo Music, 1989, OCLC 41035960 .
  • Walt Levinsky in Concert: As He Wanted To Be Remembered. Arbors Records 2003, OCLC 872309409 .

Book publication

  • The Melody Lingers On ... An Autobiography. Cadence Jazz Books, Redwood 2004, ISBN 1-881993-42-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Requiem: Walt Levinsky. Obituary at Local 802
  2. ^ Jazz clarinetist Walt Levinsky. In: the jazzmonger. August 7, 2009, accessed April 4, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Walt Levinsky: 1919-1999. Retrieved April 4, 2017 .
  4. ^ Biography of John Pizzarelli
personal data
SURNAME Levinsky, Walt
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Levinsky, Walter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and studio musician
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Paterson, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH December 14, 1999
Place of death River Edge , New Jersey