Johnny Mandel

Considered among the best living composers through the 1990’s, Johnny Mandel is among the few writers around who’s capable of composing standards that may be documented and performed by way of a wide selection of jazz musicians and singer. Mandel beginning composing agreements when he was 13 but he produced his living through the 1940’s being a trombonist and trumpeter, generally playing in parts of big rings. He found knowledge playing trumpet with Joe Venuti (1943) and Billie Rogers, switching to trombone for stints with Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Pal Full, Georgie Auld, Alvino Rey & most notably Woody Herman’s Second Herd (1948) where his “NOT NECESSARILY The Blues” was one of the pieces that inserted the reserve. He also caused Chubby Jackson, Elliot Lawrence and Count number Basie (1953), but by the first 1950’s Mandel’s composing skills had been in better demand than his trombone playing. He added agreements for Artie Shaw’s short-lived bop music group (1949) as well as for Basie (1952-56). Settling in LA in 1953, Mandel (who performed bass trumpet for a short period with Zoot Sims before finishing his energetic playing) since that time has made a full time income composing for movies including occasional ratings which are jazz-oriented, especially 1958’s I WISH TO Live and 1965’s The Sandpiper (which led to “The Shadow OF THE Smile”). Furthermore to his film work, Mandel provides written arrangements for the many performers including Frank Sinatra and Shirley Horn. Various other famous Mandel music consist of “Emily” (from “The Americanization Of Emily”), “Close A sufficient amount of For Like,” “Hershey Club” (documented by Stan Getz), “Suicide Is certainly Painless” (the “Theme from Mash”) and “A PERIOD For Like.”