Bernie Leighton

Bernie Leighton ( born January 30, 1921 in West Haven, Connecticut as Bernard Sidney Leighton, † 16 September 1994 in Coconut Creek, Florida ) was an American jazz pianist.

Life and work

Leighton's family moved in 1930 to New York; He began his musical career in the late 1930s in the band of Bud Freeman, which occurred at Kelly 's Stables. In the early 1940s he played with Raymond Scott, Leo Reisman, Raymond Scott ( 1940), Benny Goodman (1940 /41) and Enric Madriguera before he performed his military service in World War II. After his release in 1946 he studied at the Yale School of Music and was then primarily worked as a studio musician, including Dave Tough (1946 ), Billie Holiday / Gordon Jenkins ( "Crazy He Calls Me", 1949), Charlie Parker ( Charlie Parker with Strings, 1950), Neal Hefti (1951 ), again with Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw at (1953 ), James Moody (1963) and Bob Wilber (1969). Leighton was also involved in recordings of Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett / Ralph Burns, Roy Eldridge, Joe Williams / Jimmy Jones, Oscar Brown Jr., Carol Sloane and the Glenn Miller Orchestra ( Ghost Band).

In 1962 he was organist at Mark Murphy's album That's How I Love the Blues. In 1969 he accompanied Maxine Sullivan on their album Close as Pages in a Book; 1972/73 he went with Tony Bennett on tour. Throughout his career, he also presented a series of recordings under his own name, he published on Keynote (1946 ), Mercury (1950) and LPs with Columbia Records (1950), Brunswick (1951 ), Disneyland and Capitol in 1957, followed by an Ellington tribute album in 1974. His instrumental cover of Connie Francis hit " Do not Break The Heart That Loves You" on the label Colpix 1962 reached # 101 on the Billboard charts.

Leighton in 1985 made ​​a cameo appearance in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters.

Disco Graphical Notes

  • Johnny Guarnieri / Bernie Leighton: piano stylings ( Emarcy, 1945) with Hy White ( g), Trigger Alpert, Dave Tough
  • Piano Contrasts (Keynote, 1946)
  • East Side Rendezvous (Columbia, 1950)
  • Soft Lights, Sweet Music (Columbia )
  • Bernie Leighton / Sylvia Syms: In a Sentimental Mood ( Movietone, 1967)
  • Plays Duke Ellington (1974 ) with Howie Collins, Milt Hinton, Ronnie Bedford
September 16 Joe Williams (jazz singer) Jimmy Jones (Pianist) Mark Murphy (singer) Keynote Records Mercury Records Brunswick Records Walt Disney Records Capitol Records Scott Yanow Leonard Feather Richard Cook (journalist) Brian Morton (Scottish writer) Integrated Authority File
119365
de