Russell Garcia (composer)
Russell " Russ" Garcia ( born April 12, 1916 in Oakland, California, † November 20, 2011 in Kerikeri, New Zealand ) was an American- New Zealand composer, arranger and conductor in the fields of jazz, pop and film music.
Life and work
The self-taught musical breakthrough came when he had to step in during a radio show for a sick colleague. After Garcia was hired as a composer and arranger, among others, of the NBC studios. Among his better-known works include the melodies to the TV series Laredo and one thousand miles of dust. He also worked for MGM and Universal Studios. Garcia's most diverse and probably best-known today for film music sprang from the collaboration with George Pal on The Time Machine from the year 1960. Garcia worked in Hollywood for a variety of singers and musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Mel Tormé, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson. In the area of film Walt Disney, Orson Welles, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Henry Mancini and Charles Chaplin were among his clients; in the field of jazz, he was especially for Norman Granz and his label The Verve Music Group operates. In particular, he arranged for her music or conducted the orchestra.
Russell Garcia has in many movies in music in one way or another function ( arranger, composer or conductor ) involved, without having been officially named in the credits. So his involvement remained as an arranger for Charlie Chaplin's film spotlight from 1952 largely unknown. As the music in 1972 was awarded an Oscar in the category " Best Music ", the award went to Chaplin, Ray Rasch and Larry Russell, but not to Garcia, which has led to the present day to a not fully clarified controversy.
Since 1955, Garcia followers of the Baha'i religion. In 1966 he sold his belongings and moved away with his wife Gina of Hollywood, although he had there built a successful career. They bought a sailboat, which they crossed the Pacific Ocean. In 1969 she settled in New Zealand. From 2008, the couple lived in Garcia Tangitu Bay, a few kilometers from Kerikeri, where Russell Garcia was still working as a musician. As part of a world tour he performed in Ried in Austria on August 29, 2008. Charmed Life: ShayNee Rainbolt Sings Russell Garcia was one of his recent CD releases (2009) and contains new recordings of some of his older stuff. 2013 published Garcia's widow Gina his memoirs under the title I Have Hundreds of Stories, Some of Them True.
Honors
On Memorial Day weekend 2003 Garcia was with Buddy Childers guest of honor at the event Contemporary Concepts Presented - A 4 Day Jazz Festival Celebrating The West Coast Big Band Sound in Concert in Los Angeles.
On 27 May 2005, the Los Angeles Jazz Institute honored Garcia for his services to jazz music during the past 60 years.
Together with his wife Gina Garcia received in 2009, The Queen's Service Medal ( QSM ) in recognition of her services to music in New Zealand.
Music Albums (selection)
Film Music (Selection)
Writings
- Professional Arranger Composer. 2 vols. Criterion Music Corporation. New York, 1954 ( English)