Billy Byers
William Mitchell "Billy" Byers ( born May 1, 1927 in Los Angeles, California, USA; † 1 May 1996 Malibu, California ) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger and composer of film music and musicals.
Life and work
Byers suffered from childhood from arthritis and had to abandon his plans to become a pianist; Therefore, he switched to trombone and first played at the Hollywood Canteen Kids and Karl Kiffle and as a freelance musician in the film studios. Prior to his military service 1944/45, he studied for a year at Harvard University. In the second half of the 1940s he worked as an arranger and trombonist for Georgie Auld, Buddy Rich, Benny Goodman, Charlie Ventura, Bob Cooper / June Christy and Teddy Powell.
Then moved to Byers to New York, where he music for radio and television station WMGM (AM) composed, arranged and played. In 1954 he was a member of Al Cohn's Charlie 's Tavern Ensemble; In 1955 he joined the first time under his own name for RCA Victor at ( The Jazz Workshop). In 1956, a studio big band with strings for recordings with their own arrangements with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins together ( The Hawk in Hi- Fi). In the same year he went to Paris to arrange there for Ray Ventura; During this time he also had a separate recording session and took with Martial Solal and Kenny Clarke ( Listens Hodeir André, 1956). In the late 1950s he worked in Europe with Harold Arlen (1959 /60) and with the Orchestra of Quincy Jones ( Free and Easy ). In 1961, he advised the actor Paul Newman in his role as a trombonist in the movie Paris Blues.
Back in New York, he was then in the 1960s, Jones ' assistant at the label Mercury Records and arranged for the Count Basie Orchestra. Under his own name he recorded some of Duke Ellington standards. He then returned to California and continued to write for Quincy Jones and Count Basie. In 1974 he went with Frank Sinatra on a European tour and Japan; He also worked for Harry Sweets Edison, Ellington, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstine, Peggy Lee and other artists.
Byers arranged and wrote countless television and film scores, and for Broadway productions and night clubs, so he worked with Quincy Jones on the music for the film The Pawnbroker with. Along with Marvin Hamlisch wrote the score for The Sting and Cherie Bitter.
As a trombonist Byers among other albums by Charlie Barnet, Maynard Ferguson, Urbie Green, Johnny Hartman, Michel Legrand ( Legrand Jazz ), Warne Marsh, Hal McKusick 's ( Triple Exposure, 1957), Thelonious Monk ( Monk 's Blues, 1968), Oliver Nelson, Joe Newman, Anita O'Day, Sonny Rollins ( Big Brass, 1957), Jimmy Smith, Cootie Williams and listen to 1959 at the last recording session of Billie Holiday.
Awards
As a composer and arranger, he was awarded the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for the music for the musical City of Angels. Overall, Byers won eight Emmys and orchestrated three shows that have been awarded the Tony, A Chorus Line, City of Angels, and Will Rogers' Follies:
Disco printing specifications
- The Jazz Workshop ( RCA, Fresh Sound Records, 1955) with Phil Woods, Nick Travis, Bernie Glow, Urbie Green, Al Cohn, Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson,