Article on Johnny Mandel and Todd Barkan

[mjzee]

It's a rare musician who releases his first solo album at age 85. Late bloomer?

Not Johnny Mandel, who played trumpet and trombone in big bands, arranged music for Count Basie, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, composed jazz standards (plus television hits like the "M*A*S*H" theme) and in January was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

More here:

Dizzy's Hosts Two Heroes

[GA Russell]

In '97 or '98 my nephew attended a Diana Krall concert in Los Angeles. Johnny Mandel sat down next to him and introduced himself!

[Teasing the Korean]

Johnny Mandel's score for "I Want to Live" is my very favorite jazz score.

[marcello]

I talked to Todd last week and I know he's really psyched to get out of the rehab hospital and be a part of this.

Mandel is one of the great ones.

Edited March 29, 2011 by marcello

[Justin V]

Has anyone here heard the Mandel record yet?

[fasstrack]

Johnny Mandel is a hero. Though we've never met, here is a nice story:

I was a friend and onetime student of the great arranger Bill Finegan (of Sauter-Finegan and Glen Miller fame, as most of you know). In 2004 I felt Bill should have a lifetime achievement award, but was unsure how this could happen or who would listen to an unknown musician such as myself.

I lived in Riverdale, NY, at the time and one of my neighbors was the late, great Dr. Billy Taylor (who I also later was also privileged to interact with, but that's another story for another day). I had spoken to the good doctor before and knew he was warm and approachable, even to stragers. One day I went to a local eatery to see about a gig. There was a band playing, and Taylor was having dinner. He let me approach him and I mentioned Bill and my idea for the citation.

'Bill Finegan? He's still alive?

And he recounted how in the '50s on break from Birdland he would catch Sauter-Finegan and be blown away. He told me he would love to help and to write the Kennedy Center and please mention his name.

As wonderful as that gesture was, I thought more and decided to contact Bob Brookmeyer, who I also didn't know--except for one nice email exchange--mostly b/c Brookmeyer and Bill knew each other long and he had long declared Bill a hero. (Finegan told me that after his wife Rose died Brookmeyer called him every day ---without fail). Brookmeyer also thought it was a great idea and said immediately 'what can I do to help?'

The upshot was that Brookmeyer contacted Johnny Mandel, partly b/c he and Finegan were ASCAP members. Mandel went right to work making calls and ASCAP shortly sent Finegan a lifetime achievement plaque, and I got to initiate something my heros carried out. The funniest part was when Finegan (who later told me he didn't care about awards, but this one meant something) upon hearing my congratulations on the phone asked me in dead earnest:

'How did you know?'

When all is said and done---egos, competition and all the other BS aside---who could really say musicians aren't nice people?

[mjzee]

That's a beautiful story.

[fasstrack]

That's a beautiful story.

Happens every time there are beautiful people as characters....

[mr jazz]

Her's to Life-Shirley Horn is JM at his best, IMO.