The last of the great arrangers who wrote regularly for Frank Sinatra, Billy May had several varied careers in and out of jazz. His first notable gig was as an arranger/trumpeter with Charlie Barnet (1938-1940), for whom he wrote the wah-wah-ing hit arrangement of Ray Noble's "Cherokee." Later, he worked in the same capacities for Glenn Miller... [+] Read More

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It would probably be stretching the definition considerably to put Fred Waring in the jazz category, though he was very popular utilizing some concepts from the improvisational school. Waring led a dance-based banjo band at 18; he attended Penn State, then formed Fred Waring's Collegians, who ultimately became the Pennsylvanians, although they... [+] Read More

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Nelson Riddle was quite possibly the greatest arranger in the history of American popular music. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, he was also a popular soundtrack composer, a conductor, a trombonist, and an occasional hitmaker in his own right. He worked with many of the major pop vocalists of his day, but it was his... [+] Read More

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One of the last big-band leaders to enjoy consistent commercial success, trumpeter Ralph Marterie had a number of hits for Mercury in the early and mid-'50s. While he could play swing when the occasion was suitable, Marterie was not, nor did he pretend to be, a jazzman. Artistic statements were not on the agenda -- he played a wide variety of... [+] Read More

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