Manny Albam
| Manny Albam | |
|---|---|
Manny Albam conducting
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| Background information | |
| Born |
June 24, 1922 Samana, Dominican Republic |
| Died | October 2, 2001 (aged 79) Croton-on-Hudson, New York, United States |
| Genres |
Big Band Bebop Latin jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, music producer, educator |
| Instruments |
Baritone Saxophone Clarinet |
| Associated acts | Buddy Rich, RCA, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman |
Manny Albam (June 24, 1922 in Samana, Dominican Republic – October 2, 2001 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, United States) was a jazz baritone saxophone player who eventually became a composer, arranger, producer, and educator. He was well known for his association with United Artists-Solid State Records.
The son of Lithuanian immigrants, who was born in the Dominican Republic when his mother went into labour en route to the United States, Albam grew up in New York City. He became interested in jazz on hearing Bix Beiderbecke and at sixteen dropped out of school to play for Dixieland trumpeter-leader Muggsy Spanier, but it was his membership in a group led by Georgie Auld that turned Albam's career around.
The Auld group included saxophonist Budd Johnson, then a primary arranger for the group, and Johnson mentored Albam as an arranger. By 1950, Albam had put down his baritone sax and began to concentrate strictly on arranging, writing, and leading. Within a few years, he became known for a bebop-oriented style that emphasised taut and witty writing with a flair for distinctive shadings(Flute-led reed sections became something of an Albam trademark). One of his most popular works from that era was an Afro-Latin composition he did for the Stan Kenton Innovations Orchestra entitled Samana, named after his birthplace in the Dominican Republic.
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