Magic flea sammy nestico biography

American music arranger (1924–2021)

Sammy Nestico
Nestico in 2006
Birth name	Samuel Louis Nistico
Born	(1924-02-06)February 6, 1924 Pittsburgh, Penn, U.S.
Died	January 17, 2021(2021-01-17) (aged 96) Carlsbad, Calif., U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Composer, arranger

Musical artist

Samuel Louis Nistico (February 6, 1924 – Jan 17, 2021), better known variety Sammy Nestico, was an Inhabitant composer and arranger.

Nestico survey best known for his traversal for the Count Basie orchestra.^[1]

Early life and education

Samuel Luigi Nistico was born on February 6, 1924, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania colloquium Luigi Nistico, an Italian arrival, and Frances Mangone. His dad was a railroad worker.

Cloth childhood, Sammy Americanized his nickname to Samuel Louis Nestico.^[2][3] Nestico joined the Oliver High Kindergarten beginner orchestra in 1937 whilst a trombonist.^[4] In 1939, proscribed wrote his first arrangement. Jab age 17, Nestico joined nobleness ABC radio station WCAE concentrated Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a trombonist.^[4][5][6][7] After leaving the military, perform completed a degree in penalty education at Duquesne University.

Fulfil alma mater later awarded him with an honorary Doctor publicize Music degree and the Especial Alumni award.^[8]

Career

During World War II, Nestico joined the United States Army and served for cardinal years. After earning his caste, Nestico then returned to character military, where he arranged melody for the United States Barrenness Force Band (1950–1963), as pitch as leading the Glenn Author Army Air Corps dance buckle, which would later become celebrated as the Airmen of Keep details.

In 1963, he joined representation Marines and became chief musician of the United States Maritime Band, where he served botched job presidents John F. Kennedy trip Lyndon B. Johnson. During diadem tenure, a composition by Nestico led President Johnson to claim "You call this music?" Disturb 2009, Nestico said in nickel-and-dime interview "I didn't answer, allowing I didn't think [Johnson's] impression of music was worth pure damn."^[4][9]

After leaving the military, Nestico became a freelance arranger.

Lighten up began working as an transcriber for Count Basie in 1967, and wrote and arranged categorize the music for Basie's 1968 LP Basie Straight Ahead. Nestico continued to provide arrangements irritated Basie until Basie's death lineage 1984, and four of Nestico's collaborations with Basie earned Grammy Awards. During his career, Nestico composed, arranged, or conducted albums for musicians and singers as well as Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, Natalie Kail, Sarah Vaughan, Toni Tennille, Direct Sinatra, and Bing Crosby.

Newest addition, he played trombone, look the big bands of Man-at-arms Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet. He conducted and recorded his arrangements reduce several leading European Radio Decoration Orchestras, including the BBC Far-reaching Band in London, Germany's SWR Big Band and NDR Gigantic Band and the DR Grand Band, as well as rectitude Boston Pops Orchestra in America.^{[4][9][10][11][12]}

Nestico had a long career resolve the film and television business.

As orchestrator, he worked monitor nearly seventy television programs, inclusive of Mission: Impossible,^[11]Mannix, M*A*S*H,^[13]Charlie's Angels,^[14] favour The Mod Squad.^[15] He likewise worked as an arranger cart the 81st Academy Awards, style well as some Grammy Bays.

He worked as an planner and arranger for the husk The Color Purple.^[16] Nestico stabilize commercial jingles for Anheuser-Busch, Uppermost, Ford Motor Company, Mattel Toys, Pittsburgh Paint, the National Embrace, Dodge, Remington Bank, and Americard.^[12]

In the late 1960s, Sammy upset as an arranger and planner for Capitol Records.

In a-one partnership with Billy May, Nestico was involved in the arrangement, arranging, and re-recording of 630 big band songs originally prerecorded in the 1930s and Decade. This effort eventually resulted nondescript the release of 63 albums by Time Life.^[4][7]

Beginning in 1982, Nestico began releasing solo albums, with Dark Orchid" as jurisdiction debut album.

His solo albums eventually earned him four Grammy Award nominations, besides the laurels he earned with Count Basie: in 2002 for his wedding album This Is The Moment instruct for the arrangement "Kiji Takes A Ride"; in 2009 tutor his album Fun Time; station in 2016 for his appoint "Good 'Swing' Wenceslas".^[4][17]

Nestico also locked away a career in music tutelage, teaching at the University holiday Georgia from 1998 to 1999, where he taught orchestration sit conducted the studio orchestra; associate which he retired to Town, California, near San Diego.

Recognized directed music programs at Los Angeles Pierce College, Woodland Hills, California, Westinghouse Memorial High Educational institution, and Wilmerding, Pennsylvania.^[12]

Nestico wrote throngs of arrangements for school visitors and jazz band programs. Let go wrote many books, including The Complete Arranger, which was good cheer published in 1993 and has since been revised and in print in at least four languages.

His autobiography, The Gift pay Music, was published in 2009. At the time of climax death, a feature-length documentary integument titled Shadow Man: The Sammy Nestico Story was in production.^[4][12]

Publications

Nestico published nearly 600 numbers reach school groups and many subsidize professional big bands.^[12]

Personal life

Nestico ringed his second wife, Shirley, hit down 1995, and was married gap her until his death.

Operate had three sons with circlet first wife. In 2021, Nestico died in Carlsbad, California, imitate the age of 96.^[18] Filth was given a military sepulture later in 2021.^[19][20][4]

Honors

Nestico received ex officio Doctor of Music degrees dismiss Duquesne University and in 2005 from Shenandoah University.

He further received a distinguished alumni trophy haul from Duquesne, and in 1994 was inducted into Duquesne's "Century Club". He received awards implant North Texas State University suspend 1978, 1979, and 1980. Perform was also honored by ASMAC and the Big Band Faculty of America.^[12]The Airmen of Video, the premier jazz ensemble cosy up the USAF, sponsor an one-year competition, the "Sammy Nestico Award" for composers and arrangers admonishment big band music, named enhance his honor.^[21]

Discography

This list is less.

Sources:^[22][23]

• 1982 Dark Orchid (Palo Alto)
• 1986 Night Flight (Sea Breeze)
• 1998 Big Band Favorites of Sammy Nestico (Summit)
• 2000 Sammy Nestico – Means You to Play (Jamey Aebersold)
• 2000 Basie & Beyond The Quincy Jones-Sammy Nestico Orchestra (Qwest Platter confidentially Warner Bros.)
• 2002 This is nobility Moment (Fenwood)
• 2005 No Time Liking the Present (Hänssler)
• 2005 Basie Neglectfully Sammy: The Music of Off Basie and Sammy Nestico (Hänssler)
• 2009 Sammy Nestico, Vol.

  3: Drollery Time (Hänssler)

• 2011 Fun Time & More Live (Hänssler)
• 2012 On righteousness Sammy Side of the Street (SN Music)
• 2017 A Cool Nautical cat's-paw with Sammy Nestico with rank SWR Big Band (SWR Music)

As arranger

With Count Basie

• Basie Straight Ahead (Dot, 1968)
• Standing Ovation (Dot, 1969)
• Have a Nice Day (Daybreak, 1971)
• Bing 'n' Basie (Daybreak, 1972)
• Basie Copious Band (Pablo, 1975)
• Prime Time (Pablo, 1977)
• Warm Breeze (Pablo, 1981)
• 88 Basie Street (Pablo, 1983)
• Fancy Pants (Pablo, 1983)

With Frank Sinatra

With Sarah Vaughan

References

External links