Marty Paich

Marty Paich
Background information
Birth nameMartin Louis Paich
Born(1925-01-23)23 January 1925
Oakland, California, U.S.
Died12 August 1995(1995-08-12) (aged 70)
Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
GenresJazz, pop, rock
Occupation(s)Musician, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer
InstrumentPiano
Years active1950s–1990s
Websitemartypaich.com

Martin Louis Paich (January 23, 1925 – August 12, 1995)[1] was an American pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director, and conductor. As a musician and arranger he worked with jazz musicians Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kenton, Al Hirt, Art Pepper, Buddy Rich, Ray Brown, Shorty Rogers, Pete Rugolo, Ray Charles and Mel Tormé. His long association with Tormé included one of the singer's earliest albums, Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Dek-Tette. Over the next three decades he worked with pop singers such as Andy Williams and Jack Jones and for film and television. He is the father of David Paich, a founding member of the rock band Toto.

Career

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A native of Oakland, California, Paich learned accordion and piano at an early age.[2] In the 1930s, when he was ten years old, he was leading bands and performing at weddings.[2] At sixteen, he wrote arrangements with Pete Rugolo.[3] He served with the U.S. Air Corps in World War II.[2][4] He attended the University of Southern California and received a master's degree in composition from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music.[2][3] Among his teachers were Julia Bal de Zuniga,[5] Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco,[3][6] and Arnold Schoenberg.[2]

In the 1950s, in addition to working as music director for Peggy Lee, he wrote arrangements for Chet Baker, Ray Brown, Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne, Dave Pell, Buddy Rich, Shorty Rogers, Mahalia Jackson, and for the movie Lady and the Tramp.[3][7] He began recording with Mel Tormé in 1955 on the album It's a Blue World when Tormé was moving from pop singer to jazz singer.[8] During the next year, his ten piece band accompanied Tormé on the album Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Dek-Tette, which contained a version of the 1930s song "Lulu's Back in Town".[3][8] He wrote arrangements for Art Pepper for the album Art Pepper + Eleven – Modern Jazz Classics.[3]

In the 1960s, he spent less time as a musician and more as an arranger for pop singers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Barbra Streisand, Andy Williams,[3] Dinah Shore, and Jack Jones.[2]

He also scored films, such as Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964), The Man Called Flintstone (1966), The Swinger (1966) and Changes (1969).

In the 1970s, he worked as a composer and arranger in film and television, winning an Emmy award for the television drama Ironside.[3] He led the studio orchestras for television variety programs such as The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour[3] and replaced Nelson Riddle in The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.[9]

Marty orchestrated and conducted scores for the films The Fugitive, Pretty Woman, and Prince of Tides.[10]

Death

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Paich died of colon cancer at the age of 70 on August 12, 1995[3] at his home in Santa Ynez, California.[11]

Awards and honors

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  • Emmy, Best Song or Theme, Ironside, 1974[12]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Hot Piano (Tampa, 1956)
  • Marty Paich Quartet (Tampa, 1956)
  • Marty Paich Trio (Mode, 1957)
  • Jazz for Relaxation (Tampa, 1958)
  • The Picasso of Big Band Jazz (Cadence, 1958)
  • The Broadway Bit (Warner Bros., 1959)
  • I Get a Boot Out of You (Warner Bros., 1959)
  • Present Robert Merrill's Music from the Broadway Production Take Me Along (RCA Victor, 1960)
  • Lush, Latin & Cool (RCA Victor, 1961)
  • The Rock Jazz Incident (Reprise, 1966)
  • What's New (Discovery, 1982)
  • Paich-Ence (Fresh Sound, 2006)

As sideman

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With Dave Pell

  • A Pell of a Time (RCA Victor, 1957)
  • Swingin' in the Ol' Corral (RCA Victor, 1957)
  • The Big Small Bands (Capitol, 1960)
  • Way Better (Capitol, 1961)

With Johnny Rivers

  • Realization (Imperial, 1968)
  • Slim Slo Slider (Imperial, 1970)
  • Outside Help (Soul City/Big Tree, 1977)

With Mel Tormé

With others

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Steven Strunk, revised by Barry Kernfeld (20 January 2002). "Paich, Marty [Martin Louis ]". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J343200. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Marty Paich Website". www.martypaich.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Huey, Steve. "Marty Paich". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ Nelson, Nels (August 18, 1995). "Known better for his work". Philadelphia Daily News. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. p. 53. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Paich, Weston Team for 'Bells' Show". Santa Ynez Valley News. 1989-09-07. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-06-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Zachels, Les (January 16, 1983). "Paich exhibits extraordinary talent". The Gazette. Iowa, Cedar Rapids. p. 59. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "The Complete Vita Recordings of Dan Terry". June 11, 1952 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ a b Chilla, Mark (1 May 2015). "The Modern Touch of Marty Paich". News - Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  9. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  10. ^ Oliver, Myrna (August 17, 1995). "Marty Paich; Arranger, Composer, Producer". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 22. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Martin L. Paich, 70, Conductor-Arranger". The New York Times. 18 August 1995.
  12. ^ "("Paich" search results)". Emmy Awards. Television Academy. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
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