William Mitchell Byers (May 1, 1927 – May 1, 1996) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
trombonist and arranger.
Early life
Byers was born in Los Angeles on May 1, 1927. He suffered from arthritis from a young age and was unable to continue his plans of a career as a pianist.
Career
Byers picked up trombone and played with Karl Kiffe before serving in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in 1944 and 1945. In the second half of the 1940s he arranged and played trombone for
Georgie Auld
Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.
Early years
Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Au ...
,
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.
Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...
Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Career
During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands o ...
, and Teddy Powell. Following this he composed for WMGM (AM) radio and television in New York City. In the middle of the 1950s he was in Paris arranging; he also led a session of his own, released as ''Jazz on the Left Bank'', at this time. Later in the 1950s in Europe he played with Harold Arlen (1959–1960) and with the orchestra of
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
. He became Jones's assistant at
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...
in the 1960s, and arranged for
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
albums. He also recorded some Duke Ellington standards on his own. He toured Europe and Japan alongside Frank Sinatra in 1974. Byers had extensive credits arranging and conducting for film, and won the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. This category was eliminated with the 2011†...
Malibu, California
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...
, on May 1, 1996. Material from his career is held by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Discography
As leader/co-leader
*''The Jazz Workshop'' (RCA Victor, 1955)
*''
New Sounds in Swing
''New Sounds in Swing'' (also released as ''Byers' Guide'') is an album by jazz trumpeter Joe Newman and trombonist Billy Byers recorded in 1956 for the mail order Jazztone label.
'' (
Jazztone
Concert Hall Society, Inc., was a New York City-based membership-subscription-oriented record production and distribution company founded in 1946 by Samuel Mulik Josefowitz (1921–2015) and David Josefowitz (1918–2015), brothers. The New York o ...
, 1956) with Joe Newman - also released as ''Byers' Guide''
*''Jazz on the Left Bank'' (Epic, 1956) with
Martial Solal
Martial Solal (born August 23, 1927) is a French jazz pianist and composer.
Biography
Solal was born in Algiers, French Algeria, to Algerian Jewish parents. He was persuaded to study clarinet, saxophone, and piano by his mother, who was an oper ...
*''Impressions of Duke Ellington'' (Mercury, 1961)
As sideman
With
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
*''
More Hits of the 50's and 60's
More or Mores may refer to:
Computing
* MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS
* more (command), a shell command
* MORE protocol, a routing protocol
* Missouri Research and Education Network
Music Albums
* ''More!'' (album), by Booka ...
'' (Verve, 1963) - as arranger and conductor
*''
Pop Goes the Basie
''Pop Goes the Basie'' is an album by pianist and bandleader Count Basie featuring jazz versions of contemporary hits recorded in 1964 and originally released on the Reprise label.Kitora, R.Count Basie Discography accessed November 15, 2015
Recep ...
'' (Reprise, 1965) - as arranger and conductor
*'' Basie Swingin' Voices Singin''' (ABC-Paramount, 1966) with the Alan Copeland Singers
With
Bob Brookmeyer
Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of G ...
*''
Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments
''Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments'' is an album by jazz trombonist and arranger Bob Brookmeyer recorded in 1961 for the Verve label. Brookmeyer said: "I consider it my pride and joy. I took many creative risks here, most based on the heels ...
'' (Verve, 1961)
With
Al Cohn
Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...
*''
Mr. Music
''Mr. Music'' is a 1950 film starring Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson, directed by Richard Haydn, and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the play '' Accent on Youth'' written by Samson Raphaelson. Filming took place from October to Dece ...
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
*''
The Birth of a Band!
''The Birth of a Band!'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances by Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, and Phil Woods.
Quincy Plays for Pussycats
''Quincy Plays for Pussycats'' is an album by Quincy Jones featuring sessions recorded between 1959 and 1965 which was released on the Mercury label.Matsubayashi, KMercury Records Collection: SR-61050: Quincy Plays For Pussycats / Quincy Jones/re ...
You and Lee
''You and Lee'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz which was released on the Verve label in 1959.Jack McDuff
*'' Prelude'' (Prestige, 1963)
With
Gary McFarland
Gary Robert McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. '' Down Beat magazine'' said he made "on ...
Hal McKusick
Hal McKusick (June 1, 1924 – April 11, 2012) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist who worked with Boyd Raeburn from 1944 to 1945 and Claude Thornhill from 1948 to 1949.
Career
McKusick was born in Medford, Massachus ...
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...
Bud Shank
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...
*''
Windmills of Your Mind
"The Windmills of Your Mind" is a song with music by French composer Michel Legrand and English lyrics written by Americans Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The French lyrics, under the title "", were written by Eddy Marnay.
The song (with the English ...
'' (Pacific Jazz, 1969)
With
Charlie Shavers
Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday ...
*Excitement Unlimited (Capitol, 1963)
With
Julius Watkins
Julius Watkins (October 10, 1921 – April 4, 1977) was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the ''Down Beat'' critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for M ...
*''
French Horns for My Lady
''French Horns for My Lady'' is an album by horn player Julius Watkins which was originally released on the Philips Records, Philips label in 1962.Smith, P. GJulius Watkins and the Evolution of the Jazz French Horn Genre accessed November 17, 201 ...
'' (Philips, 1962) - as arranger
With Andy Williams
*''
Under Paris Skies
''Under Paris Skies'' is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the fall of 1960 by Cadence Records. This, his final LP for the label, is a collection of songs that Joseph Laredo describes in the lin ...
'' (
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City whose labels had a picture of a metronome. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952. Cadence also lau ...
The Grand Wazoo
''The Grand Wazoo'' is the eighth studio album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, released in November 1972. It was written and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence after being assaulted in December 1971 in London, UK.
Overview
Along wi ...
'' (1972)
*''
Waka/Jawaka
''Waka/Jawaka'' (also known as ''Waka/Jawaka — Hot Rats'') is the fourth solo album by Frank Zappa, released in July 1972. The album is the jazz-influenced precursor to ''The Grand Wazoo'' (November 1972), and as the front cover indicates, a se ...