Don Menza (born April 22, 1936) is 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist.

Career

Menza was born in Buffalo, where he attended Grover Cleveland High School. After serving in the U.S. Army, he was part of the

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

Orchestra from 1960 to 1962 and then briefly worked for

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

. From 1964 to 1968 he lived in Germany. Back in the U.S., he became a member of the

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, ...

band in 1968 and recorded a well-known solo with that band on "Channel One Suite". In the 1970s he was a member of ''The Tonight Show'' Band. He later lived in California and played with

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

and

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

. In 2005, Menza was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. Menza wrote two of the charts played by the Buddy Rich Band: "Time Check" and "Groovin' Hard".

Personal life

His son

Nick Menza Nicholas Menza (July 23, 1964 – May 21, 2016) was an American musician who was the drummer of the thrash metal band Megadeth from 1989 to 1998. He recorded drums on four of Megadeth's albums: '' Rust in Peace'' (1990), '' Countdown to Extinc ...

(1964–2016) was the drummer for the heavy metal band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Morning Song'' (SABA, 1966) * ''First Flight'' (Catalyst, 1977) * ''Horn of Plenty'' (Discwasher, 1979) * ''Burnin'' (M&K, 1981) * ''Hip Pocket'' (Palo Alto, 1982) * ''Ballads'' with Frank Strazzeri (Fresh Sound, 1987) * ''Live at Claudios'' with Pete Magadini (Sackville, 1991) * ''Bilein'' with

Joe Haider Joe Haider (born January 3, 1936, in Darmstadt) is a German pianist and jazz educator. Life and works Haider performed as an amateur musician in the region Stuttgart between 1954 and 1959 and studied at Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich fr ...

(JHM, 1998) * ''Dream Suite'' (Corsaro, 2002) * ''Jack Rabbitt'' with John Bacon, Bobby Jones (Cadence, 2004) * ''Menza Lines'' (Jazzed Media, 2005) * ''Voyage'' with SWR Big Band (Hanssler/SWR, 2006) * ''Very Live at Groovy'' (Artie Music, 2008) * ''Forget the Woman'' (Pro Jazz, 2011)

As sideman

With

* ''Louie Rides Again!'' (Percussion Power 1974) * ''The Louis Bellson Explosion'' (Pablo, 1975) * ''Sunshine Rock'' (Pablo, 1978) * ''Note Smoking'' (Discwasher, 1978) * ''Matterhorn'' (Pablo, 1979) * ''Dynamite!'' (Concord Jazz, 1980) * ''Side Track'' (Concord Jazz, 1981) * ''Louis Bellson and Explosion'' (Pausa, 1984) * ''Live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase'' (Concord Jazz, 1988) * ''Hot'' (Musicmasters, 1988) * ''East Side Suite'' (Musicmasters, 1989) * ''Airmail Special'' (Musicmasters, 1990) * ''Jazz Giants'' (Musicmasters, 1990) With Les DeMerle * ''Concerts by the Sea'' (Bar T, 1978) * ''Transcendental Watusi!'' (United National, 1979) * ''On Fire'' (Palo Alto, 1983) With

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

* ''Tap Root Manuscript'' (UNI, 1970) * ''Beautiful Noise'' (Columbia, 1976) * ''In My Lifetime'' (Columbia, 1996) With

* ''Straightaway Jazz Themes'' (Roulette, 1961) * ''Si! Si! M.F.'' (Roulette, 1962) * ''Maynard '62'' (Roulette, 1962) * ''A Message from Maynard'' (Roulette, 1963) * ''The World of Maynard Ferguson'' (Roulette, 1964) With others *

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

, ''Big Man: The Legend of John Henry'' (Fantasy, 1975) * Karen Alexander, ''Isn't It Always Love'' (Asylum, 1975) *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

, ''The Music Man'' (United Artists, 1977) *

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Conserva ...

, ''The Balkan in My Soul'' (SABA, 1968) *

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guita ...

, ''Hello Rev'' (Concord Jazz, 1976) *

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

, ''In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy'' (Hip-O 1997) *

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

, ''Heritage'' (AudioSource, 1980) *

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

, ''Bad for Me'' (Elektra, 1979) *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

, ''Rhinestone Cowboy'' (Capitol, 1975) *

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has ...

, ''Friends'' (Warner Bros., 1983) *

Pete Christlieb Peter Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American musician, playing tenor saxophone in the styles of jazz bebop, West Coast jazz, hard bop and pop music. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the ...

, ''For Heaven's Sake'' (CARS 1999) *

Eugen Cicero Eugen Cicero (born Eugen Ciceu; 27 June 1940 – 5 December 1997), nicknamed "Mister Golden Hands", was a Romanian-Germany, German jazz pianist who performed in the mixed classical-Swing (jazz performance style), swing style. Biography Born in V ...

, ''Eugen Cicero Quintett'' (Metronome, 1968) *

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fus ...

, ''Let Me Know You'' (Epic 1982) *

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, ''Death of a Ladies' Man'' (Columbia, 1977) *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

, ''Unforgettable with Love'' (Elektra, 1991) *

Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre ...

, ''Wings'' (A&M, 1971) *

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and th ...

, ''Rita Coolidge'' (A&M, 1971) *

Mike Deasy Michael William Deasy (born February 4, 1941) is an American rock and jazz guitarist. As a session musician, he played on numerous hit singles and albums recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He is sometimes credited as Mike De ...

, ''Letters to My Head'' (Capitol, 1973) *

Dion DiMucci Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known Mononym, mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter. His music incorporates elements of doo-wop, Pop music, pop, Rock music, rock, Rhythm and blues, R&B, folk music, folk an ...

, ''Born to Be with You'' (Collectables, 2010) *

Ned Doheny Patrick Anson "Ned" Doheny (born March 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Malibu, California, who has recorded eight albums and performed with other artists including Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles, JD So ...

, ''Ned Doheny'' (Asylum, 1973) * Ned Doheny, ''Hard Candy'' (Columbia, 1976) *

João Donato João Donato de Oliveira Neto (; 17 August 1934 – 17 July 2023) was a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist as well as a trombonist from Rio Branco. He first worked with Altamiro Carrilho and went on to perform with Antonio Carlos Jobim an ...

, ''A Bad Donato'' (Blue Thumb, 1970) *

Andrew Gold Andrew Maurice Gold (August 2, 1951 – June 3, 2011) was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who influenced much of the Los Angeles-dominated pop rock, pop/soft rock sound in the 1970s. Gold performed on s ...

, ''What's Wrong with This Picture?'' (Asylum, 1976) *

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

, ''Havana'' (GRP, 1990) *

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

, ''Born in Mississippi, Raised Up in Tennessee'' (ABC, 1973) *

Gloria Jones Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song "Tainted Love" and has wo ...

, ''Share My Love'' (Motown, 1973) *

Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...

, ''Love Broke Thru'' (New Song, 1976) *

John Klemmer John T. Klemmer (born July 3, 1946) is an American saxophonist, composer, songwriter, and arranger. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and began playing guitar at the age of five and alto saxophone at the age of 11. His other earl ...

, ''Constant Throb'' (Impulse!, 1972) *

, ''Adventures in Time: A Concerto for Orchestra'' (Capitol, 1962) *

Claudia Lennear Claudia Lennear (born Claudia Joy Offley; 1946) is an American soul singer and educator. Lennear began her performing with the Superbs before becoming an Ikette in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. She was also a background vocalist for various act ...

, ''Phew!'' (Warner Bros., 1973) *

Gloria Lynne Gloria Lynne (born Gloria Wilson; November 23, 1929 – October 15, 2013), also known as Gloria Alleyne, was an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Early life Lynne was born in Harlem in 1929 to John and Ma ...

, ''A Very Gentle Sound'' (Mercury, 1972) *

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

, ''Hangin' Out'' (RCA Victor, 1974) *

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

, ''Mainhattan Modern Lost Jazz Files'' (Sonorama, 2015) *

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

, ''Pastiche'' (Atlantic, 1978) *

Sergio Mendes Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * Sergio, the mascot for the Old Orchard Beach Surge Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungar ...

, ''Homecooking'' (Elektra, 1976) * Sergio Mendes, ''Brasil '88'' (Elektra, 1978) *

Shawn Phillips Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has reco ...

, ''Do You Wonder'' (A&M, 1975) *

Walter Murphy Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which topp ...

, ''Discosymphony'' (New York, 1979) * Walter Murphy, ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (Private Stock 1977) *

Michael Omartian Michael S. Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. H ...

, ''White Horse'' (ABC/Dunhill, 1974) * Michael Omartian, ''Adam Again'' (Myrrh, 1977) *

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and was part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early ...

, ''Barry Mann'' (Casablanca, 1980) * Gayle McCormick, ''Flesh & Blood'' (Decca, 1972) *

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 interpretati ...

, ''Can't Hide Love'' (Blue Note, 1976) *

Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". He was later a singer and songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in Oklahoma City; ...

, ''Seeds'' (Myrrh, 1973) * Gil Melle, ''The Sentinel'' (La-La Land, 2019) *

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

, ''Broken Blossom'' (Atlantic, 1977) *

Hugo Montenegro Hugo Mario Montenegro (September 2, 1925 – February 6, 1981) was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best-known work is interpretations of the music from Spaghetti Westerns, especially his cover version of Ennio M ...

, ''Others by Brothers'' (RCA Victor, 1975) * Hugo Montenegro, ''Rocket Man'' (RCA 1975) *

Alphonse Mouzon Alphonse Lee Mouzon (November 21, 1948 – December 25, 2016) was an American musician and vocalist, most prominently known as a jazz fusion drummer. He was also a composer, arranger, producer, and actor. Mouzon gained popularity in the late 196 ...

, ''Angel Face'' (Tenacious, 2011) *

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song " Midnight at the Oasis" and h ...

, ''Southern Winds'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * Tom Pacheco, ''Swallowed Up in the Great American Heartland'' (RCA Victor, 1976) *

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

, ''The Great Pretender'' (RCA Victor, 1984) *

Basil Poledouris Basil Konstantine Poledouris (; August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores, best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoe ...

, ''Amerika'' (Prometheus, 2004) *

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

, ''Special Delivery'' (Concord Jazz, 1996) *

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

, ''Comin' Thru'' (Capitol, 1972) *

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

, ''Love All Your Blues Away'' (Epic, 1986) *

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...

, ''Music, Music'' (Capitol, 1976) *

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer, who has won five Grammy Awards for her albums. Early life and education Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mothe ...

, ''The Palo Alto Sessions 1981–1985'' (Blue Note, 1996) *

, ''Mercy, Mercy'' (World Pacific, 1968) *

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the L ...

, ''The Sons of Mrs. Righteous'' (Haven/Capitol, 1975) *

Dick Rosmini Richard John Rosmini (October 4, 1936 – September 9, 1995) was an American guitarist at one time considered the best 12-string guitarist in the world. He was best known for accompanying singers and for his role in the American folk revival of th ...

, ''A Genuine Rosmini'' (Imperial, 1969) * Ronnie Ross, ''Unforgettable Ronnie Ross'' (INMUS, 2000) *

Pete Rugolo Pietro Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011), known professionally as Pete Rugolo, was an American jazz composer, arranger, and record producer. Life and career Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the ...

, ''This World, Then the Fireworks'' (Varese Sarabande, 1997) *

Moacir Santos Moacir Santos (26 July 1926 – 6 August 2006) was a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Musicians such as Baden Powell, Bola Sete and Wilson das Neves studied under him. As a composer, Santos worked with Nara Leão, ...

, ''Maestro'' (Blue Note, 1972) * Moacir Santos, ''Carnival of the Spirits'' (Blue Note, 1975) *

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

, ''Down Two Then Left'' (Columbia, 1977) *

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country musi ...

, ''In Tribute'' (GRP, 1992) *

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

, ''Gypsies'' (Tabu, 1978) *

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

, ''Laughter in the Rain'' (Polydor, 1974) * Neil Sedaka, ''Sedaka's Back'' (Rocket, 1974) *

Seals & Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

, ''Takin' It Easy'' (Warner Bros., 1978) *

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928The reference work ''The Encyclopedia of Native Music: More Than a Century of Recordings from Wax Cylinder to the Internet'' gives Smith's date of birth as March 9, 1932. – December 16, 2017), professio ...

, ''Keely Sings Sinatra'' (Concord Jazz, 2001) *

JD Souther John David Souther (November 2, 1945 – September 17, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was "a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters". Souther wrote and ...

, ''Black Rose'' (Asylum, 1976) * Frank Strazzeri, ''Taurus'' (Revelation, 1973) * Frank Strazzeri, ''Frames'' (Glendale, 1975) *

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

, ''Live and More'' (Casablanca, 1978) *

Supersax Supersax was an American jazz group, created in 1972 by saxophonist Med Flory and bassist Buddy Clark as a tribute to saxophonist Charlie Parker. The group's music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Parker's improvisations played by a saxo ...

, ''Dynamite !!'' (MPS, 1979) * Supersax, ''Chasin' the Bird'' (MPS, 1984) *

Dan Terry Dan Terry (December 22, 1924 – December 27, 2011) was an American big band leader, arranger, and trumpet and flugelhorn player who appeared at the Birdland (jazz club), Birdland jazz club with Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Chris Connor, John ...

, ''Lonely Place'' (Happy Tiger 1969) * Toto, ''Kingdom of Desire'' (CBS/Sony 1992) *

Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...

, ''Awakening'' (Atlantic, 1979) *

Lenny Williams Leonard Charles Williams (born February 16, 1945)"Biography by Alex Henderson"
AllMus ...

, ''Love Current'' (MCA, 1979) *

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...

, ''Spoonful'' (Blue Note, 1975)

References

External links

Review of ''Menza Lines'' at ''All About Jazz''
* Review of ''Menza Lines'' at ''All Music''
Don Menza Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2018) {{DEFAULTSORT:Menza, Don United States Army soldiers American male saxophonists American music arrangers American male composers 21st-century American composers Living people Jazz arrangers Palo Alto Records artists 1936 births 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Sackville Records artists Musicians from Buffalo, New York