Edward Ernest Sauter (December 2, 1914 – April 21, 1981) was an American composer and arranger during the swing era.

Biography

Sauter studied music at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. He began as a drummer and then played trumpet professionally, including with

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His recor ...

's orchestra. Eventually he became a full-time arranger for Norvo. He arranged and composed for

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) 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. Its roo ...

, and especially

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, earning a reputation for intricate work such as "Benny Rides Again", "Moonlight on the Ganges", and "Clarinet a la King". A bout of tuberculosis contracted in 1942, however, forced a stay at the Summit Park Sanatorium in Pomona, New York, and stalled his musical career for some time. From 1952 to 1958, Sauter was co-leader of the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. Between 1957 and 1959, he was

Kurt Edelhagen Kurt Edelhagen (; born 5 June 1920 – 8 February 1982) was a German big band leader. Biography Edelhagen was born in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Edelhagen studied conducting and piano in Essen. In 1945, he started a trio, then a big ...

's successor as leader of the SWF orchestra in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

, Germany. In 1961, he worked with tenor saxophonist

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

on the album ''

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

'', a collaboration for which Sauter at Getz's commission wrote a suite of string compositions without primary melodies. This allowed Getz to improvise them in his customary style.

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (March 13, 1925 – November 12, 2024) was an American jazz drummer. In the 1950s, he was given the nickname "Snap Crackle" for his distinctive snare drum sound and musical vocabulary. He is among the most recorded drummers in ja ...

, the jazz drummer, appeared on "I'm Late, I'm Late", the only selection to use a non-string instrument other than Getz. Sauter and Getz collaborated again during Sauter's work composing the score for the film '' Mickey One'' (1965), which starred

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...

. Sauter's television composing includes the third season theme to Rod Serling's ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, '' The Twilight Zon ...

''. In 2003, Sauter was inducted into the

Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame is part of a US-based non-profit organization (The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame Foundation) that began operations in 1978 and continues to the present in San Diego County, California. David Larkin is the curre ...

. Although Sauter is best known for jazz, he also orchestrated Broadway musicals such as ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

'', ''

The Apple Tree ''The Apple Tree'' is a series of three musical playlets with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and a book by Bock and Harnick with contributions from Jerome Coopersmith. Each act has its own storyline, but all three are tied tog ...

'', and '' It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman''. Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick said of Sauter's Broadway work: "Eddie did these marvelous things, always theatrical, always effective. And completely unlike anybody else." His composition "World Without Time" is used as the theme music for the public affairs show '' The Open Mind'', originally hosted by

Richard Heffner Richard Douglas Heffner (August 5, 1925 – December 17, 2013) was the creator and host of ''The Open Mind (talk show), The Open Mind,'' a public affairs television show first broadcast in 1956. He was a University Professor of Communications a ...

Death

Sauter died of a heart attack in Nyack, New York, on April 21, 1981.

Selected discography

As arranger and composer

Ray McKinley Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956. ...

, ''Borderline'' (1955) *

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentime ...

, ''Me and the Blues'' (1957) *

, ''

'' ( Verve, 1961) * Stan Getz, '' Stan Getz Plays Music from the Soundtrack of Mickey One'' (Verve, 1965) *

, ''Benny Goodman Plays Eddie Sauter'' ( Hep, 1997) *

, ''Knockin' on Wood'' ( ASV Living Era, 1999) * Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, ''Inside the Sound'' (1952) * Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, ''NBC Bandstand Live: 1957'' ( Collectors' Choice, 1997) * John Carisi, Eddie Sauter, Christian Wolff, Stefan Wolpe, ''Counterpoise'' (hatART, 2000)

References

External links

* All Music* *
Jazz a la Sauter: Eddie Sauter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauter, Eddie 1914 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American jazz composers American jazz bandleaders American male jazz composers American music arrangers American television composers Columbia College (New York) alumni Jazz arrangers Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Brooklyn