Jack Waldman (September 6, 1952 – May 17, 1986) was an American jazz and rock musician, composer, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Waldman was best known for his studio work and performances with singer Robert Palmer, and also worked with artists such as Billy Idol,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, Rob Hegel, Joe Jackson, Foreigner and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

. He was classically trained from childhood, and played keyboards, synthesizer, bassoon, saxophone and flute. He died in 1986 from HIV-related lymphoma.

Personal history

Jack Waldman was born September 6, 1952, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey. He began classical piano lessons at the age of five, and had perfect pitch. In his teenage years, Waldman switched his focus from classical to jazz piano, studying with Morris Nanton. After attending Metuchen High School, which created the Jack Waldman Memorial Scholarship in his honor, Waldman studied at Rutgers College, Livingston College and Juilliard School of Music between 1970 and 1974. Waldman graduated in 1974 with a BA in music from Rutgers. After college, he relocated to New York City, where he remained until his death in 1986 from HIV-related lymphoma.

Music career

After relocating to New York in 1974, Waldman met and performed with jazz guitarist Joe Beck. He quickly became a prolific studio musician, playing keyboards and synthesizer with well-known artists and producing remixes for single releases. Concurrently, Waldman worked on a number of independent musical projects, including ''Tornader'' with Larry Alexander, and the more noteworthy ''Air Force 1'' with Elliot Sokolov. Waldman and Sokolov co-wrote and produced "See the Light / Feel the Heat," released in 1984 on Streetwise records, in which they sampled public domain clips of then-president

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. The piece, also known as the "Ronald Reagan Rap," released on Streetwise Records as "See the Light Feel the Heat" was one of the earliest records featuring entirely sampled vocals. In 1984, MTV aired a video promotion for the piece. Early in his career, Waldman began recording and performing with rock artist Robert Palmer. Waldman's first release with Palmer was '' Secrets'' in 1979, and they continued working together throughout the 1980s. Waldman also worked with more avant-garde performance artists, including Klaus Nomi. He did arrangements for Nomi, who mixed synth-driven new wave, 1920s German cabaret music, disco and opera. Other noteworthy artists with whom Waldman worked include

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

, Joe Jackson, Billy Idol, Rob Hegel, Foreigner,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, and

Discography

Appears on: *1977: ''Glorious'',

*1979: ''Niteflyte'', Niteflyte *1979: '' Secrets'', Robert Palmer *1980: '' Clues'', Robert Palmer *1980: ''Hegel'', Rob Hegel *1980: ''Ding Dong'', Klaus Nomi *1982: '' Maybe It's Live'', Robert Palmer *1982: '' Night and Day'', Joe Jackson *1982: ''Simple Man'', Klaus Nomi *1983: ''Encore!'', Klaus Nomi *1983: ''

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

'', Robert Palmer *1983: '' Rebel Yell'', Billy Idol *1983: '' Rhythm of Life'', Paul Haig *1983: '' Secret'', Classix Nouveaux *1984: ''

Agent Provocateur An is a person who actively entices another person to commit a crime that would not otherwise have been committed and then reports the person to the authorities. They may target individuals or groups. In jurisdictions in which conspiracy is a ...

'', Foreigner *1984: ''Feeling Cavalier'', Ēbn-Ōzn *1984: ''

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...

'', John Martyn *1984: ''See The Light Feel the Heat'', Air Force 1, Streetwise Records *1984: ''Snap'', Peter Brown *1984: '' Some People'', Belouis Some *1984: ''The Mexican'', Jellybean John "Jellybean" Benitez *1984: ''Wotupski!?!'', Jellybean John "Jellybean" Benitez *1984: ''Visitors'', Motoharu Sano *1985: ''Cierta Gente'', Belouis Some *1985: ''Love's Gonna Get You'', Jocelyn Brown *1985: '' Riptide'', Robert Palmer *1985: ''Some People'', Belouis Some *1985: ''Surprise, Surprise'', Various artists *1985: ''The Sun Always Shines on T.V.'',

a-ha A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...

*1985: ''What The Papers Say'', Bad Manners *1985: ''When Midnight Comes'', Surgin' *1985: ''Who's Zoomin' Who'',

*1986: '' Frantic Romantic'', Jermaine Stewart *1986: ''Shakey's Got The Blues'', Seven Windows *1987: ''Holiday / Over And Over'',

*1987: ''One From The Heart'', Jocelyn Brown *1987: '' Whitney'',

*1987: ''You Can Dance'',

*1988: '' Love Will Save The Day'',

*1989: ''45 R.P.M. Club'',

*1989: ''Addictions Volume 1'', Robert Palmer *2002: ''The Definitive'', Foreigner *2007: ''Electro Funk Sessions'', Various Artists *2008: ''Body Language Six'', Various Artists

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldman, Jack 1952 births 1986 deaths Metuchen High School alumni Rutgers University alumni Juilliard School alumni People from Metuchen, New Jersey Entertainers from Perth Amboy, New Jersey American music arrangers AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians