Jeff Tyzik (born Jeff Tkazyik, August 1, 1951)
is an American
conductor,
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...
, and trumpeter.
He has recorded jazz albums as a soloist and arranged pop and jazz music for orchestras.
Early life and education
Tyzik, born in
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fra ...
, started playing cornet at age nine,
after being inspired by the buglers in an Independence Day parade in nearby
Poughkeepsie.
He switched to
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
at age 11.
He attended the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
in Rochester, earning
Bachelor of Music
A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...
(1973) and
Master of Music
The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...
(1977) degrees.
Career
While at Eastman, Tyzik met
Chuck Mangione
Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer.
He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap Mangione, ...
, a flugelhornist from Rochester who was teaching at the school. He worked with Mangione between 1973 and 1980 as lead trumpeter in Mangione's band and as co-producer of four albums.
During this time, Tyzik also began a long collaboration with
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...
, when Severinsen brought him to London to work on two albums with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
.
Tyzik recorded six albums as a solo trumpeter between 1981 and 1990, appearing on
Capitol,
Polydor
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
, and
Amherst Records. He performed in the Rochester area with his own
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this time, Tyzik was also busy with Severinsen, serving as arranger and record producer for Severinsen and
The Tonight Show Band
The Tonight Show Band refers to the house band on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show'', which has created an important showcase for jazz on American television. The Tonight Show Band has changed in form and composition since ...
. Tyzik won a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
in 1987 for producing the 1986 album ''
The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen''.
In addition to Severinsen and Mangione, Tyzik has arranged music and produced records for
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 ...
and for the
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 ...
Orchestra.
Rochester Philharmonic
The
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra approached Tyzik and
Allen Vizzutti (a friend of Tyzik's from Eastman) in 1983 about creating a pops program for the orchestra.
The pair spent the next decade working with orchestras around the country on similar programs.
In 1994, Tyzik was named Principal Pops Conductor of the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he still holds. Since then, he has established himself as one of the country's preeminent
Pops conductors and arrangers, acting as Principal Pops Conductor for the RPO, the
Dallas Symphony,
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the "Portland Symphony Society" in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. It ...
,
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra,
The Florida Orchestra
The Florida Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the tri-city area of Tampa, Clearwater, Florida, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida. It was founded as the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony upon the 1968 merger of th ...
,
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...
and the
Seattle Symphony.
He has appeared as guest conductor for numerous other orchestras in the U.S.,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and even
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
. He also conducted the
Brass Band of Battle Creek for a 1996 independent album.
His arrangements of popular and jazz tunes for full orchestra have been widely performed. Publisher
G. Schirmer commissioned Tyzik to arrange some of
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life.
Born and raised in Washington, D ...
's jazz suites for orchestra, including ''
Black, Brown and Beige
''Black, Brown and Beige'' is an extended jazz work written by Duke Ellington for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, on January 23, 1943. It tells the history of African Americans and was the composer's attempt to transform attitudes about race, ...
'' and ''
The Nutcracker Suite''. The Royal Philharmonic, the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the
Summit Brass have all recorded music arranged or composed by Tyzik.
Tyzik later branched out into more traditional orchestral styles, conducting a few RPO concerts outside of the Pops series. At one such concert, he premiered his own ''Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra'', and later premiered his
wind ensemble orchestration of the same piece with the
Eastman Wind Ensemble
The Eastman Wind Ensemble was founded by conductor Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952. The ensemble is often credited with helping redefine the performance of wind band music. Considered one of America's leading wind ensemble ...
at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
.
A 2007 recording by the RPO, with Tyzik conducting and
Jon Nakamatsu on piano, of
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
's ''
Piano Concerto in F'', ''
Rhapsody in Blue'', and ''
Cuban Overture'' peaked at #3 on the
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
classical charts. The album, on the
Harmonia Mundi label, received very positive reviews, with
David Hurwitz calling it "unquestionably the best Gershwin disc to come along in years".
Personal life
Tyzik lives in Rochester with his wife, Jill. Their daughter is
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
Jami Tyzik. John Tkazyik, former mayor of Poughkeepsie, is a second cousin.
Discography
* ''Farthest Corner of My Mind'' (independent, 1979)
* ''Prophecy'' (independent, 1980)
* ''Radiance'' (Capitol, 1982)
* ''Jammin' in Manhattan'' (Polydor, 1984)
* ''Smile'' (Polydor, 1985)
* ''Distant Dreams'' (Amherst, 1990)
References
Jeff Tyzik at KUTE
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyzik, Jeff
Living people
1951 births
Musicians from Rochester, New York
People from Hyde Park, New York
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
American conductors (music)
American male conductors (music)
American jazz trumpeters
American male trumpeters
American jazz bandleaders
Grammy Award winners
Eastman School of Music alumni
American male jazz musicians