John Frank Oddo (March 21, 1953 – April 2, 2019) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and

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 ...

. He is most notably associated as pianist and musical director for

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 ...

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

and

Michael Feinstein Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music Revivalist artist, revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988, he won a Drama Desk Spec ...

Early life

John Oddo was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on March 21, 1953.John Oddo Obituary reprinted from the New York Times He studied piano as a child and would eventually graduate from 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 ...

with a master's degree in Jazz Studies in 1978.

Career

Woody Herman's Young Thundering Herd

By 1980 the pipeline of young musicians coming out of the

had become a strong stream of young jazz artists for

's big band. Recently graduated from Eastman, on July 6 of 1980 Oddo joined the Herman organization along with

John Fedchock John William Fedchock (born September 18, 1957) is an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and arranger. Early life and education Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University and the Eastman School of Music at th ...

, Steve Harrow and Mike Brignola. Oddo would quickly become a star in the long line of pianists/arrangers for Herman dating back to

Ralph Burns Ralph Joseph P. Burns (June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, where he began playing the piano as a child. In 1938, he attend ...

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

and

Alan Broadbent Alan Leonard Broadbent (born 23 April 1947) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne M ...

; he would serve as the band's primary arranger 1980-1984.Wilson, John. "FOR WOODY HERMAN, A SHIFT FROM ONE-NIGHTERS" New York Times. JULY 13, 1982 Two notable albums with

Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists ha ...

were produced during this time featuring Oddo as both pianist and musical arranger/director: ''The Woody Herman Big Band Live at the Concord Jazz Festival'' (1981) and ''World Class'' (1982, live from

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

). Both of these Concord releases would go on to earn Grammy Award nominations in 1982 and 1984 for ''Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental)''. John Oddo has become synonymous with the long list of notable Herman composers and arrangers to include names such as

Johnny Mandel John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...

, Bill Holman,

Shorty Rogers Milton "Shorty" Rogers (born Milton Rajonsky; April 14, 1924 – November 7, 1994) was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arra ...

, Jimmy Guiffre and others.

Rosemary Clooney

In August 1983, Woody Herman recorded the album '' My Buddy'' featuring

on the

label. Carl Jefferson (CEO with Concord) urged the collaboration as both Clooney and Herman were on contract with his label at the time; this being her eighth and his sixth release with Concord. John Oddo served as the arranger and musical director of the project having been serving in that role for the Herman band for the previous two and a half years. Three new arrangements (of Oddo's seven) were literally produced overnight by him for the new project. The album is the start of a long, 18-year association of Oddo becoming Clooney's musical director; the musical architect of her resurgence in popularity. His credits include work on 20 of her recordings, as well as numerous live and televised performances.

Michael Feinstein

Oddo was a longtime collaborator with

as both music director and arranger, and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his orchestrations for Feinstein and

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and portrayed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, ...

's 2010 Broadway show, ''All About Me.''Broadway World. 'Music Director and Arranger John Oddo Dies.' Apr. 3, 2019
/ref> Oddo was also musical director for Feinstein's PBS specials, ''Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room'' and ''Michael Feinstein New Year's Eve at the Rainbow Room.'' Starting in 2010, Oddo appeared and is heard on numerous episodes of Michael Feinstein's PBS series ''American Songbook''.

Further work

Over his career, John Oddo became the "go-to guy" for an arrangement, orchestration or backing singers in the New York entertainment circles for regular engagements, Broadway and broadcast media to include the famous Algonquin Hotel Oak Room. In the early 1980s Oddo worked for the group Dameronia helping to transcribe and recreate the music of

Tadd Dameron Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swi ...

for concerts and three notable recordings. As musical director, arranger and pianist Oddo's musical collaborators over the years have included

Debby Boone Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, " You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the G ...

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 ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

, Joe Williams,

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress, singer and comedian. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage (theatre), stage. She has received two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a ...

Melissa Errico Melissa Errico (born March 23, 1970)"Melissa Errico"
profile,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Toni Tennille Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A contralto, she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song i ...

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; " We May Never Love Like This Again" from ' ...

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Ros ...

, and

Steve Tyrell Steve Tyrell (born Stephen Louis Bilao III, December 19, 1944) is an American singer and record producer. He won a 2004 Grammy Award as the producer of the Rod Stewart studio album '' Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III''. He also h ...

. He served as musical director and arranger for

James Naughton James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. On television he is best known as astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season television series ''Planet of the Apes''. He won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical ...

s production ''Street of Dreams'' in 1998 and PBS ''"Live from Lincoln Center" presents

: The Songs of Randy Newman.'' Other notable projects included composer and performer for the 2003 PBS/Showtime ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written", it presents the fictional American town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 ...

'' directed by James Naughton. He served as, conductor, pianist, and arranger for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

special ''Scott Hamilton & Friends.'' Oddo has performed at the White House for four presidents. From 2015 to 2019 Oddo served as the musical director, arranger and pianist for

Tony Danza Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983) and ''Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992 ...

's cabaret show, ''Standards & Stories.''YouTube. Highlights from Tony Danza's hit live show, "Tony Danza: Standards & Stories" . John Oddo, pianist and musical director.
/ref>

Personal life

John Oddo died suddenly at his home in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

, on April 2, 2019.

Discography

With

* 2005: '' Reflections of Rosemary'' (

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...

) With

* 1984 '' Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Irving Berlin'' (

) * 1985 '' Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads'' (

) * 1986 '' Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen'' (

) * 1987 '' Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Johnny Mercer'' (

) * 1989 ''

Show Tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

'' (

) * 1990 ''

Rosemary Clooney Sings Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein ''Rosemary Clooney Sings Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein'' is a 1990 album by Rosemary Clooney, consisting of songs composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein II. Track listing # "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" � ...

'' (

) * 1991 '' For the Duration'' (

) * 1992 ''

Girl Singer ''Girl Singer'' is a 1992 studio album by Rosemary Clooney. Clooney sings with a big band on the album, which is the first of her Concord Records series not to feature Scott Hamilton. The introduction to "Straighten Up and Fly Right" is from t ...

'' (

) * 1993 '' Do You Miss New York?'' (

) * 1994 ''

Still on the Road ''Still on the Road'' is a 1994 album by Rosemary Clooney. Like her 1992 album Girl Singer, ''Still on the Road'' features Clooney singing with a big band directed by her pianist John Oddo. Track listing # " On the Road Again" (Willie Nelson) ...

'' (

) * 1995 '' Demi-Centennial'' (

) * 1996 ''

Dedicated to Nelson ''Dedicated to Nelson'' is a 1996 album by singer Rosemary Clooney, dedicated to the arranger Nelson Riddle. Clooney's television show from 1956-57 featured arrangements by Riddle, and a selection of those original Riddle arrangements are presen ...

'' (

) * 1996 '' White Christmas'' * 1997 '' Mothers & Daughters'' * 1998 '' At Long Last'' (with the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16- to 18-piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 19 ...

) * 2000 ''

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

'' (with

) * 2001 '' Sentimental Journey: The Girl Singer and Her New Big Band'' * 2002 '' The Last Concert'' (live) * 2008 ''Sings for Lovers'' (

) With Dameronia *1982 '' To Tadd with Love'' (Uptown) *1983 '' Look Stop Listen'' (Uptown) *1989 ''Live at the Theatre Boulogne'' (Soul Note) With

Melissa Errico Melissa Errico (born March 23, 1970)"Melissa Errico"
profile,

* 2018 ''Sondheim Sublime'' (Ghostlight Records) With

Oleg Frish Oleg Frish is a Russian-American entertainer, singer, actor, television and radio personality, journalist, music historian, and is the Owner of New Age Media. Oleg was born in Zaporizhia, USSR into a family of musicians. His mother, Svetlana Frish ...

* 2015 '' Duets with My American Idols'' With

* 2000 ''

Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway ''Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway'' is a 2000 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein arranged by Alan Broadbent and John Oddo. It was Feinstein's third album for the Concord label. Reception The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded ...

'' (

) * 2002 ''The Michael Feinstein Anthology'' * 2009 '' The Power of Two'' * 2011 ''We Dreamed These Days'' * 2011 ''Cheek to Cheek: Cook and Feinstein'' With

* 1982 ''Live at the Concord Jazz Festival'' (

) * 1983 '' My Buddy'' (

) * 1984 ''World Class'' (

) * 2002 ''From East to West'' (

) - two album set * 2004/1981 ''Live in Chicago'' With

* 1996: '' Out of This World'' With

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

* 1999 ''A Rosie Christmas'' With

Laura Osnes Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, '' South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, '' Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcour ...

* 2016 ''Hallelujah!'' With

Richard Stoltzman Richard Leslie Stoltzman (born July 12, 1942) is an American clarinetist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is pa ...

* 1991 ''Ebony'' (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

) With

* 2013 ''It's Magic: The Songs of Sammy Cahn'' (

) With

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

* 2007 ''

Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall ''Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall'' is the sixth album (and first live album) by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through Geffen Records in December 2007. The album consists of live recordings from his sold-out ...

'' ( Geffen) With

Tom Wopat Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...

* 2011 ''Consider It Swung'' * 2012 ''I've Got Your Number'' * 2014 '' Home For Christmas'' (Distribution 13)

Film and television

*''Michael Feinstein in Concert'' (1989) *''Golden Anniversary'' (1995) *''Our Town'' (2003) *''An Evening with Scott Hamilton & Friends'' (2004) *''Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room'' (2014) *''"

Live from Lincoln Center ''Live from Lincoln Center'' was a seventeen-time Emmy Award-winning series that broadcast notable performances from the Lincoln Center in New York City on PBS starting 1976. The program aired between six and nine times per season. Episodes of '' ...

": James Naughton: The Songs of Randy Newman'' (2014)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oddo, John Jazz arrangers Eastman School of Music alumni American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists 1953 births 2019 deaths American male composers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Musicians from Brooklyn Jazz musicians from New York (state)

Early life

Career

Woody Herman's Young Thundering Herd

Rosemary Clooney

Michael Feinstein

Further work

Personal life

Discography

Film and television

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links