Kenneth Lee Ascher (born October 26, 1944, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production.''Who's Who in Rock Music'', by William York,

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjori ...

(1982); With Paul Williams, he wrote the song " Rainbow Connection" for '' The Muppet Movie''. Both Williams and Ascher received Oscar nominations for the 1979

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

for Best Original Song ("Rainbow Connection") and Best Original Score ('' The Muppet Movie'' Soundtrack). The song was also nominated for the Golden Globes for " Best Original Song" that same year. Ascher and Williams also wrote " You and Me Against the World", a top-10 hit for

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 ...

in 1974.

His work

In 1966, Ascher joined 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 as arranger and pianist. Herman hired Ascher — on the advice of Frank Foster — to replace the departing

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 ...

. Ascher has been a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

since 1968. He played piano on " Baby Now That I've Found You" recorded by Dan Schafer on Tortoise International Records, an RCA Records subsidiary released in 1977. Ascher's work through the years has included keyboard parts and string arrangements on

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's albums ''

Mind Games Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor ...

'', '' Walls and Bridges'' and ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

'' and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

's ''

A Story ''A Story'' is an album by Yoko Ono, recorded in 1974, during the "lost weekend" sessions in which John Lennon produced '' Walls and Bridges''. It was unreleased until the 1992 box set '' Onobox'', which featured material from ''A Story'' on ...

'', music for several songs from

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

's remake of '' A Star Is Born'' (where he also served as music coordinator), and arrangements for portions of

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...

's '' Bat Out of Hell'' (produced by

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

). Ascher's own rendition of " Rainbow Connection" was featured in the closing credits of '' The Break-Up'' (starring

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award ...

and

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...

). Ascher is the pianist with the Birdland Big Band, which performs Fridays from 5:15 to 7 at Birdland in New York City. The Birdland Big Band performs "Rainbow Connection", arranged by Lew Anderson.

Selected compositions

* "Three for the Show", m & arr. Ascher (1960) * "The White Rabbit", music & arr. Ascher (1960) * "Scotch Mist", music & arr. by Ascher (1960) * "Theme for Ken's Men", m & arr. Ascher (1960) * "Retrospect", words & arr. Ascher (1960) * "Typically April: A Revolutionary Musical", lyrics and music by Ascher (1966) * "Stars and Sand" (1967) * "Nightling" (1967) * "April's in my Lady's Face" (1967) * "Colors" (1967) * "Dressed Up For a Dream" (1967) * "These blues were made for cookin' " (1967) * "Who can hear the nightingale?" (1967) * "It seems different to me now" (1967) * "Lullaby" (1967) * "Last night's rain" (1967) * "Laughin' Place" (1967) * "Miss Fitz" (1967) * "Maybe another spring" (1967) * "Funny little girl" (1967) * "Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra" (1968) * "1968 Baltimore Colts Highlights" (ASCAP 1968) * "Music for Orchestra" (Master's essay,

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 ...

) (1968) * "Bittersweet wild child", words by Donna Lee, music by Ascher (1968) * "Cavettina" (1968) * "Silent Partners", words Donna Lee, music Ascher (1968) * "So I told it to the rain", words Donna Lee Levitt (Donna Lee), music by Ascher (1968) * "You can't make this child cry", words Donna Lee Levitt, music by Ascher (1968) * "Here I Go Again", words Donna Lee (Donna Lee Levitt), music by Ascher (1968) * "My memory bank's been robbed", words Donna Lee (Donna Lee Levitt), music by Ascher (1968) * "Leaf in the Wind", words and music by Lon Ritchie & Ascher (1969) * "Omnibus", words & music by Ascher, Donna Lee & Joe Renzetti (1969) * "One for Jim" (1970) * "Another Kind of Blues" (1970) * "Mosaics : a piece for guitar, string quartet and woodwind quartet with accompanying aesthetic commentary and description" (thesis for

) (1972) * "Inspiration", by Paul Williams, Ascher (1973) * "Bugaloo and Such" (1973) * "Play, piper, play", words Donna Lee Levitt, music Ascher (1973) * "Little Bit of Love", words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * "Lone Star", words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * "Loneliness", words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * "Nilsson sings Newman", by Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * "Sad Song", words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * "Sunday", words & music Paul Williams & Ascher (1974) * "You Know Me", by Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * "She Sings for Free", words & music by Paul Williams & Ascher (1974, 2002) * " You and Me Against the World", Paul Williams, Ascher (1974) * "Makin' the same mistakes" (1974) * "Isn't It Odd?" (1974) * "Candlelight Dreamer" (1974) * "Bein' a Movie Star" (1974) * "Coming Undone" (1974) * "With You", words

Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1944) is an American lyricist, singer, songwriter, and painter. Early life and career Carole Bayer was born in New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She gradu ...

, music Ascher (1975) * "Don't you worry child", words

, music Ascher (1975) *From the 1976 film, '' A Star is Born'' *# "Watch Closely Now", Paul Williams, Ascher *# "Hellacious Acres", Paul Williams, Ascher *# "The Woman in the Moon", Paul Williams, Ascher *# "Finale: With One More Look at You/Watch Closely Now", Paul Williams, Ascher * ''Run for life'', vocal music by Ascher, lyrics by Albert Lerman (1978) *From the 1979 film, '' The Muppet Movie'' *# " Rainbow Connection", words & music by Ascher and Paul Williams (1979) *# "Movin' Right Along", Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# " Never Before, Never Again!", –

Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is a The Muppets, Muppet character known for her Breakthrough role, breakout role in the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show''. She is notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, her tendency to use French l ...

, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# " Never Before, Never Again!", –

Instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# "

I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along! ''The Muppet Movie: Original Soundtrack Recording'' is the soundtrack album from the 1979 film, ''The Muppet Movie'', featuring the songs and select score written by Paul Williams (songwriter), Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. Originally relea ...

", – Kermit and Rowlf, Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# "Can You Picture That?", Paul Williams & Ascher (1979) *# "

", – Instrumental *# "For Goodness Sake", Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) *# "Finale, the magic store", Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''For the Life of Me'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Making Friends'', Waring & LaRosa; arr. Ascher (1979) * ''Gift'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Little more like you'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Save me a dream'', Paul Williams, Ascher (1979) * ''Go Away'' * ''Song for children of all ages'', words and music by Ascher * ''Kenny's ballad'', music by Ascher (1980) * ''Perfect Crime'', music & lyrics by Ascher & John Barranco (1989)

Selected discography

As leader * Kenny Ascher, the Moog Machine, '' Switched-On Rock'' (played on Moog by Kenny)

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1969) * Kenny Ascher, ''Christmas Becomes Electric / The Moog'' (played on Moog by Kenny)

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1970) As arranger *

and the Thundering Herd, ''Concerto for Herd'' (

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...

Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...

(September 17, 1967) : ''Woody's Boogaloo'', arranged by Ascher * Paul Williams, '' Here Comes Inspiration'', (LP) (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist)

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

(1974) *

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer, composer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a membe ...

, '' Virgin Land'' (Salvation, 1974) *

, ''No Way To Treat A Lady'',

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

(1975) : B3 – ''You Know Me'', by Ascher and Williams * Lori Lieberman, ''Letting Go'',

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, arrangements by Ascher (June 19, 1978) As sideman or band member, on keyboards * Howard Tate, ''Keep Cool (Don't Be a Fool)'',

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History In 1969, songwriter Jerry Ragavoy opened a recording studio in New York City and named it ''The Hit Factory.'' On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, ...

(Oct 12, 1971) * Tom Scott, ''Smoothin' On Down'',

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

Ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(July 1971) * The J.B.s, "Food For Thought" People Records New York, 1971, (Ascher electric piano) *

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, '' Moon Shadow'' (Ascher performs on tracks A3, A4, B2, B4),

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

(1972) *

Yvonne Elliman Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...

, ''Yvonne Elliman'',

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

(1972) *

Bill Quateman Bill Quateman (born November 4, 1947, Chicago, Illinois)Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Albums''. 6th edn. Record Research, 2006. is an American singer-songwriter. Quateman released four albums in the 1970s and charted with the single "Only Love", ...

, ''Bill Quatemen'', (Ascher plays keyboards, produced the album, and wrote the string arrangements) CBS Records (1972) *

, ''

'' (1973) * Johnny Hartman, ''I've Been There'' (1973) * Cecil Holmes, ''Cecil Homes Soulful Sounds, The – Black Motion Picture Experience'',

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

(1973) *

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 ...

, ''

'',

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

(1973) *

Morgana King Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), better known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.Liner notes by Joel Dorn – Morgana King album ''The Complete Reprise Recordings'' (2000).Liner notes by Ed Osb ...

, ''New Beginnings'',

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson (guitarist), Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramoun ...

(1973) : A4 – The Sands of Time and Changes (Ascher, piano) : B2 – ''A Song for You'' (Ascher, piano) * Mark Murphy, '' Mark II'', Muse Records (1973) * John Prine, Sweet Revenge,

(1973) *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

, '' Hotcakes'',

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

(1974) * Martha Reeves, ''Martha Reeves'',

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

(1974) : B2 – ''Sweet Misery'' (Ascher plays

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

and organ) *

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...

, '' John Dawson Winter III''

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1974) *

, " Whatever Gets You thru the Night" (single) (Ascher plays clavinet)

Apple Records Apple Records is a British record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists inclu ...

(1974) *

, '' Walls and Bridges'' (Ascher plays keyboards),

(1974) * Paul Williams, ''A Little Bit of Love'', by Ascher & ''Nice to Be Around'', by Williams (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist) 45 RMP, Promo (1974) * Paul Williams, '' A Little Bit of Love'' (Ascher is producer, conductor, arranger, writer and pianist),

(1974) : A1 – ''A Little Bit of Love'', by Ascher : A4 – ''Sunday'', by Ascher : B2 – ''She Sings for Free'', by Ascher : B5 – ''Loneliness'', by Ascher : B6 – ''Sad Song'', by Ascher *

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

, '' Walking Man'', Warner Bros. Records (1974) *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

, '' Pussy Cats'' (Ascher: piano, conductor, orchestration),

(1974) *

, ''

Feeling the Space ''Feeling the Space'' is the fourth solo album by Yoko Ono, released in 1973. It was her last one to be released on Apple Records. History The entire album adopts a feminist theme, focusing on issues affecting women in the 1970s. Its liner no ...

'' (recorded 1974, released 1997) * Airto, ''Virgin Land'',

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

(Feb. 1974) : B4 – ''I Don't Have to Do What I Don't Want to Do'' (Ascher plays melletron on this track) *

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...

, ''

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

'',

(1975) * Merry Clayton, ''Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow'', Ode Records (1975) *

, ''

'' (Ascher plays keyboards),

(1975) *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

, '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (Ascher plays organ),

(1975) *

Gladys Knight & The Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

, '' 2nd Anniversary'' (Ascher plays keyboards) (1975) : B1 – '' You and Me Against the World'', arr Don Hannah, written by Ascher and Williams *

John Tropea John Tropea (pronounced 'tro-pay'; born January 7, 1946) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. Career Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied jaz ...

, ''The Jingle'', West Orange, New Jersey,

Marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes between 9 and 11 species, depending on the taxonomic authority. Name The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Taxonomy T ...

(1975) *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

, ''Closeup'', Private Stock Records (1975) * Dr. John, '' Hollywood Be Thy Name'',

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

(1975) * Nanette Natal, ''The Beginning'', New York, Evolution (date unknown, prob late 1970s) * Leslie West, '' The Leslie West Band'' Phantom Records, distributed by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

, and later, ESP Management Inc. (1975) *

and

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

, ''A Star Is Born'' (soundtrack),

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1976) : A1 – ''Watch Closely Now'', by Ascher : A5 – ''Hellacious Acres'', by Ascher : B1 – ''The Woman in the Moon'', by Ascher and Williams : B4 – ''Finale: With One More Look At You / Watch Closely Now'', by Ascher and Williams * Paul Williams, ''Classics'',

(1977) : A2 – ''You and Me Against the World'', by Ascher and Williams : A4 – ''Loneliness'', by Ascher and Williams : B2 – ''With One More Look at You'', by Ascher and Williams :: (Ascher produced tracks: A2, A4, B4, B5) *

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals on Paul Simo ...

, '' Never Letting Go'',

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(Ascher performs on keyboards and orchestrates on selections) (1977) *

, '' Lady Put the Light Out'', Private Stock Records (1977) *

, '' Bat Out of Hell'',

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

(1977) (RIAA 14xPlatinum Certified) : A3 – ''Heaven Can Wait'' (string arrangement by Ascher) : B1 – ''Two Out of Three Ain't Bad'' (string arrangement by Ascher) * Tom Scott, '' Blow It Out'', Ode Records (1977) : A2 – ''Smoothin' On Down'' (Ascher plays

on this track) *

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 ...

, ''

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

'',

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1977) *

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

, ''Movin' Right Along'', (45 RPM) CBS Records Australia (1979) *

, '' The Muppet Movie'' Original Soundtrack Recording (Ascher co-writes, co-arranges, and performs on keyboards),

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

(1979) *

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

, ''

'',

(1980) * Earl Klugh, ''Late Night Guitar'' *

, ''Walking On Thin Ice'' (45 RPM),

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

(1981) : B – ''It Happened'' (Ascher, keyboards on the flipside only) *

Marvin Stamm Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the One ...

, ''Stammpede'', New York,

Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

(1983) * Peter Dean, ''Radio'',

Inner City Records Inner City Records was a jazz record company and record label, label founded by Irv Kratka in 1976 in New York City. The company was a division of Music Minus One and also owned the label Classic Jazz. It started with reissues, then moved on to ...

, New York (1984) * Pat Williams' New York Band, ''10th Avenue'', New York, Soundwings (Dec. 1986) * Warren Bernhardt, ''Hands On'' (Kenny performs on the 2nd and 4th works) (CD) (1987) * Dr. John, ''Mos' Scocious: The Dr. John Anthology'',

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

(1993) : 2-15 – ''Back by the River'' (Ascher plays keyboard) * David Matthews Orchestra, ''Furuhata Jazz in N.Y.'', New York, WEA (Japan) (1997) * ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' (Original Soundtrack),

(1997) * Gary LeMel, ''Moonlighting'' (Ascher is assistant conductor), Skylark Atlantic 83178-2 (1998) * Alex Donner, ''White Tie'', New York & Astoria, Black Tie Records (Mar 10, 1998-Sep 8, 2000) *

, ''Labelle'',

Wounded Bird Records Wounded Bird Records is an American compact disc only re-issue record label that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from popular and lesser known artists. Most of the Wounded Bird catalogue is licen ...

(2000) : 1 – ''Morning Much Better'', Ascher – piano : 6 – ''Running Out of Fools – If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody'', Ascher – piano : 10 – ''Time'', Ascher – piano : 11 – ''When the Sun Comes Shining Through (The Ladder)'', Ascher – piano * Wally Dunbar, ''Everything in Time'', Nardis Consolidated Artists CAP953 (2000) * Nelson Foltz, ''The Longing Hours'', New York & Northvale, N.J., Syberdelix (2001) * Jane Monheit, ''In the Sun'', New York, N Coded Music (March–June 2002) * Jane Monheit, ''Live at the Rainbow Room'', N Coded Music (September 23, 2002) * Scott Whitfield Jazz Orchestra East, ''Live at "Birdland"'', Summit Records (March 10, 2003) *

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor and political activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, '' Me ...

, '' Merry Christmas with Love'',

(2004) * Susan Robkin, ''Surfacing to Breathe'' (May 2004) * Don Payne (bass), ''Rhapsodic Echoes'', (Ascher plays piano on tracks 5 & 8
Recycled Notes Music Company
(May 5, 2004) : 5 – ''Unscheduled Departures'' : 8 – ''M.A.P.S.'' (Bob Mann, Kenny Ascher, Don Payne, Allen Schwartzberg) * Scott Whitfield, ''Diamonds for Nat'', New York, Summit Records (April 12 & 13, 2005) *

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

, '' Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV'', J-Records (Oct. 18, 2005) * Steve Tyrell, ''The Disney Standards'',

Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from the Walt Disney Company's Walt Disney Studios (division), motion picture studios, television shows, Disney Experiences, them ...

(2006) : 10 – ''When She Loved Me'' (Ascher, keyboards) : 14 – '' Baby Mine'', (Ascher, keyboards & string arrangements) * Steve Tyrell, ''Back to Bacharach'', Koch Records (2008) : 4 – ''One Less Bell to Answer'' (piano, Ascher; arr Bacharach; strings arr, Ascher) : 11 – ''Close to You'' (Ascher, piano) : 12 – ''A House is Not a Home'' (Ascher, piano) * The Birdland Big Band, ''The Lew Anderson Tribute Concert (live)'', I.E.G. Inc. (June 1, 2007) * Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band, ''Live from New York'' (DVD) I.E.G. Inc. (Jan 1, 2009) ) * Andy Farber and His Orchestra, ''This Could be the Start of Something Big'' (2009) * Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band, ''Eleven'' (11-11-11) * Ron Sunshine "Bring It Home" Rondette Jazz (November 20, 2015) Ascher piano.

Awards & award nominations

Awards * 1976 —

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

for Best Original Score, ''A Star is Born'', 34th Golden Globe Awards, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams Nominations * 1978 — Anthony Asquith Award nomination for Film Music, ''A Star is Born'',

British Academy of Film and Television Arts The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

, Kenny Ascher * 1979 —

nomination for Best Original Song, '' Rainbow Connection'', 37th Golden Globe Awards, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams * 1979 —

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score, '' The Muppet Movie'', 52nd Academy Awards, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams * 1979 —

nomination for Best Original Song, '' The Muppet Movie'', 52nd Academy Awards, Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams

Critically acclaimed live performances

* Feb 1973 — Ascher played piano with

at Sam's Jazz Upstairs (1220 2nd Avenue at 64th St., New York City): Bob Dougherty (bass) and Ronnie Zito on drums. Stamm said, "In 21 years of playing music, this is the best group of musicians I've ever been with." Reflecting on that statement, John Stuart Wilson (1913–2002), longtime jazz critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' said, "That might have sounded like a fatuous statement leaders often make in introducing their musicians to a jazz club audience. In this case, however, it was completely believable because Mr. Stamm's quartet is the most exciting group that has turned-up in New York for a long time." * May 1973 — Kenny Ascher Trio, Sundays, Jimmy Weston's, 131 E 54th St., New York City * Jan 13, 2009 — Mike Berkowitz and The New

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...

Orchestra,

Iridium Iridium is a chemical element; it has the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. This very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density ...

* Dec 2000 —

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 ...

with a small swing band led by Kenny Ascher, the Regency, New York City * July 2001 — Jay Leonhart with Kenny Ascher and Michael Leonhart, July 13–21, Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel

Jingle writing

Ascher has composed (or co-composed) jingles for: * The 1968

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

* Federal Express # ''Applause'' # ''Gotcha'' # ''Larry'' # ''Mr. Calm'' *

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

#''The Beer'' #''Combined'' *

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

# ''Brilliant Idea/ GE Brings Good Things to Life'' # ''Cooking'' *

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldw ...

''(Class Act)'' * NFL * Campbell's Soup – ''Never Underestimate the Power of Soup'' campaign # ''Never Underestimate'' # ''Canned Chef'' # ''Hockey'' # ''Makes Itself'' # ''Red Dress'' # ''Snowman'' # ''Stay Young'' # ''Storm Radio – Winter'' # ''Superhero'' # ''Superman'' # ''Tennis Anyone?'' # ''Wild Ride'' *

Frigidaire Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and Commercial area, commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux, a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. History ...

''(Nightfeeding)'' *

Diet Pepsi Diet Pepsi, also called Pepsi Light in some countries, is a diet carbonated cola soft drink produced by PepsiCo, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi with no sugar. First test marketed in 1963 under the name Patio Diet Cola, it was re-bra ...

''(Uh-Huh Blues – You've Got The Right One, Baby'', with

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 ...

) * American Dairy ''(Warm All Over)'' *

Coors Brewing Company The Coors Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company based in Golden, Colorado, that was founded in 1873. In 2005, Adolph Coors Company, the holding company that owned Coors Brewing, merged with Molson, Inc. to become Molson Coor ...

# Herman Joseph – ''Polo'', revised arr by Kenny Ascher (1981) # Herman Joseph – ''Tennis'', comp. & arr. by Kenny Ascher (1981) # ''Sailboat'' music and arr. by Kenneth Ascher (1980) # ''Billiards'', music and arr. by Kenneth Ascher (1980) * National Airlines ''(Generic/scope)'', music by Ken Ascher (1978) * Ford Motors ''(National Test Drive)'' Many of Ascher's jingle compositions were (i) produced by Sunday Productions (Hilary Jay Lipsitz, born 1933, president), (ii) published by Ahoskie Music, Inc. (Hilary Jay Lipsitz, president), and (iii) licensed by

Academic education

Ascher holds three diplomas from

: * 1966 —

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(music composition),

Columbia College, Columbia University Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, it is the oldest instit ...

* 1968 —

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(music composition), Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Columbia University * 1971 —

Doctor of Musical Arts The doctor of musical arts (DMA) is a doctorate, doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually Performance, music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-le ...

(music composition), School of the Arts, Columbia University While at Columbia, Ascher studied composition with Otto Luening,

Jack Beeson Jack Hamilton Beeson (July 15, 1921 – June 6, 2010) was an American composer. He was known particularly for his operas, the best known of which are '' Lizzie Borden'', ''Hello Out There!'', and ''The Sweet Bye and Bye''. Early life Born in Munc ...

, and

Vladimir Ussachevsky Vladimir Alexeevich Ussachevsky (November 3, 1911 in Hailar, China – January 2, 1990 in New York, New York) was a Russian-American composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music. Biography Vladimir Ussachevsky was born in ...

and piano with William Albert Beller
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz
'' the late

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

(ed.) & the late Ira Gitler, Oxford University Press (1999), pg. 110; (1900–1986). Ascher graduated from William F. Dykes High School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

, and entered

on a math scholarship. In 1966, while in college, the Kenny Ascher Quintet performed live in WKCR's ''Stone Soup'' at midnight."Radio: Music", ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', pg. 77, col. 2, December 16, 1966

References

External Links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ascher, Kenney American jazz pianists Post-bop pianists Big band pianists American film score composers American male film score composers American jazz composers American male jazz composers American rock pianists American male jazz pianists American organists American session musicians Golden Globe Award–winning musicians 20th-century American keyboardists Musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Washington, D.C. Songwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from Washington, D.C. Living people 1944 births Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Plastic Ono Band members ASCAP composers and authors 20th-century American pianists Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni