[78-L] Neal Hefti obit

[fnarf at comcast.net]

From: soundthink at aol.com

> Neal Hefti dies at 85; former big band trumpeter, arranger and composer

Thanks for forwarding this. 

I know Hefti's great work was in the Big Band era, but to me his bright brass sound absolutely defines "The Sixties" as much as any rock'n'roller's. Those TV themes get overlooked, but I've probably heard the Batman and Odd Couple themes as many times as any single piece of music; I loved those shows. So even if Hefti had never done all that great work with Basie, he'd be a big part of my musical backdrop.

As a solo leader on LP, he was pretty exciting too. I've got a few -- Pardon My Doo-Wah on Hefti Hot 'n' Hearty on Epic, Definitely Hefti on UA -- and they're great. Breathy vocals, pounding Fender bass in front of a bright, zippy Jet Set orchestra -- what more could you want?

-- 
Steve Thornton