Johnny Mandel
John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, 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 Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn. He won five Grammy Awards, from 17 total nominations; his first nomination was for his debut film score for the multi-nominated 1958 film I Want to Live!.
Also recorded as John Alfred Mandel · John Alfred
Johnny Mandel
- Name
- Johnny Mandel
- Birth Name
- John Alfred Mandel
- Born
- 23 November 1925
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 29 June 2020
- Place of death
- Ojai, California, U.S.
- Education
- * Manhattan School of Music
- Occupation
- * Composer
- Full name
- John Alfred Mandel.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Fields
- film score and jazz composition.
- Honours
- Grammy Award for Song of the Year, NEA Jazz Masters, Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
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John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, 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 Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn. He won five Grammy Awards, from 17 total nominations; his first nomination was for his debut film score for the multi-nominated 1958 film I Want to Live!.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
In 2011, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. Among his other film accolades, Mandel also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper (1965), and was nominated three times each for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Grammy Trustees Award for his contributions to the music industry, in 2018.
Johnny Mandel studied at New York Military Academy. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is film score and jazz composition. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are pop music, film score, jazz and folk music. Distinctions recorded are Grammy Award for Song of the Year, NEA Jazz Masters, Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Johnny Mandel • Birth Name — John Alfred Mandel • Born — 23 November 1925 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 29 June 2020 • Place of death — Ojai, California, U.S. • Education — * Manhattan School of Music • Juilliard School • Occupation — * Composer • arranger • multi-instrumentalist • Relatives — Miles Goodman (cousin)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Mandel was born in the borough of Manhattan in New York City on November 23, 1925. His father, Alfred, was a garment manufacturer who ran Mandel & Cash; his mother, Hannah (Hart-Rubin), had aimed to be an opera singer and discovered her son had perfect pitch at the age of five. His family was Jewish. They moved to Los Angeles in 1934, after his father's business collapsed during the Great Depression. Mandel was given piano lessons, but switched to the trumpet and later the trombone. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School.
Musician
Musician
In 1943, he played the trumpet with jazz violinist Joe Venuti. The following year, he worked with Billy Rogers and played trombone in the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Georgie Auld and Chubby Jackson. In 1949 he accompanied the singer June Christy in the orchestra of Bob Cooper. From 1951 until 1953 he played and arranged music in Elliot Lawrence's orchestra, and in 1953 with Count Basie. He subsequently resided in Los Angeles, where he played the bass trumpet for Zoot Sims.
Composer and arranger
Composer and arranger
A 1944 Band graduate of New York Military Academy, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, he wrote jazz compositions including "Not Really the Blues" for Woody Herman in 1949, "Hershey Bar" (1950) and "Pot Luck" (1953) for Stan Getz, "Straight Life" (1953) and "Low Life" (1956) for Count Basie, as well as "Tommyhawk" (1954) for Chet Baker. Mandel performed an interpretation of Erik Satie's "Gnossiennes #4 and #5" on the piano for the film Being There (1979). He won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) in 1981 for Quincy Jones's song Velas, and again in 1991 for Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", and one year later once more for Shirley Horn's album Here's to Life. In 2004, Mandel arranged Tony Bennett's album The Art of Romance. Bennett and Mandel had collaborated before on Bennett's The Movie Song Album (1966), for which Mandel arranged and conducted his songs "Emily" and "The Shadow of Your Smile", and was also the album's musical director. Johnny Mandel, A Man and His Music, featuring The DIVA Jazz Orchestra and vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway was recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in May 2010, and released by Arbors Records in March 2011. In 2012, he worked on one of Paul McCartney's most recent songs at the time, "My Valentine". He provided the song with a new and original arrangement. It appeared on McCartney's expanded version of his album Kisses on the Bottom in November of that year.
Personal life
Personal life
Mandel married Lois Lee in 1959, and Martha Blanner in 1972, and had a daughter, Marissa, born in 1976. Mandel was also the cousin of fellow film composer Miles Goodman.
Death
Death
Mandel died on June 29, 2020, at his home in Ojai, California. He was 94, and suffered from a heart ailment.
Arrangements
Arrangements
• 1956: Hoagy Sings Carmichael by Hoagy Carmichael • 1960 Jo + Jazz by Jo Stafford • 1960: Ring-a-Ding-Ding! by Frank Sinatra • 1962: I Dig the Duke! I Dig the Count! by Mel Tormé • 1966: "Emily" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Movie Song Album by Tony Bennett • 1975: "Mirrors" by Peggy Lee • 1979: "Coolsville" and "Company" from Rickie Lee Jones by Rickie Lee Jones • 1981: "Velas" from The Dude by Quincy Jones • 1991: "Mona Lisa", "Smile", "Lush Life", "That Sunday That Summer", "Too Young", "Our Love is Here to Stay", "Unforgettable" from Unforgettable... with Love by Natalie Cole • 1992: Here's to Life by Shirley Horn • 1992: "God Bless the Child" and "Body and Soul" from In Tribute by Diane Schuur • 1992: The Christmas Album by Manhattan Transfer • 1993: "Will You Be There" by Michael Jackson • 1995: Pearls by David Sanborn • 1999: When I Look in Your Eyes by Diana Krall • 2001: You're My Thrill by Shirley Horn • 2003: "Summer Wind","That's All (1952 song)" by Michael Buble • 2004: The Art of Romance by Tony Bennett • 2009: Love Is the Answer by Barbra Streisand
Filmography
Filmography
Johnny Mandel composed and/or arranged music for the following motion pictures or television programs: • 1958: I Want to Live! • 1960: The 3rd Voice • 1961: The Lawbreakers • 1963: Drums of Africa • 1964: The Americanization of Emily • 1965: The Sandpiper • 1965: Mister Roberts (TV series; 1 episode) • 1966: Harper • 1966: An American Dream • 1966: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming • 1966: Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1967: Point Blank • 1968: Pretty Poison • 1969: Heaven with a Gun • 1969: That Cold Day in the Park • 1969: Some Kind of a Nut • 1970: M*A*S*H • 1970: The Man Who Had Power Over Women • 1972: M*A*S*H (TV series) • 1972: Journey Through Rosebud • 1972: Molly and Lawless John • 1973: The Last Detail • 1973: Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams • 1974: W • 1975: Escape to Witch Mountain • 1976: Freaky Friday • 1976: The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea • 1979: Agatha • 1979: Being There • 1979: The Baltimore Bullet • 1980: Too Close for Comfort (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1980: Caddyshack • 1982: Deathtrap • 1982: Lookin' to Get Out • 1982: The Verdict • 1986: Amazing Stories (TV series; 1 episode) • 1989: Brenda Starr
Identity
Identity
Johnny Mandel is recorded as having received Grammy Award for Song of the Year, NEA Jazz Masters and Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2020
Johnny Mandel died at Ojai.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Manhattan.
Birth place
Ojai.
Death place
Compositions
• "A Christmas Love Song" (lyrics by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman) • "Close Enough for Love" (lyrics by Paul Williams) • "Emily" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer) • "Little Did I Dream" (lyrics by David Frishberg) • "The Shadow of Your Smile" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) • "Suicide Is Painless" (lyrics by Mike Altman) • "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (lyrics by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman) • "A Time for Love" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) • "Where Do You Start?" (lyrics by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman) • "You Are There" (lyrics by Dave Frishberg) • "The Moon Song" (aka "Solitary Moon")
Film and television scores
Mandel composed, conducted and arranged the music for numerous movie sound tracks. His earliest credited contribution was to I Want to Live! in 1958, which was nominated for three Grammy Awards. His other compositions include "Suicide Is Painless" (theme song for the movie and TV series M*A*S*H), "Close Enough for Love", "Emily" and "A Time for Love" (nominated for an Academy Award). "Emily" was a favorite of pianist Bill Evans and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, both of whom included it in live performances until they died, and Evans included it in a duo recording with Tony Bennett. Mandel wrote numerous film scores, including the score of The Sandpiper. The love theme for that film, "The Shadow of Your Smile", which he co-wrote with Paul Francis Webster, won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1966.
Discography
• 1953: Dance Session with Count Basie (Clef) • 1966: Quietly There, Bill Perkins Quintet (Riverside) • 1958: A Sure Thing: David Allen Sings Jerome Kern (Pacific Jazz) • 2011: Johnny Mandel, A Man and His Music, with The DIVA Jazz Orchestra and Ann Hampton Callaway (Arbors)
Honors
Honors
Mandel was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1993. He was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. He was a recipient of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award. He subsequently received The Grammy Trustees Award in 2018, which is awarded by The Recording Academy to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording".
Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations
• Award — Year — Category — Work — Result — Ref. Reference(s) • Academy Awards — 1966 — Best Original Song — "The Shadow of Your Smile" (from The Sandpiper) • 1967 — "A Time for Love" (from An American Dream) • Golden Globe Awards — 1966 — Best Original Score — The Sandpiper • Best Original Song — "The Shadow of Your Smile" (from The Sandpiper) • 1973 — "Take Me Home" (from Molly and Lawless John) • Grammy Awards — 1959 — Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast From a Motion Picture or Television — I Want to Live! • Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra • Best Instrumental Composition — Title theme (from I Want to Live!) • 1966 — Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media — The Sandpiper • Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella — "The Shadow of Your Smile" (from The Sandpiper) • 1971 — Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media — M*A*S*H • 1977 — Best Instrumental Composition — "Midnight Soul Patrol" • 1982 — Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella — "Velas" • 1992 — Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals — "Unforgettable" • 1993 — "Here's to Life" • 1994 — "Some Enchanted Evening" • 1995 — "Young at Heart" • 2000 — "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" • Album of the Year — When I Look in Your Eyes • 2002 — Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals — "You're My Thrill" • Primetime Emmy Awards — 1986 — Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special — A Letter to Three Wives • 1987 — LBJ: The Early Years • 1988 — Foxfire
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.National Endowment for the Arts. National Endowment for the Arts Announces Live Webcast of 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony & Concert on January 11, 2011. January 4, 2011.
- 2.Grode, Eric. Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead. The New York Times. June 30, 2020.
- 3.Strunk, Steven. Mandel, Johnny [John Alfred]. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. 2003. 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J286900.
- 4.Aswad, Jem. ASCAP Henry Mancini Award Honoring Johnny Mandel.
- 5.Johnny Mandel | Encyclopedia.com. www.encyclopedia.com.
- 6.Johnny Mandel. Jazzday.com.
- 7.Blistein, Jon. Johnny Mandel, Composer of 'M*A*S*H' Theme and More, Dead at 94. Rolling Stone. June 30, 2020.
- 8.Savage, Mark. Johnny Mandel: Michael Buble leads tributes to 'genius' Mash composer. BBC News. June 30, 2020.
- 9.National Endowment for the Arts. Johnny Mandel – Bio. November 23, 1925.
- 10.Greiving, Tim. Johnny Mandel, composer who gave 'M.A.S.H.' its theme song, dies at 94. The Washington Post. June 30, 2020.
- 11.Hischak, Thomas S. The Encyclopedia of Film Composers. Rowman & Littlefield. 438–439. April 16, 2015. 9781442245501.
- 12.Kim, Wook. Being There – After 'The End': 10 Memorable End-Credit Scenes. TIME. November 26, 2012.
- 13.The Recording Academy. Johnny Mandel – Artist.
- 14.DIVA: Sherrie Maricle. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- 15.MASH | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Officialcharts.com.
- 16.Berklee College of Music. Honorary Degree Recipients.
- 17.Berklee College of Music. Commencement 1993.
- 18.Grode, Eric. Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead. The New York Times. 2020-06-30. 0362-4331.
- 19.The Recording Academy. Trustees Award. October 18, 2010.
- 20.California, Marriage Index, 1949–1959, a subscription site. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- 21.California, Marriage Index, 1960–1985, a subscription site. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- 22.Gale. Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music. 28. 2000. 978-0787632533.
- 23.Miles Goodman, 47, Composer for Films. The New York Times. August 20, 1996.
- 24.Jablon, Robert. Miles Goodman, Film Composer and Jazz Record Producer, Dies. Associated Press. August 18, 1996.
- 25.Grode, Eric. Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead. The New York Times. June 30, 2020.
- 26.Burlingame, Jon. Johnny Mandel, Composer Who Wrote 'MASH' Theme Song, Dies at 94. Variety. June 29, 2020.
- 27.Discogs. The Manhattan Transfer – The Christmas Album. 1992.
- 28.Discogs. Peggy Lee – Close Enough For Love. 1979.
- 29.Discogs. Johnny Mandel – The Americanization Of Emily – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
- 30.Discogs. Dave Frishberg – Do You Miss New York? Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
- 31.Discogs. 101 Strings – Love Is Blue / The Shadow Of Your Smile.
- 32.Discogs. The Mash / Johnny Mandel – Suicide Is Painless. 1980.
- 33.Discogs. Abbey Lincoln Featuring Stan Getz – You Gotta Pay The Band.
- 34.Discogs. Cal Tjader – The Shining Sea. 1981.
- 35.Discogs. Shirley Horn – Shirley Horn With Strings – Here's To Life.
- 36.Discogs. Dave Frishberg – The Dave Frishberg Songbook Volume No. 2. 1983.
- 37.Discogs. Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny – Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories). 1997.
- 38.Discogs. Hoagy Carmichael – Hoagy Sings Carmichael. 1982.
- 39.Discogs. Frank Sinatra – Ring-A-Ding Ding!. 1961.
- 40.Discogs. Mel Tormé – I Dig The Duke – I Dig The Count.
- 41.Discogs. Tony Bennett – The Movie Song Album. 1966.
- 42.Discogs. Peggy Lee – Mirrors. 1975.
- 43.Discogs. David Sanborn – Pearls. 1995.
- 44.Discogs. Diana Krall – When I Look In Your Eyes. 1999.
- 45.Discogs. Shirley Horn – You're My Thrill.
- 46.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. The Inductees. Billboard. 122. 13. 28. June 19, 2010. 0006-2510.
- 47.Library of Congress. The 3rd Voice.
- 48.Craggs, Stewart R. Soundtracks: International Dictionary of Composers of Music for Film. Routledge. May 3, 2019. 9780429777431.
- 49.Library of Congress. Mister Roberts (1965/6).
- 50.Library of Congress. Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre.
- 51.Library of Congress. Journey Through Rosebud.
- 52.Library of Congress. Too Close for Comfort – The Ted Knight Show.
- 53.Library of Congress. Amazing Stories.
- 54.Discogs. Count Basie, Count Basie Orchestra – Complete 1953–1954 Dance Sessions.
- 55.Discogs. Bill Perkins Quintet Featuring Victor Feldman – Quietly There. September 18, 2019.
- 56.Discogs. David Allen* – A Sure Thing – David Allen Sings Jerome Kern.
- 57.Josephson, Sanford. DIVA Jazz Orchestra Celebrates 20th Anniversary at MPAC. Patch. March 30, 2013.
- 58.Jazz Listings. The New York Times. May 20, 2010.
- 59.The 38th Academy Awards 1966. www.oscars.org. 2014-10-04.
- 60.The 39th Academy Awards 1967. www.oscars.org. 2014-10-04.
- 61.Johnny Mandel. Golden Globes.
- 62.Johnny Mandel Artist GRAMMY.com. grammy.com.
- 63.Johnny Mandel Emmy Awards and Nominations. Television Academy.
References
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Johnny Mandel was recorded at birth as John Alfred Mandel. The authorities additionally record the headings John Alfred Mandel, John Mandel and John Alfred. His recorded language was English. Mandel received Grammy Award for Song of the Year, NEA Jazz Masters, Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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