Don Sebesky

Biography

Sebesky trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, Tommy Dorsey, Warren Covington, Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton. In 1960 he began devoting himself primarily to arranging and conducting; one of his best-known arrangements was for Wes Montgomery's 1965 album Bumpin'. Other credits include George Benson's The Shape of Things to Come, Paul Desmond's From the Hot Afternoon and Freddie Hubbard's First Light. His song "Memphis Two-Step" was the title track of the Herbie Mann 1971 album of the same name. His 1973 release, Giant Box, hit #16 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

He has worked with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, and the Toronto Symphony.

He has been nominated for thirty-one Grammy Awards and won three Grammy Awards in the 1990s: Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Waltz for Debby" (1998) and "Chelsea Bridge" (1999), and Best Instrumental Composition for "Joyful Noise Suite" (1999). He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for Parade (1999) and Kiss Me, Kate (2000). He won a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for the revival of Kiss Me, Kate (2000). Sebesky has also written a book, The Contemporary Arranger (1975).

His Broadway theater credits include "Porgy and Bess (London production by Trevor Nunn)", "Sinatra At The Palladium", "Sweet Charity", "Kiss Me Kate", "Bells Are Ringing", "Flower Drum Song", "Parade", "The Life", "Cyrano", "The Goodbye Girl", "Will Rogers Follies", "Sinatra At Radio City", "Pal Joey", "Come Fly Away", Baby It's You!.

Sebesky's work for television has garnered three Emmy nominations for Allegra's Window on Nickelodeon, The Edge of Night on ABC, and Guiding Light on CBS. He has also composed film scores, including The People Next Door (1970), F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' (1974) and The Rosary Murders (1987).

He has arranged for hundreds of artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, John Pizzarelli, Michael Buble, Liza Minnelli, Seal, Prince, and more.

Don Sebesky has been married since 1986 to Janina Serden and has two daughters with her, Olivia and Elizabeth. He has two sons from a previous marriage, Ken and Kevin and two daughters , Ali and Cymbaline.

As leader

As sideman

With Stan Kenton

As arranger

With Chet Baker

With George Benson

With Willie Bobo

With Kenny Burrell

With Ron Carter

With Hank Crawford

With Paul Desmond

With Maynard Ferguson

With Astrud Gilberto

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Freddie Hubbard

With Jackie and Roy

With Milt Jackson

With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding

With Hubert Laws

With Wes Montgomery

With Airto Moreira

With Cal Tjader

With Walter Wanderley

With Randy Weston

With Stanley Turrentine

With Kai Winding