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Norman Bergen (born May 17, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, band leader, musical director, and vocalist.
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Norman Bergen (born May 17, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, band leader, musical director, and vocalist.
Norman Bergen comes from a musical family. He is the younger son of Pauline and Sam Bergen. The largest item in their small apartment was a baby grand piano which was played by his mother Pauline. His older brother Danny played trumpet. Norman started playing piano at the age of three. Bergen's early influences were the pianists played by New York DJs Alan Freed and Symphony Sid: Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Thelonious Monk, Ramsey Lewis, and Dave Brubeck.
Bergen went on to perform in New York's Catskill Mountains sitting in with his brother's band in 1957. He was a band leader and pianist at the early age of 14. In that same year, 1959, he also appeared on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon with his own band. During his years in the Catskills, from 1959 until the mid-1960s, Bergen backed up many stars including Cab Calloway, Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Mason, Dick Shawn, and jazz musician Joe Williams.
While still in high school, Bergen would take the subway train to Manhattan after school to play his demos for companies in the Brill Building. During this period, at age 17, he toured with Neil Sedaka, playing piano and guitar. Bergen also met two well-known Brooklyn singing groups: Vito & the Salutations with whom he performed as a member for two years as well as writing songs and arrangements for their recordings, and The Tokens. [1] Bergen's musical arrangements for The Tokens' Bright Tunes Productions include records by The Chiffons, The Happenings, the Tokens themselves, and the first two hits by Tony Orlando and Dawn: “Candida” [2] and multi-million seller “Knock Three Times”. [3] Bergen later re-joined forces with Tokens founding members Phil and Mitch Margo along with Dennis Marcellino, to form a “west coast Tokens”, touring the U.S. from 1985 to 1993 during which time they recorded two albums: “Re-Doo-Wopp” (RCA) and “Oldies Are Now” (BT Puppy). It was during those years that the group appeared in the acclaimed sketch “City Of Strangers” on “The Tracey Ullman [4] Show”.
Bergen earned degrees from Manhattan School of Music – Bachelor's in Music Theory in 1966 and Master's in Music Education in 1967. It was during his years at this school that he had the honor of playing piano under conductor Leopold Stokowski (at Carnegie Hall)with the American Symphony Orchestra, a television program at WGBH Boston with composer Aaron Copland, and recording the music of composer Lou Harrison [5] with the Manhattan Percussion Ensemble. Bergen performed with the ensemble on the original 1965 recording of Julia Perry's Homunculus C.F., a piece for harp, celeste/piano, and eight percussionists.
In 1964, Bergen co-wrote the song "Only A Fool Breaks His Own Heart" with Shelly Coburn for United Artists Music. It has had quite a history since its first recording by Arthur Prysock. [6] There are now more than 60 versions including Tom Jones, [7] Wyclef Jean, [8] Nick Lowe on "The Convincer" CD, [9] Dion DiMucci, Long John Baldry, and calypso king Mighty Sparrow. [10] The song has attained huge success in various parts of the world including Holland where it was on the top 100 for 28 weeks [11] and came in at No. 3 of the 70s decade. It has become a true standard in Finland as “Muisto vain jää”, with hit versions by Jouko and Kosti, [12] Pekka Tiilikainen and Beatmakers, [13] and Harri Marstio. Bergen is currently composing material for Marstio's next album. The song has also been translated to German, Swedish, and Dutch.
Bergen's Broadway and off-Broadway show credits include Oh! Calcutta! (where he holds the record of conducting over 3000 performances on Broadway), [14] “Let My People Come”, [15] and “What’s A Nice Country (Doing In A State Like This?)”. He has also conducted orchestras for Debbie Reynolds, [16] Robert Guillaume, and Juliet Prowse. Bergen was musical director for the PBS fund-raiser “Let’s Rock Tonight Concert” [17] which featured original recording artists of the 50s and 60s including Fabian, Ben E. King, Del Shannon, Mitch Ryder, Martha & The Vandellas, and Mary Wells. He spent many years in the 80s and 90s as musical director for Tony Orlando, [18] including a 5-year run at Branson’s Yellow Ribbon Music Theatre. [19] He also was musical director and did vocal arrangements on the 1976 musical Let My People Come .
Bergen and associate Reid Whitelaw wrote and produced some of the most memorable disco records of the 70s with artists Gloria Gaynor " Love Is Just a Heartbeat Away", [20] Ralph Carter [21] of TV's Good Times , Vicki Sue Robinson, and singing group Moment of Truth, whose recording of “So Much For Love” would become the first twelve-inch 45, [22] as created by Tom Moulton. [23]
Bergen has arranged music and/or produced recordings for a varied range of singers including Astrud Gilberto [24] "Come Softly to Me/Hushabye" on Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour, Trini Lopez, Danny Bonaduce, [25] Diane Keaton, and Tiny Tim. [26]
Many of Bergen's songs and productions have resurfaced largely through the efforts of former fellow co-writer/producer Reid Whitelaw, with track samples by such artists as Snoop Dogg,the song "Friends" on his 2001 Gold Album "Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way", and German duo Milk & Sugar, on their hits "Stay Around(For This)" [27] and "Has Your Man Got Soul". [28] Bergen was the musical director for Tony Orlando at the Yellow Ribbon Music Theater and has also been active on U.S. riverboats including the Mississippi Queen, [29] American Queen, and Empress of the North, where he performed as band leader and musical director for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. and Majestic America Line.
His latest album, his first as featured performer, is Symphony of Love. It contains 13 tracks including Bergen's own rendition of "Only A Fool Breaks His Own Heart", plus 11 new originals. Personnel include Nick Lowe, Anna Harvey, Geraint Watkins (keyboards), Zev Katz (bass), and Van Morrison alumni Johnny Scott (guitar) and Robert Treherne (drums), who co-produced the album with Neil Brockbank at Goldtop Studios in London.
Oscar Levant was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films Rhapsody in Blue (1945), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), An American in Paris (1951), and The Band Wagon (1953). He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 for recordings featuring his piano performances. He was portrayed by Sean Hayes in the Broadway play Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright. Levant appeared as himself in the Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945).
João Gilberto was a Brazilian guitarist, singer, and composer who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world, he was often called the "father of bossa nova"; in his native Brazil, he was referred to as "O Mito" . In 1965, the album Getz/Gilberto was the first jazz record to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It also won Best Jazz Instrumental Album – Individual or Group and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Nominated at the Grammy 1978 in the category Best Jazz Vocal Performance, album Amoroso, and winner category in Grammy 2001 with João voz e violão Best World Music Album.
Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry for a specific recording will often list such details as the names of the artists involved, the time and place of the recording, the title of the piece performed, release dates, chart positions, and sales figures.
Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956, respectively, in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.
"Garota de Ipanema", "The Girl from Ipanema", is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. English lyrics were written later by Norman Gimbel.
Eumir Deodato de Almeida is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger and record producer, primarily in jazz but who has been known for his eclectic melding of genres, such as pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, Latin and bossa nova.
Getz/Gilberto is an album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, featuring pianist and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, who also composed many of the tracks. It was released in March 1964 by Verve Records. The album features the vocals of Astrud Gilberto on two tracks, "Garota de Ipanema" and "Corcovado". The artwork was done by artist Olga Albizu. Getz/Gilberto is a jazz and bossa nova album and includes tracks such as "Desafinado", "Corcovado", and "Garota de Ipanema". The last received a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and started Astrud Gilberto's career. "Doralice" and "Para Machucar Meu Coração" strengthened Gilberto's and Jobim's respect for the tradition of pre-bossa nova samba.
Fear of the Unknown is the debut solo album by the English rock musician Martin Briley, released in 1981 by Mercury Records.
"Love for Sale" is a song by Cole Porter introduced by Kathryn Crawford in the musical The New Yorkers, which opened on Broadway on December 8, 1930 and closed in May 1931 after 168 performances. The song is written from the viewpoint of a prostitute advertising "love for sale".
David Burns was an American Broadway theatre and motion picture actor and singer.
"Pennies from Heaven" is a 1936 American popular song with music by Arthur Johnston and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby with Georgie Stoll and his Orchestra in the 1936 film of the same name.
"I Had the Craziest Dream" is a popular song which was published in 1942. The music was written by Harry Warren, the lyrics by Mack Gordon.
"Who Can I Turn To?" (alternatively titled "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)") is a song written by English composer-lyricists Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and first published in 1964.
Everything Playing is the fourth studio album and sixth overall by the Lovin' Spoonful, released in 1967.
Bird and Diz is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was recorded primarily on June 6, 1950, in New York City. Two tracks featured on the original pressing, "Passport" and "Visa", were recorded by Parker, without Gillespie and with different personnel than the other tracks, in March and May 1949. The album was originally issued in 1952 in 10" format as a collection of 78 rpm singles on the Verve subsidiary label Clef Records.
"It's a Lovely Day Today" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for his successful musical Call Me Madam (1950) when it was introduced by Russell Nype and Galina Talva. The musical was adapted as a movie in 1953 and the song "It's a Lovely Day Today" was performed by Donald O'Connor and Vera-Ellen.
João Donato de Oliveira Neto was a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist as well as a trombonist from Rio Branco. He first worked with Altamiro Carrilho and went on to perform with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto. Because of the area he grew up in Brasil he was able to hear Cuban music on the radio. This influence would manifest itself in many of his compositions, piano, and trombone playing. Donato's most well-known compositions include: "Amazonas", "Lugar Comum", "Simples Carinho", "Até Quem Sabe" and "Nasci Para Bailar".
Astrud Gilberto was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema".
Astrud Gilberto, was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. Her discography consists of sixteen studio albums and two live albums on Verve Records, CTI Records, Perception Records, Audio Fidelity Records, Denon Records, Polygram Records, Pony Canyon and Magya Productions, as well as one music DVD on Coqueiro Verde Records.
Revelation: Revolution '69 is the fifth and final studio album by the Lovin' Spoonful, released in late 1968.
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