Wednesday 3 April 2019

Stan Freeman born 3 April 1920


Stanley Freeman (April 3, 1920 – January 13, 2001) was an American composer, lyricist, musical arranger, conductor, and studio musician.

Although he only released a handful of recordings of his own, Stan Freeman was a near-omnipresent fixture on the New York jazz scene as a soloist, accompanist, and session musician for much of the 1950's and early '60s. Additionally, he attracted attention as a composer, comic writer, and raconteur, and also served as an arranger from the 1960's thru the 1980's for Marlene Dietrich and Michael Feinstein. And for a time in the early 1950's, he helped spearhead a momentary and unexpected revival of the harpsichord as a popular instrument.

Born in Waterbury, CT, in 1920, as Stanley Freedman, he studied classical piano and later graduated from the University of Hartford. He played in Glenn Miller's U.S. Army Air Force Band during World War II and moved on to Tex Beneke's band after the war, when he dropped the “ d”  from his surname. 


He recorded duets with pianist Cy Walker, in addition to recording with Lee Wiley and Mabel Mercer as an accompanist. During the early '50s, he became a successful nightclub entertainer in his own right, as much for his comical asides and commentary as his piano playing.

Freeman's first taste of recognition outside of the professional music world came in 1951 when he played a session with Rosemary Clooney where an unusual novelty record was cut -- the 
result, "Come On-A My House," was an international smash 
and a career-maker for Clooney, and Freeman's accompaniment on the harpsichord made him into enough of a celebrity that Columbia Records released an album of his work entitled Come On-A Stan's House that same year. The harpsichord became a particular specialty of his over the next few years and Freeman brought the instrument to the music of Percy Faith, among other band leaders, on various recordings during the first half of the 1950's. Faith's "Delicado", was a no. 1 hit in 1952.


                             

Freeman's solo recordings include Piano Sweethearts, Piano Moods, Come on-a Stan's house: Stan Freeman at the Harpsichord, Fascination, Manhattan, At the Blue Angel, and Everybody's Twistin'.

During the 1960's, he cut one album, Fascination, for Enoch Light's Project 3 label and kept busy as an accompanist. He became the successor to Burt Bacharach as Marlene Dietrich's musical director and collaborated in the composing of a pair of Broadway musicals. He was a favourite composer of special musical material for television as well, particularly for Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore, and won an Emmy Award for his work as composer of "Hi-Hat," a Fred Astaire parody that was done with Burnett.

His activities scarcely slackened in the 1970's and the 1980's, when he became an arranger for Michael Feinstein. He also indulged his lifelong admiration for George Gershwin and his interpreter Oscar Levant, writing a tribute to Levant, a well-known raconteur as well as musician, entitled "At Wit's End." 

As late as 1997, when he was in his late eighties, Freeman took on the new role of theatrical performer (as well as being the music director) in an off-Broadway revue entitled Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.


Freeman died of emphysema at his home in Los Angeles, California. January 13, 2001. He was 80.

(Edited from Wikipedia and mainly AllMusic bio by Bruce Eder)

6 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Stan Freeman – Fascination” (1967 Project 3 Total Sound) go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/9783435/Stan_Freeman_-_Fascination.rar.html

1. Fascination
2. Take Me In Your Arms
3. When I Look In Your Eyes (From The Film Dr. Doolittle)
4. The Gentle Rain
5. I've Got A Crush On You
6. Strangers In The Night
7. This Is My Song (From The Countess From Hong Kong)
8. Autumn Leaves
9. The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful
10. It's The Talk Of The Town
11. My Fooling Heart
12. My Sin

A big thank you to Jose Sandoval @ A Walk In The Black forest blog for original post.

Hit Parade said...

Bob,
All I knew about Stan Freeman was three big hits: "Come On-a My House" (1(4)-August 1952,"Delicado" (3(1)-July 1952) and "Botch-A-Me" (3(2)-August 1952) until you made this surprising, delightful, elegant album available to us. I immediately purchased a down load of his 1951 10" album "Piano Moods" (Columbia CL 6158). If you should find anything else by him it would be also appreciated, thank you. :-)

Hit Parade said...

Bob,
I forgot, your post got me looking for more Stan Freeman, and on a Lee Wiley album "The Complete Fifties Studio Masters 1950-1954" I found three songs where Stan Freeman is accompanying her on piano. "More Than You Know" bw "Rise 'N Shine" (on the 45) and "Time On My Hands". And The "More Than You Know" recording is absolutely the most beautiful pop song you will ever experience. Thank you :-)

boppinbob said...

hello HP, any chance of posting the lee Wiley album. Regards, Bob

Hit Parade said...

BOB,
I could send it to you.

boppinbob said...

Yes please, I use upload ee. You can use it without signing up. Just send me the link.
Regards, Bob