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Buddy has countless producer and director credits including "An Evening With Ethel Merman" on BBC, "The Danny Thomas Special" on CBS, "International Cabaret" series starring Juliet Prowse, Mel Tormé, Shirley Bassey, Diahann Carroll, Nancy Wilson, on the BBC, "An Evening With Jule Styne" (ITV-London) (Styne was Buddy 's uncle - his mother's brother!) "Newport Jazz Festival" on NBC-TV, and "The American Civil War Film" starring Donald Sutherland on BBC-TV, for which Buddy received director of the year and show of the year awards (view Buddy's resume).
Buddy scored and orchestrated films such as "Pajama Game," "Crime in the Streets" and a number of Roger Corman films.
Buddy began his career as an arranger, conductor and artist and repertoire head of the famed Verve jazz record label. Shortly thereafter, he recorded the first of five gold single records (two of them going platinum). Buddy is perhaps best known for the incredible array of artists he collaborated with.
Some of the most highly regarded jazz albums in history were arranged and conducted by Buddy , including "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook," "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook," "Count Basie With Joe Williams," "Bing (Crosby) Sings Whilst Bregman Swings," Anita O'Day "Anita," Sammy Davis Jr. "Mr. Entertainment," Oscar Peterson "Soft Sands" and Bobby Darin "At the Copa."
Pick of the Month
June 25, 2007. This article just appeared in Intune International Monthly From London:
Ella Fitzgerald SINGS THE VERY BEST OF THE COLE PORTER SONGBOOK:
Verve is doing a super job this year in honoring the first lady of song, and this recent release of highlights in the composer series only bears it out all the more. One easily gets the feeling that Porter customized his great standards with Ella in mind. She opens with JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS and from then on we are carried down a winding ski slope of classical compositions. It is difficult to highlight the best selections, since all have been signature hits from a man who not only write the most tantalizing melodies, but the most imaginative lyrics ever put into verse. There are 12 tracks and they leave you wanting more - much more! NIGHT AND DAY, I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU, BEGIN THE BEGUINE, IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT and one of Porter's saucier contributions, LOVE FOR SALE!
The major credit for the this album being so damn good has to go to Buddy Bregman, who not only conducted the accompaniment, but also did all of the arranging. It is Buddy who was the soul of VERVE, that makes it all work so fluidly. His passion for the genius of Ella Fitzgerald is felt throughout every one of the selections. Some of the finest musicians of that time are brought together under Buddy's skillful baton.
The Hall of Fame cast includes: Pete Candoli, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Maynard Ferguson, Barney Kessel, Alvin Stoller, Herb Geller, Lloyd Ulyate and Paul Smith, among the sampling represented. This is a 24-carat album with the results simply breathtaking.
New Review
BB's Big Band Beat - from IN TUNE INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY - London, England
by Brian Belton
BUDDY BREGMAN SWINGIN' STANDARDS - Lonehill Jazz LHT 10243
Sometimes if you wait long enough, a favourite big band vinyl album gets missed on CD. It happened recently with an all-star U.S. West Coast studio orchestra arranged and conducted by occasional In Tune contributor, Buddy Bregman.
I rate this Buddy's best big band album in a fine career that has seen his sparkling creative arrangements grace many an instrumental and vocal collection. Ten great popular dance standards are played with precision and power by the likes of Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino, George Roberts, Richie Kamuca, Bill Perkins, Russ Freeman, Mel Lewis and others. If you ever wish to demonstrate how the Hollywood session elite could play big band music that swings, this is the set.
COMMENTS BY FRED ASTAIRE:
Buddy has hit a consistently individual style in "Swinging Standards." It is to my mind, an album in which every item is a special attraction. His treatment of some Cole Porter tunes stood out to me; and the great Ellington's, "In A Mellow Tone" incites a dancing mood. One can tell he loved doing the job, and the same can be said of the entire band. All of his men, from the brilliant trombones to the powerful drums, are tops - and you hear them individually more than usual. To me, there is a plus value to the whole package. All of Buddy's special arranging and conducting comes out in full force. It's a fine dance album.
Fred was a dear friend of mine. At a party, when child-actress Tracey was on "Days of Our Lives", at some party she said to him, "Hello Mister Astaire, I'm Tracey Bregman, Buddy's daughter!" Fred pointed at her and said, "I love your father." He was a great man - and I worked with him but more than that, he and I were great friends. How lucky I was to even know him. - Buddy Bregman
New Review
BUDDY BREGMAN'S ENERGY - FROM IN TUNE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE EDITOR/OWNER
Jane Powell: True Love. You would think that the Verve catalogue consisted solely of Ella Fitzgerald's recordings judging by the way the Universal group have ignored just about everyone else so it falls to enterprising labels like Flare to delve a little deeper and come up with goodies like this. When Norman Granz set up Verve, he entrusted the young Buddy Bregman with some challenging projects, not the least of which was to inaugurate the pioneering Songbook series by Ella. What was equally remarkable was that Bregman, in the first flush of his arranging career, also took on board the Basie band, Joe Williams, Anita O'Day and Bing Crosby at the same time. Not content with that workload, he also found time to arrange and conduct an album with the musical star Jane Powell, in a style very different from her quasi-operatic warbling in many an MGM musical. The sixteen sides she cut for Verve came at the premature end of her film career and the choice of standard material gave her a viable direction for her subsequent successful cabaret and stage performances. The CD is rounded out by a soundtrack song from THE GIRL MOST LIKELY, her musical swansong for soon to be defunct RKO, conducted by Nelson Riddle and three songs from her two TV musicals, where Bregman is again the arranger/conductor. A very pleasant CD which features tracks well overdue for an airing. One question remains. Wherever did Buddy Bregman find the energy for this amazing burst of creativity?
RE Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart Songbooks
YES I DID MAKE VERVE RECORDS WHAT IT BECAME AS I RAN THE A&R DIVISION OF THE FLEDGING NEW LABEL - FROM THE FIRST DAY MONDAY WE OPENED THE DOORS - FOR THE OWNER-PROMOTER NORMAN GRANZ FOR THE FIRST 2 YEARS IT WAS IN EXISTANCE!!!
I WAS THE HEAD OF ARTISTS & REPERTOIRE and recorded all the new artists - WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OLD ONES - AND YES I arranged and conducted the Cole Porter and the Rodgers & Hart Song books - in fact I started Verve Records with Norman Granz's money. I was very very young and hit lucky as I never stayed in the background . It has been written that I WAS THE SOUL OF VERVE and I can not dispute that - I lived and breathed Verve Records 24/7 to make it a success.
In fact owner Norman was against me spending all that money on Ella's 1st two songbooks (Cole Porter/Rodgers & Hart) because he didn't think she would sell - I knew she would and decided to throw caution to the wind and "go for it" and I did and I spent double the amout of $ when he said not to spend "too much"! on the Porter and Rodgers and Hart albums with her so I spent double the amount with large orchestras on both albums. I also recorded Anita O'Day - 2 albums - and they both went gold and platinum - first time ever for both ladies and both albums were arranged and conducted by me. Everytime I went against his "musical orders" I won and each one of the albums I went against not to use large orchestras I did and they all were very very big hits! THE BIGGEST MR. GRANZ EVER EVER HAD!!!
I loved Ella Fitzgerald and we became very close friends besides PRODUCING, ARRANGING AND CONDUCTING the COLE PORTER SONGBOOK and the RODGERS & HART SONGBOOK + all her singles +++ ELLA'S big Las Vegas PREMIER SHOW at the New Frontier Hotel - AS WELL AS OUR NEWLY COMPOSED SINGLES JUST WRITTEN FOR HER - WHICH I COMMISSIONED - and some which I wrote - and we were A BIG HIT at The New Frontier Hotel in LAS VEGAS as well - her first time and we broke another 1st - A Black female jazz singer headlining a major Vegas Venue.
I loved that lady and wouldn't let Norman Granz's dictums about what to do and what not to do for her bother me!!! I had a lovely mother so I of course "knew the drill."
I TOOK GOOD CARE OF ELLA AS I WOULD MY OWN MOTHER - NEVER EVER EVER ABANDONED HER NEEDS - so I always went with my gut and as "I MADE THE LABEL" in the first 2 years (WITH MANY HIT SINGLES AND HIT ALBUMS) AND I was right about doing it that way - MY WAY - AND I AM QUITE PROUD OF MY PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT (AND MY BROTHER BOBBY'S GREAT WORK IN POST-PRODUCTION) DURING VERVE'S 1ST 2 YEARS OF EXISTENCE ... BUDDY BREGMAN
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