Died composer and arranger, five-time Grammy winner johnny Mandel. The cause of death was not disclosed, but is unlikely to be a mistake to call such age musician was 94 years.Mother of johnny Mandel was an Opera singer, so it’s not surprising that he received his education at the Manhattan and Juilliard schools, the two most prestigious music schools in new York. In the 1940s he played trumpet and trombone in many jazz ensembles, including the bands of Jimmy Dorsey, buddy rich and Joe Venuti. In 1953 he began to work as instrumentalist and arranger with Count Basie, Stan Getzen, and in 1954 — with Chet Baker. In 1958, his name appeared in the credits of the film “I want to live!” for the music for which he was nominated for a Grammy.The obituaries indicate the theme from the film “Suicide Is Painless” in the first place. Among the films with the music of Mandel, familiar to the Russian audience, it is also worth to mention Comedy by Norman Jewison, “the Russians are coming, Russians are coming!” “Being there” by Hal Ashby and “the Verdict” Sidney Lumet. The work of Mandel-arranger in the shadow of his compositional achievements, meanwhile, among his clients were Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Michael Jackson.And still the world’s most famous melody of johnny Mandel — it’s not “Suicide Is Painless”, and “The Shadow Of Your Smile” from the film Vincent Minnelli “the Sandpiper” (1965) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the lead roles. Mandel wrote it, having been on the set of the film and admiring the Californian species, against which unfolds the love story. When Mandel was asked how he composed “The Shadow Of Your Smile”, he replied: “I saw a magnificent ocean panorama, which opens from big sur. First, there was a vocal theme. And then I translated it in what is now know everything.”The song earned the film’s only Oscar, and a year later version Tony Bennett received the “Song of the year” at the ceremony Grammy. No crooner, whose repertoire would not be “the Shadow of your smile”, there is no orchestra, who has not played it for an encore, no restaurant, where by it is not dance lovers. And so for 55 years.”The Shadow Of Your Smile” johnny Mandel was relevant for several generations of jazz musicians. “The world will never be the same without his sense of humor” are the words of a friend of johnny Mandel, singer Michael Feinstein, from the message which the media learned about the death of the musician. And the singer and the main Reanimator old singer Michael buble in a farewell tweet called Mandel a “hero”, “genius” and “beast”.Boris Barabanov
