Andre Previn (1929 - 2019)

[soulpope]

Andre Previn (1929 - 2019) .... R.I.P ....

[sgcim]

I saw him conduct Walton's 2nd Symphony at Carnegie Hall; great performance. I enjoyed reading his autobiography, "No Minor Chords", also.

RIP, Mr. Previn.

[sidewinder]

A regular and welcome sight over here on TV during the 70s during his LSO stint. It will seem odd that he is no longer with us. RIP.

[jazztrain]

Saw him conduct at Tanglewood several years ago.

RIP.

[JSngry]

Interesting life, nothing wasted as far as I can tell. RIP.

[Claude Schlouch]

RIP

[jlhoots]

I always liked the My Fair Lady trio album on Contemporary. RIP.

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP, Andre. Thanks for the wonderful music. 

[Teasing the Korean]

What an interesting career.  RIP. 

[medjuck]

i've been trying to figure out via the internet which came first: jazz, classical or film music.  But looks like he was a prodigy in all of them fro the beginning.  (I first noticed him as the pianist on Shelly Mann's My Fair Lady.) 

[Bill Nelson]

It's curious he never did a country music album.  The man did everything else, which presents a problem for record stores and guys like me.  I've got Previn LPs in three shelf locations for jazz, easy listening, and film music -- and in another room with the classical albums.  And then there's the pop albums with Dory Previn.     

[Big Beat Steve]

I took note of his non-jazz activites only in passing. My first exposure to him came via his mid-40s recordings for Eddie Laguna's Sunset label reissued on Black Lion in the 70s and I was suitably impressed after having bought this LP new at the time. My Fair Lady came quite a bit later (sometime after after the Jim Flora-illustrated Rogers-Previn Collaboration on RCA and Previn/Freeman's Double Play on Contemporary). I know some will shrug many of these recordings off as too much technique (and not enough heartfelt "keyboard fumbling" or so ... ) but anyway ... IMO he had chops. And looking at the jazz corner of his Discogs entries now I realize there are a couple more I'll have to check out when the occasion presents itself.

[Gheorghe]

Is it possible that he once was with Ella Fitzgerald on TV, kind of hosted a show with Ella, with music, with interviews etc.  ?

[Teasing the Korean]

8 hours ago, medjuck said:

i've been trying to figure out via the internet which came first: jazz, classical or film music.  But looks like he was a prodigy in all of them fro the beginning.  (I first noticed him as the pianist on Shelly Mann's My Fair Lady.) 

Simplified and generalized timeline:  Film music was first.  There was some overlap between his jazz work and his film work.  "Classical" - conducting and composing - came later.  Previn still occasionally played jazz along the way during the classical phase.  

Edited March 1, 2019 by Teasing the Korean

[brownie]

Love his 'Collaboration' with Shorty Rogers. One of the best West Coast recording...

[Teasing the Korean]

7 hours ago, Bill Nelson said:

It's curious he never did a country music album.  

Dunno, but he did some Mooged out, spaced out funk on Rollerball!

 

 

[ghost of miles]

3 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Simplified and generalized timeline:  Film music was first.  There was some overlap between his jazz work and his film work. 

Most specifically perhaps The Subterraneans?

I'm also a fan of his Duet album with Doris Day.

[Peter Friedman]

5 hours ago, brownie said:

Love his 'Collaboration' with Shorty Rogers. One of the best West Coast recording...

I agree, a very good recording.

 Previn had a diverse and truly amazing musical career.

Though not related to the music, it was interesting to see that over the course of his long life he had five wives. 

[JSngry]

...and supported one to get ready for Woody Allen...

[Teasing the Korean]

9 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Most specifically perhaps The Subterraneans?

Stylistically, sure.  I was referring more to an overlap of the timelines between his jazz and film music career.

[HutchFan]

On 2/28/2019 at 2:44 PM, sgcim said:

I saw him conduct Walton's 2nd Symphony at Carnegie Hall; great performance. I enjoyed reading his autobiography, "No Minor Chords", also.

Wasn't aware that he had written an autobiography. Thanks for the heads-up on that, sgcim. 

He certainly led an interesting life!  Was there anyone who moved so fluidly and convincingly between different musical worlds?!?!?

 

[Justin V]

I have three of his albums, with Mundell Lowe joining him on all three.  While I got to see Lowe perform on three occasions, I never got to see Previn perform.  I need to pick up the album he did with Russ Freeman.  Thank you for the music, Mr. Previn, and rest in peace.

[crisp]

Thinking about it, Previn made the first jazz and the first classical records I owned. When I was about ten my parents gave me an EP of him playing Fats Waller and about the same time I bought a cassette of him conducting Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and Seventh Symphony. Thanks Andre! I daresay he got a lot of people into music beyond pop, he was so unpretentious and approachable.

Are many Americans familiar with his brief comedy career?

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by crisp

[mikeweil]

Of all "classical" musicians trying themselves at jazz he was the best, IMO - well, if you can label him "classical", that is. His swing was natural, and that is the most important part of it. He was an all-round musician, period.

R.I.P.