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Alexander "Sandy" Courage
Alexander Courage Star Trek Fanfare Composer Alexander "Sandy" Courage won an Emmy Award as principal arranger for the ABC special Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas and was a nominee for his work on Medical Center.
Sandy Courage described his work as a conductor, arranger, and composer in network radio on such series as: The Screen Guild Theater, The Adventures of Sam Spade, and Hedda Hopper's This Is Hollywood.
Courage's entrance into feature filmmaking as an arranger was at MGM, his screen highlights on such musical classics as Showboat, The Band Wagon, and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He was composer for television at Revue Productions. He was composer on the MGM series National Velvet. Switching to 20th Century Fox, his work on such feature films as The Pleasure Seekers and Doctor Doolittle.
For television at 20th he worked on such series as: Daniel Boone, for which he composed dozens of episodes. He described maybe his most famous work on the series Star Trek for which he wrote the familiar fanfare, theme, and music for the two pilot episodes, as well as several later episodes.
Courage extensive work on The Waltons for which he composed over one hundred episodes and other shows include: Judd For The Defense (for which Courage wrote the theme and music for several episodes), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and several Academy Award telecasts.
Courage's fanfare for the "Starship Enterprise," written in 1965 for the first of two Star Trek pilots, was heard throughout the three original seasons of the show and has been reprised throughout all the Trek feature films and several of the TV series, notably Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1980s and '90s.
He won a 1988 Emmy as principal arranger for the ABC special Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas, and received Oscar nominations (both shared with Lionel Newman) for his adaptation scores for The Pleasure Seekers in 1963 and Doctor Dolittle in 1967.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, he received his degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. in 1941, then moved to California. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and became a bandleader at bases in California and Arizona.
After the war, he began working for CBS Radio, composing for such shows as The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. From 1948 to 1960, he worked as an orchestrator and arranger at MGM, including work on the musicals Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Guys and Dolls, It's Always Fair Weather, Funny Face and Gigi.
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Smoke Jazz Club Announces August Line-up Featuring Album Release Shows By Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander And David Murray
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Hailed as the “#1 Jazz Club in New York City (SecretNYC),” SMOKE Jazz Club today announced its concert schedule for August 2025. SMOKE is thrilled to present two album release shows this month: Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring’s co-led saxophone battle Split Decision (SMOKE Sessions Records), and David Murray’s first album on a major label since the 1990s, Birdly Serenade (Impulse! Records). August also marks the return of: master trombonist Steve Turre leading his all-star quintet; Johnathan Blake previewing his ...
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Alexander J Dubovoy
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Source:
AMT Public Relations
SMOKE Jazz Club welcomes back some of today’s leading artists in February. For five nights during Valentine’s Week (Feb 12-16), the remarkable vocalist Mary Stallings returns to SMOKE with her warm tone and vocal virtuosity. Wowing jazz fans for over six decades, Stallings is well into her 80s, still singing and swinging. No stranger to the SMOKE stage, French pianist Jacky Terrasson leads his Trio (Feb 5-9). “It’s a special treat to get to see this ebullient artist up close ...
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Audrey Kelley
Alvas Showroom proudly presents “My Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald" with the extraordinary jazz vocalist Zuri Alexander on Friday, August 2, 2024. This special event is set to be an enchanting evening celebrating the timeless music and enduring legacy of the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald. Accompanying Zuri Alexander on stage will be an exceptional lineup of musicians: Hiro Morozumi on piano, Jeff Littleton on bass and Jimmy Ford on drums. Each of these artists brings a wealth of talent ...
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Vocalist Zuri Alexander At Ensemble Studio Theatre in Los Angeles On October 22, 2023
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Audrey Kelley
Prepare to be entranced by an afternoon of unique melodies and timeless jazz classics as Jazz Vocalist Zuri Alexander graces the stage for a captivating concert experience accompanied by Hiro Morozumi on piano, Jeff Littleton on bass and Jimmy Ford on drums. The event will open with the deep, rich, smooth-as-silk voice of internationally known Latin jazz vocalist, Nora Paradiso, who will set the stage for an unforgettable musical journey. Event Zuri Alexander in Concert Date Sunday, October 22, 2023 ...
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Sweet Megg & Ricky Alexander
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
I'm always amazed when young musicians and singers today are passionate about and obsessed with a long-ago jazz era. I just assume that given a choice, these artists would rather stick with post-war jazz movements—from bebop to fusion and beyond. Not Sweet Megg and Ricky Alexander and the musicians they hang out with. For them, the year is 1935, when syncopation was king and bluesy vocals were sandwiched in the middle of hot jazz recordings by small groups. Their album's ...
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Jazz Artists Sweet Megg And Ricky Alexander Join Forces On New Album Coming June 2021
Source:
EMPKT PR
New York City-based jazz artists Sweet Megg (Meaghan Farrell) and Ricky Alexander prove you can always re-spark a romance, even for music. The two solo artists, who have been performing together for the past few years, aim to make early jazz classics popular again with their debut collaboration album, I’m in Love Again. The album is set to be released on Turtle Bay Records on June 11th, 2021. The two artists bring together a delightful collection of playful and romantic ...
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Outside in Music
Electric bassist, composer, and bandleader Fernando Huergo is no stranger to the modern-day music scene, with 11 albums under his belt as a leader, and over 140 as a sideman. As one who artfully blends the grooves and melodic conception of Argentinean music with modern jazz, Fernando has played in ensembles of virtually every size, but as a leader, he had exclusively worked with small groups. The The Possibility of Change showcases Fernando’s artistry on a large canvas, as he ...
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Dr. Monty Alexander At Dazzle in Denver On May 7-8!
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Scott Thompson Public Relations
Dazzle 1512 Curtis St. Denver, CO 80202 (303) 839-5100 Dr. Monty Alexander: piano JJ Shakur: bass Jason Brown: drums “We had a great run in D.C. at Blues Alley, at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in New York City, at Triple Door in Seattle and at Catalina's in Los Angeles! Come join us at Dazzle in Denver on May 7-8 before we lift off for Europe!" —Dr. Monty Alexander . Frank Sinatra ...
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TV Theme Music Obituary
Source:
Michael Ricci
R.I.P/TV Theme as it fades into sunset, Original music that has helped define shows is becoming a product for nostalgia.
Earle Hagen and Alexander Courage, who died days apart this month, were maestros of a musical genre that faded some years before they did. They composed TV theme music, those signature snippets that sent Pavlovian signals to viewers. It's fair to say they don't make TV theme composers like them anymore. In fact, it's fair to say they don't make ...
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saxophoneAlexander "Sandy" Courage
Instrument: Composer / conductor
Born: December 10, 1919
Died: May 15, 2008
