Ralph Burns
b. 29 June 1922, Newton, Massachusetts, USA. After studying music at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Burns worked with several late swing era bands, including Charlie Barnet's, as both pianist and arranger. His best-known period was as a member of Woody Herman's First Herd, during which time he was not only one-fourth of a great rhythm section (the others being Billy Bauer, Chubby Jackson and Dave Tough), but also arranged some of the band's most successful numbers (in some cases formalizing classic head arrangements, like that of Apple Honey). In 1945 Burns decided to concentrate on writing and arranging, and contributed some exciting charts for Herman's Four Brothers band. He also composed some longer works, amongst which are Lady McGowan's Dream and Summer Sequence, both recorded by Herman. When the record company decided to reissue Summer Sequence, they requested that a further section be added to the original three-part suite to fill the fourth side of a pair of 78 rpm releases. Burns obliged, and although some years had elapsed since the recording of the first three parts and the Herman band's personnel and style had substantially altered, he was able to recapture the mood successfully. The new piece, entitled Early Autumn, became a favourite of many jazz players, including Stan Getz. Freelancing in the '50s and '60s, Burns gradually moved away from jazz and into the film studios, although even here, as in NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977), he was sometimes able to make use of his extensive knowledge of the jazz world. He won Academy Awards for his work on Cabaret (1972) and All That Jazz (1979), and continued to score for a mixture of feature and television movies such as LENNY, PIAF, LUCKY LADY, MOVIE MOVIE, MAKE ME AN OFFER, URBAN COWBOY, GOLDEN GATE, PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, (with Marvin Hamlisch), Annie, KISS ME GOODBYE, MY FAVOURITE YEAR, STAR 80, ERNIE KOVACS-BETWEEN THE LAUGHTER, A Chorus Line; MOVING VIOLATIONS, THE CHRISTMAS STAR, IN THE MOOD, BERT RIGBY, YOU'RE A FOOL, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN, and THE JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY (1991).