Eddie Finckel
b. 23 December 1917, Washington, DC, USA. After studying formally with classicist Otto Leuning, Finckel turned to jazz. In the early and mid-40s he worked as staff arranger for the bands of Boyd Raeburn and Gene Krupa. With Raeburn he helped create the distinctive qualities of this fine, progressive orchestra. Disagreements broke up the association with Raeburn, Finckel claiming sole authorship of several of the band's important numbers including Two Spoos In An Igloo, Boyd Meets Stravinsky and March Of The Boyds, the last two having been credited to Raeburn and George Handy. Finckel, along with Tadd Dameron, also wrote modern, boppish arrangements for the first Buddy Rich band. In writing charts for Krupa he was faced with the unenviable task of making true the claim that the drummer's 1944 band really was ‘the Band that Swings with Strings’. From this period Finckel created hits for Krupa with Leave Us Leap, Gypsy Mood, Starburst and the breakneck tempoed Lover. He wrote original music for the Ann Arbor Drama Festival and was founder and director of the Young Artists Chamber Orchestra of New Jersey. Finckel also wrote for the Broadway stage. In the classical field he composed a cello concerto, a clarinet concerto and a suite for cello and string orchestra. He also composed music for the ballet OF HUMAN KINDNESS.