* En anglais uniquement
One of the great arrangers,
Bill Holman's dense but hard-swinging charts often have so much of value going on that they reward repeated listenings. After a stint with
Charlie Barnet (1950-1951),
Holman became well-known for his arrangements for
Stan Kenton (1952-1956), which helped advance the
Kenton sound. Although a fine tenor saxophonist,
Holman's writing has always overshadowed his playing. He concentrated on studio work by the 1960s, but also wrote through the years for
Woody Herman,
Maynard Ferguson,
Gerry Mulligan,
Count Basie, and
Buddy Rich, among others.
Holman wrote the charts for
Natalie Cole's best-selling
Unforgettable album (1991), and has led his own part-time big band in the Los Angeles area since 1975.
Bill Holman recorded as a leader for Capitol, Coral (reissued on Sackville), Andex, and Hi Fi during 1954-1960, and in the late '80s and early '90s his Los Angeles band was documented by JVC. ~ Scott Yanow