Ben Lanzarone, the composer, arranger, music supervisor and pianist that created songs for such programs as Empire, Pleased Days, Mr. Lookout and The Tracey Ullman Program, has actually passed away. He was 85.
Lanzarone passed away Friday in his Los Angeles home of lung cancer cells, his family members revealed.
The Brooklyn indigenous visited with the similarity Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkel, Mary Travers, Anthony Newley, Petula Clark, Lainie Kazan and Mason Williams and for Broadway functioned as the music supervisor on the initial 1972-80 manufacturing of Oil and arranger on 1972’s Via Galactica and 1975’s Truckload.
His lengthy organization with television manufacturers Aaron Punctuation and Douglas S. Cramer caused ratings for Empire, The Colbys, The Love Watercraft, Vega$, Matt Houston and Resort.
And for manufacturing firms led by Thomas Miller, Edward Milkis and/ or Bob Boyett, he thought of songs for episodes of Pleased Days (consisting of the one in 1977 when Henry Winkler’s Fonzie “jumped the shark”), Laverne & & Shirley and Mork & & Mindy.
It was for making up tv ratings that won Lanzarone the distinguished Many Executed Composer Honor from ASCAP in 1986.
Born upon Oct. 28, 1938, Benjamin Anthony Lanzarone finished from the famous Senior high school of Songs and Art in New York City and made a dual master’s level from the Manhattan Institution of Songs. He started as a classic pianist, taking a trip the nation as a musician with the Longines Symphonette and making his solo launching at Carnegie Recital Hall.
Lanzarone relocated right into the globe of music when he started collaborating with songwriter Bob Crewe and composer Charles Fox. That caused Lanzarone’s cd In Timeless Type, which showcased his skill as a classic and jazz pianist. (He was billed as Bhen Lanzaroni on the LP.)
Lanzarone took place to prepare songs for numerous Crewe manufacturings, consisting of recordings for Bobby Darin, Vikki Carr and The Bob Crewe Generation, and for such various other musicians as Peter Nero, Vicki Sue Robinson and the nightclub team The Brothers.
He serviced the soundtrack for Oil (1978) and prepared and made up jingles for greater than 1,000 commercials, documents and soundtracks.
He and his spouse of 46 years, actress-singer Ilene Graff (Mr. Lookout, Broadway’s Assures, Assures), delighted in a specialist connection that covered phase, display, performances, recordings and a Grammy election for their 2003 cd, Child’s Broadway Lullabies. They likewise showed a workshop called Making the Track Your Own.
And with their child, Broadway expert Nikka Graff Lanzarone, they produced and carried out cabaret programs in New york city and Los Angeles.
She commemorated him with a blog post on Instagram.
A participant of the Recording Academy board of guvs, Lanzarone offered his time to such charities as The Selection Club, Broadway Cares/Equity Battles AIDS and The Enjoyment Area Fund.
Survivors likewise include his son-in-law, Daniel; siblings Frank and Peter; and brothers-in-law Richard and Todd, a star.
An exclusive funeral will certainly be kept in Los Angeles. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Home entertainment Area Fund (previously The Casts Fund).
