Matt Dennis
Matt Dennis was born into a musical family; his father was a singer and his mother a violinist, and the family business was a vaudeville act. In one year, Tommy Dorsey recorded fourteen of Matt's songs, including Everything Happens to Me, which was one of Frank Sinatra's early hits with the band.
Matt Dennis was born into a musical family; his father was a singer and his mother a violinist, and the family business was a vaudeville act. There he made his debut as one of The Five Musical Lovelands. In 1933, he joined the Horace Heidt orchestra as piano player and vocalist. Several years later, he formed a band with Dick Haymes, one of the great popular baritones of the time. Haymes fronted the band, but Matt Dennis was the musical brain behind it.
At the same time, he was building a reputation as an arranger for popular singers. He worked as arranger, accompanyist and vocal coach for Martha Tilton, and helped out a new group that had recently formed called The Stafford Sisters. One of the sisters was named Jo, and in 1940, she when she had joined the Tommy Dorsey Band, she convinced TD to hire Matt as staff arranger-composer. In one year, Dorsey recorded fourteen of Matt's songs, including Everything Happens to Me, which was one of Frank Sinatra's early hits with the band.
You can hear a lovely rendition of Everything Happens to Me on the Emma Gilmartin Move CD, Tomorrow, just you wait and see.
Compositions by Matt Dennis appear on
Tomorrow, just you wait and see
With favourites such as The white cliffs of Dover, Smile and I fall in love too easily, this beautiful duet album between pianist Tony Gould and vocalist Emma Gilmartin is a masterpiece in spontaneous musical invention to be enjoyed again and again. Just you wait and see!
Composer
Little Wing
An album full of tried-and-true jazz standards, fashioned around the singular theme of angels. With a top lineup, this wonderful CD features the talents of vocalist Debra Blaquiere, together with award-winning jazz pianist Joe Chindamo and his bass player extraordinaire, Phil Rex.
Composer
Love Rhapsody
A passion for all kinds of love is conveyed in Emma Sidney's remarkable debut jazz CD Love Rhapsody. By song selection and interpretation, Emma leads you on a journey from one relationship to the next. With every emotive note you are drawn deep into her private world; intimately engaged one moment in the delight and ardour of love triumphant and in the next caught up in frustration, devastation and the rage of love lost.
