Although best known for his work as a composer in the film industry, New Yorker Johnny Mandel is an accomplished jazz musician who has played trumpet and trombone alongside world famous stars such as Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Count Basie and Zoot Sims. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Mandel's career began to take off in the 1950s writing songs for artists like Woody Herman and Stan Getz. His first film score credit came in the 1958 film noir, I Want to Live! It was the first of numerous film and TV scores he would write during the next 30 years. His best known composition is the theme from the 1970 film M.A.S.H., titled “Suicide Is Painless”. The film spawned a hit TV spin-off and Mandel's distinctive melody woven around clever lyrics (written by a 14-year-old Mike Altman, son of the film's director, Robert) became a hit reaching number one in the UK Charts. Mandel's songwriting and arranging talents have won him an Academy Award and made him a four-time recipient of a Grammy Award including one for his collaboration with Quincy Jones on the 1981 album Velas. He collaborated with many lyricists over the years including Paul Williams (“Close Enough For Love”), Paul Francis Webster (“The Shadow of Your Smile” and “A Time for Love”) and Alan & Marilyn Bergman (“Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams” and “Where Do You Start?”). In 2011, Mandel was honored with a coveted National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award. Johnny Mandell died on June 29, 2020 at the age of 94.
