Biography
Stan Freeman issued only a modest number of discs under his own name, yet during the 1950s and the opening years of the following decade he remained an almost constant presence on the New York jazz circuit, working as featured soloist, supportive pianist, and studio player alike. He also gained notice as a songwriter, humorist, and storyteller, later serving from the 1960s through the 1980s as arranger for both Marlene Dietrich and Michael Feinstein. For a brief stretch in the early 1950s he helped spark an unforeseen resurgence of the harpsichord as a mainstream instrument.
Born in Waterbury, CT, in 1920, he trained in classical piano and earned his degree from the University of Hartford. During World War II he performed with Glenn Miller’s U.S. Army Air Force Band; after the conflict he joined Tex Beneke’s orchestra. He cut duet sides with pianist Cy Walker and backed Lee Wiley as well as Mabel Mercer. By the early 1950s Freeman had established himself as a nightclub headliner whose witty remarks drew as much attention as his keyboard work. His wider public profile began in 1951 during a Rosemary Clooney session that produced the international hit “Come On-A My House,” a career-defining success for the singer; Freeman’s harpsichord part brought him sufficient recognition that Columbia Records issued the album Come On-A Stan’s House the same year. Over the next several seasons he made the instrument his specialty, introducing it to recordings led by Percy Faith and additional bandleaders.
In the 1960s he recorded the album Fascination for Enoch Light’s Project 3 imprint while continuing as an accompanist. He succeeded Burt Bacharach as Marlene Dietrich’s musical director and co-wrote two Broadway shows. He also supplied original material for television, notably for Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore, receiving an Emmy for the Fred Astaire parody “Hi-Hat” created with Burnett. Activity remained steady through the 1970s and 1980s, when he became an arranger for Michael Feinstein. A lifelong devotee of George Gershwin and Oscar Levant, he composed the tribute “At Wits End.” In 1997, then in his late eighties, Freeman made his off-Broadway debut as both performer and music director in the revue Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.
Born in Waterbury, CT, in 1920, he trained in classical piano and earned his degree from the University of Hartford. During World War II he performed with Glenn Miller’s U.S. Army Air Force Band; after the conflict he joined Tex Beneke’s orchestra. He cut duet sides with pianist Cy Walker and backed Lee Wiley as well as Mabel Mercer. By the early 1950s Freeman had established himself as a nightclub headliner whose witty remarks drew as much attention as his keyboard work. His wider public profile began in 1951 during a Rosemary Clooney session that produced the international hit “Come On-A My House,” a career-defining success for the singer; Freeman’s harpsichord part brought him sufficient recognition that Columbia Records issued the album Come On-A Stan’s House the same year. Over the next several seasons he made the instrument his specialty, introducing it to recordings led by Percy Faith and additional bandleaders.
In the 1960s he recorded the album Fascination for Enoch Light’s Project 3 imprint while continuing as an accompanist. He succeeded Burt Bacharach as Marlene Dietrich’s musical director and co-wrote two Broadway shows. He also supplied original material for television, notably for Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore, receiving an Emmy for the Fred Astaire parody “Hi-Hat” created with Burnett. Activity remained steady through the 1970s and 1980s, when he became an arranger for Michael Feinstein. A lifelong devotee of George Gershwin and Oscar Levant, he composed the tribute “At Wits End.” In 1997, then in his late eighties, Freeman made his off-Broadway debut as both performer and music director in the revue Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.
Albums
