Born in Newton, MA. Songwriter ("Early Autumn", "Bijou"), bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist, educated at the New England Conservatory. He studied piano with Marion Deviney. He was a pianist and arranger for the Charlie Barnet orchestra, and later with Woody Herman for seven years. He arranged for Broadway musicals, including No Strings, Little Me, Funny Girl, and Golden Boy. He conducted the orchestras for many records. Joining ASCAP in 1947, he collaborated musically with Woody Herman and Johnny Mercer. His song compositions also include "Summer Sequence", "Lady McGowan's Dream", "Rhapsody in Wood", "Northwest Passage", "Panacea", and "Keen and Peachy". His credits as a film composer include LENNY (1974), LUCKY LADY (1975), MOVIE MOVIE (1978), URBAN COWBOY (1980), MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982), STAR 80 (1983), THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (1984) and ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN (1989). His collaborations with Bob Fosse and Mel Brooks are further evidenced by some of his orchestrating and conducting credits: SWEET CHARITY (1969), BANANAS (1971), MAME (1974), NEW YORK, NEW YORK and HIGH ANXIETY (both 1977), FIRST FAMILY (1980), HISTORY OF THE WORLD: PART I (1981, orchestrator of "The Spanish Inquisition"), PIPPIN: HIS LIFE AND TIMES (1981, TV), A CHORUS LINE (1985), LIFE STINKS (1991) and FOSSE (2001, TV).  Music Scoring Awards (Best Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score) 1972: CABARET  Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score) 1979: ALL THAT JAZZ  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score) 1982: ANNIE - Adaptation Score 3 nominations, 2 Awards