Some Of My Influences
I am the sum of everything I have ever heard. The first thing I ever remember hearing is El Sombrero de Tres Picos by Manuel deFalla. I am extraordinarily influenced (in no particular order) by: The Beatles, Leroy Anderson, Louis Armstrong, Bix, Gabriel Faure, L'Enfant et les Sortilege by Maurice Ravel, Serge Prokofiev, Arthur Honneger, Manzoni Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi, Verklaerte Nacht (string sextet) by Arnold Schoenberg, Symphony No. 2 in D by Jean Sibelius, Kurt Weill - Mahagonny, The Seven Deadly Sins; Dmitri Shostakovich Symphonies No.5 & No.7; Alexander Scriabin Symphony No.1 & his Piano Etudes; Thomas "Fats" Waller, Aretha Franklin, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro, Umbrellas of Cherbourg score by Michele LeGrande, Brazilian Music, Afro-Cuban Music, Marvin Gaye "I Want You" LP, Charles Callelo, my Father, Al Klink, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson, Otis Redding, Leontyne Price, Sam Cooke, Frank Zappa, Frederick Delius, James Brown, Gustav Mahler, Symphony No.3; Histoire du Soldat, Pulcinella, Baiser de la Fee', Scherzo Fantastique by Igor Stravinsky; Zoltan Kodaly (I got to meet him!), Soupy Sales, and the recordings of The Four Seasons and Lou Christie (Luigi Sacco). A true Renaissance Man, I have at one time or another recorded and/or played with Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Cab Calloway, The O'Jays, Randy Newman, Doug Sahm, San Francisco Symphony, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Leslie Uggams, Rich Little, Señor Wences, Joel Grey, Jack Jones, Sergio Franchi, Ginger Rogers, The Nicholas Brothers, Bob Hope, Danny Thomas, Sam Butera & The Witnesses, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Bobby Lewis, Manu Dibango, John Prine, Flaco Jimenez, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Brian Wilson, Darlene Love, Wilson Pickett, Brook Benton, Duane Allman, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Tony Martin, Cyd Charise, Ethel Merman, Diahann Carroll, Luther Vandross, Michael Palin, Lotte Lenya, Herbie Mann, Van Dyke Parks, Jan Berry, Howard Kaylan, John Morris, John Cacavas, Bernard Purdy, Ben E. King, Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minnelli, Paul Anka, Florian Zabach, Bobby Vinton, Joey Heatherton, Julius LaRosa, Buddy Greco, Tony Orlando, Melba Moore, Rich Little, Fred Travelena, Kenny Davern, Warren Vache' Jr., Sonny Russo, Jimmy Knepper, Marty Napoleon, Al Klink, Toots Mondello, Eddie Daniels, Jay Leonhart, Jeff Berlin, Carrie Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Ruth Brown, Margaret Whiting, Abe Most, Sam Most, Bob Smale, Frank Morocco, Gene Estes, Virgil Jones, Bill Charlap, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Lew Soloff, Alan Rubin, Vinnie Bell, Cornell Dupree, Al Jackson, Joe Wilder, Frank Wess, Jerry Dodgion, Al Cohn, Gerry Niewood, Selden Powell, Arnie Lawrence, Wally Kane, Bob Alexander, Eddie Brigati, Dave Brigati, Tom Malone, Byron Stripling, Eddie Barefield, Milt Hinton, Dick Hyman, George Masso, Bill Watrous, Danny Stiles, John Densmore, Ed Palermo, Barry Ries, Hall & Oates, Jill Sobule, Danny O'Keefe, PF Sloan, Warren Zanes, Terry Kirkman, Jimmy Webb, Jerry Reed, The Jordanaires, Freda Payne, Abra Moore, Kate Campbell, Neal Morse, Nanci Griffith, Guster, Over The Rhine, and many, other names in the Show Biz. My main instrument is the Trumpet, but I also play Piano, Bass, Guitar, Drums, French Horn, Valve Trombone, Baritone Horn, Percussion, etc. I am an Arranger, Orchestrator, and do Digital Editing and CD Mastering. I live with a cat named Callie, at: 157 Carriage Dr. #104 Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022.
I got my first taste of show biz when I played on a Thanksgiving special with Al Hirt in 1961 called "Home For The Holidays". Gordon MacRae, Patrice Munsel, Carol Haney, and The Brothers Four were also on the show. I've been composing & arranging since I've been 12 or so. I picked up some musical tricks and stuff along the way from Leonid Hambro, Morton Gould, Milton Kraus, The Juilliard School Extension Division, Dr. Albert Harris, my cousin Jon Charles, my uncle Ray Charles (Perry Como's Choral Director, and writer of Special Musical Material for The Muppet Show and The Kennedy Center Awards Show), Jimmy Maxwell, Ray Crisara, Victor Paz, John Lindenau, Gordon Mathie, The National Music Camp, now known as Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, my Father, and by self studying classical music scores.
A native of Great Neck, New York, I spent my youth trying to grow my hair, and following my Dad around while he went to his many record dates, like Jay & The Americans recording "She Cried" at Bell Sound, Oliver Nelson with Quincy Jones at Fine Sound in Bayside, NY; Astrud Gilberto sessions... live TV shows, and pre-records for "Sing Along With Mitch". My Dad was the original drummer on The Tonight Show along with Ed Shaughnessy and he became the Drummer / Orchestra Leader on the Dick Cavett Show from 1968-1974. I even got to play Trumpet in the band in the PBS incarnation of the Show in later years. There was never any doubt in my mind what I wanted to do when I grew up. That hasn't happened yet... If you want to send me an email, my address is:
neil@neilrosengarden.com
I don't use myspace.com because they are unresponsive to my wishes, and my privacy. They sucketh the big one! Don't believe anything you read that concerns me that you have read on myspace. This is my official website. I also have nothing whatsoever to do with the CD called Elephantitis, or the group that goes by the name of the Brand New Heavies. Those bunch of wankers have glommed on to me somehow, and are using my name without my permission, and if I could sue them, I'd love to.
DISCOGRAPHY
Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
Trumpet
Nanci Griffith - Ruby’s Torch
Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Guster - Ganging Up On The Sun
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, French Horn
Guster - Keep It Together
Flugelhorn
April Barrows - All You Need Is The Girl
Trumpet
Bobby Bare, Jr. - The Last Meow
Trumpet
Spock's Beard - Snow
Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Jerry Reed - The Gallant Few
Trumpet
Marykate O'Neil - Marykate O'Neil
Keyboards, Vocals, Trumpet
A Ragamuffin Band - Prayers Of A Ragamuffin
Trumpet
Allison Moorer - Miss Fortune
Euphonium, French Horn, Trumpet
Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted & Black
Vibraphone, Trumpet
Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child
Trumpet
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Stand by Me
Harpsichord, Tambourine
Danny O'Keefe - Breezy Stories
Production Assistant
David Olney - Omar's Blues
Trumpet
Dave Brown - Life Goes On
Mastering
Doug Sahm - Texas Tornado
Flugelhorn
Brook Benton - Save The Last Dance For Me
Trumpet
Gordon Haskell - It Is and It Isn't
Piano
Groves - Branch upon the Ground
Mastering
Herbie Mann - Push Push
Production Assistant
Holtzclaw - Double Plastic
Mastering
Hoke and His Orchestra Bop!
Mastering
Hoke and His Orchestra Bop! - Manatee Waltz
Mastering
Aquavelvet - Vol. 1 Hey, Everybody! Let's Fall In Love!
Trumpet, French Horn, Mastering
Paul Brady - Say What You Feel
Trumpet
Big "Al" Anderson - After Hours
Trumpet
Jill Sobule - Pink Pearl
Keyboards, Recorder, Trumpet
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious
Classical Guitar, Trumpet
Jim Coleman - Guitar That Made America Great: Playing Tribute to Chet Atkins
Mastering
John Prine - John Prine
Bass
Karen Angela Moore - All the Wrong Things to Do
Mastering, Trumpet
Kate Campbell - Moonpie Dreams
Trumpet
Kate Campbell - Blues And Lamentations
Trumpet
Krazy Lyin' - If the Moon Could Sing
Keyboards, Tambourine, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Producer, Organ, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Piano, Trumpet
Michael Spriggs - Without Words
Mastering
Neal Morse - It's Not Too Late
Horn Section
Salem Hill -The Robbery of Murder
Mastering
Spock's Beard - Snow
Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Stephanie Davis - I'm Pullin' Through
Trumpet
Swan Dive - Circle (CD Single)
Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Swan Dive - June (US Bonus Tracks)
Flugelhorn, Trombone, Trumpet
Swan Dive - Circle
Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Swan Dive - June (Japan)
Flugelhorn, Trombone, Trumpet
Various Artists Christmas Soul Special
Arranger, Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Various Artists - Must Be Santa! The Rounder Christmas Album
Arranger, Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Warren Zanes - Memory Girls
Trumpet
Watercolor -Beautiful Mistakes
French Horn
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