Mike Renzi
Encyclopedia
Mike Renzi is an American pianist, arranger, and musical director. He is best known for his collaborations with some of the legends of pop-jazz singing, notably Peggy Lee
, Lena Horne
, Mel Tormé
, Cleo Laine
, Blossom Dearie
, and Jack Jones
. In 2010, Stephen Holden
of the New York Times noted Renzi’s “gorgeous long-lined runs” and his “extraordinary grace as a pianistic arranger whose accompaniments have a panoramic orchestral sweep.” Renzi is also a seven-time Daytime Emmy-winning composer of soundtrack music for such TV shows as Sesame Street
and All My Children
.
, the renowned Boston-born classical pianist. He played his first jazz piano job in a band with Art Pelosi, a tenor saxophonist and club owner based in Providence. In 1962, at the age of sixteen, Renzi became pianist for the house trio at Kings & Queens, a jazz club in North Providence. Through 1967, Renzi accompanied a long line of renowned artists there, including Coleman Hawkins
, Roy Eldridge
, Buck Clayton
, Ernestine Anderson
, Etta Jones
, and the married vocal duo of Jackie Paris
and Anne Marie Moss. His 1963 engagement with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster
– which Renzi played in his junior year of high school – was recorded privately and later released as a bootleg album.
In a 2010 interview, Renzi recalled having no particular musical goals at the time: “I was so young I didn’t even think about it.” But while backing the singer Carol Sloane
at Kings & Queens, he realized he had a flair for accompaniment. “She was calling tunes and I thought to myself, I can really do this. This is easy. The keys don’t bother me, I can make instant arrangements. And I knew I could play some jazz.”
Renzi went on to study piano at the Boston Conservatory
and composition at the Berklee College of Music
. Meanwhile he led the resident trio at Allary’s, a jazz club in downtown Providence; Renzi held that position from 1968 through 1976.
In 1972 he had become the musical director of The Sonya Hamlin Show, an afternoon talk show on Boston’s WBZ-TV. One of Hamlin’s frequent guests was the jazz and cabaret singer Sylvia Syms
. That year, when Syms co-hosted a week of Hamlin’s shows, the notoriously demanding vocalist was so impressed by Renzi’s playing and knowledge of songs that she invited him to accompany her in a concert at New York’s Town Hall. Broadway composer Cy Coleman
came backstage and urged Renzi to move to New York, offering help and connections. In September 1976, Renzi relocated to Manhattan.
’s Merry-Go-Round Bar and other clubs. In 1979 he played on the soundtrack of the Woody Allen
film Manhattan; he also made his Carnegie Hall debut when he accompanied singer Jackie Cain
(of the pop-jazz duo Jackie & Roy) in a Kool Jazz Festival gala concert in tribute to Hoagy Carmichael
. Renzi was hired by Mel Tormé
, whom he accompanied at a Carnegie Hall concert and in an engagement at Marty’s, a New York supper club. The Marty’s shows yielded a double LP, Mel Tormé and Friends: Recorded at Marty’s, New York. In 1981, he became pianist in the orchestra that accompanied Lena Horne
in her one-woman Broadway concert, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
. Renzi would accompany Horne off and on until her last public appearance in 2000.
His work with Tormé and Horne helped cement his reputation as “a constantly in-demand accompanist for discriminating singers,” as John S. Wilson
of the New York Times called him. During The Lady and Her Music, Renzi began a collaboration with Maureen McGovern
; he also continued his work with Sylvia Syms
, who hired him as musical director for This Time the Ladies, a tribute to female songwriters and singers, presented in the 1982 Kool Jazz Festival. Renzi returned to Broadway in 1983 as the pianist and conductor of Peg, Peggy Lee
’s one-woman autobiographical show, which closed within a week. Renzi continued to work with Lee, appearing with her in Japan, on a televised 1984 concert in Atlantic City (The Quintessential Peggy Lee), at the Valley Forge Music Fair, and in five engagements at The Ballroom, a New York City cabaret. Their partnership yielded three albums, and lasted until June 23, 1995, when Lee made her penultimate concert appearance, at Carnegie Hall. When a still-obscure Diana Krall
heard Renzi’s recording with Lee of the song “Remind Me,” she called him and asked if he would coach her; over a period of several months he instructed her on harmony.
All through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Renzi accompanied and conducted for a staggering array of singers; frequently he teamed with bassist Jay Leonhart
and drummer Grady Tate
. He served as musical director for the actress and cabaret singer Dixie Carter
in six of her engagements at New York’s Café Carlyle; Renzi also accompanied Carter in her segment of In Performance at the White House: Cabaret, telecast in 1994 on PBS. He performed on several other occasions at the White House, including a performance of Carter’s cabaret act for the Clintons and another by Peggy Lee
in the presence of President François Mitterrand
of France.
Renzi rejoined Mel Tormé in 1995 and continued working with him until the singer’s last recording session, for the Concord Jazz
label in 1996. (Tormé suffered a stroke before that album project, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald
, was completed; his final tracks with Renzi remain unissued.) Renzi has served as musical director for several gala tribute shows at Carnegie Hall, including salutes to Frank Sinatra
(1995), Ella Fitzgerald
(1996), Marilyn and Alan Bergman (1997), Nat King Cole
(1997), Alan Jay Lerner
(2000), and Peggy Lee
(2003). He performed the same role in an 80th-birthday tribute to Lena Horne
at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall
(1997).
, Soft Lights and Sweet Music. A 1987 concert at Brown University in Providence was issued by Stash Records as the LP The Mike Renzi Quartet. In 1988, Renzi played at the 80th-birthday Carnegie Hall concert of jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli
. In 1992 he led his own trio at the Chestnut Room of the Tavern on the Green
in New York.
, Everybody Says I Love You, Biloxi Blues
, Gremlins
, and The Bird Cage. In 1986 he became musical director for the TV soap opera As the World Turns
; in 1990 he switched to another soap opera, Loving
. In 1997 he began a long stint as a musical director for All My Children
; he also appeared on camera in the role of a nightclub pianist. His work on All My Children earned him three Daytime Emmy Awards (and two additional nominations) for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction and Composition for a Drama Series. He did session work for Ryan’s Hope, also on ABC.
Also in 1997, he began a highly successful twelve-year stint as musical director for the Sesame Street TV series and for a number of Sesame Street specials. As composer of most of the music and pianist on all the soundtrack recording sessions, Renzi won four Daytime Emmys and was nominated for seven more (as well as one Primetime Emmy for the special Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On.
, Liza Minnelli
, Mary Wilson
, Jane Harvey, Brian Stokes Mitchell
, Regis Philbin
, Shawnn Monteiro, and Nicolas King. He has continued his long-standing work as arranger for the Palm Beach Pops.
Daytime Emmy awards:
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
, Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
, and Jack Jones
Jack Jones
Jack Jones may refer to:In the arts*Jack Jones , Welsh novelist and playwright*Jack Jones , American jazz and pop singer*Jack Jones , singer now known as Irwin ThomasIn politics...
. In 2010, Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
of the New York Times noted Renzi’s “gorgeous long-lined runs” and his “extraordinary grace as a pianistic arranger whose accompaniments have a panoramic orchestral sweep.” Renzi is also a seven-time Daytime Emmy-winning composer of soundtrack music for such TV shows as Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
Early years
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Renzi began studying classical piano at the age of eight. In his early teens he taught himself accordion and played in his uncle’s band at weddings and other local functions; he also took private classes with Julius ChaloffJulius Chaloff
Julius Chaloff was an American pianist and composer. Born of Russian parentage in Boston, Massachusetts, Chaloff was the father of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff. Serge gained his earliest prominence as a member of Woody Herman's second herd also known as the Four Brothers. Chaloff was...
, the renowned Boston-born classical pianist. He played his first jazz piano job in a band with Art Pelosi, a tenor saxophonist and club owner based in Providence. In 1962, at the age of sixteen, Renzi became pianist for the house trio at Kings & Queens, a jazz club in North Providence. Through 1967, Renzi accompanied a long line of renowned artists there, including Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
, Roy Eldridge
Roy Eldridge
Roy David Eldridge , nicknamed "Little Jazz" was an American jazz trumpet player. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos and his strong influence on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most exciting musicians of the swing era and a...
, Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
, Ernestine Anderson
Ernestine Anderson
Ernestine Anderson is an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than five decades, she has recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival , as well as at jazz festivals all...
, Etta Jones
Etta Jones
Etta Jones was an American jazz singer. She is not to be confused with the more popular singer Etta James nor her namesake, a member of the Dandridge Sisters, who recorded with Jimmy Lunceford and was Gerald Wilson's first wife. Her best known recordings were "Don't Go To Strangers" and "Save...
, and the married vocal duo of Jackie Paris
Jackie Paris
Jackie Paris was an American jazz singer and guitarist.He was born Carlo Jackie Paris in Nutley, New Jersey to his father Carlo, and mother Rose. He had a brother Gene. A vocalist, Paris toured with Charlie Parker. He also tap-danced from his youth and into his years in the US Army, entertaining...
and Anne Marie Moss. His 1963 engagement with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
– which Renzi played in his junior year of high school – was recorded privately and later released as a bootleg album.
In a 2010 interview, Renzi recalled having no particular musical goals at the time: “I was so young I didn’t even think about it.” But while backing the singer Carol Sloane
Carol Sloane
Carol Sloane is an American jazz singer born in Providence, Rhode Island, who has been singing professionally since she was 14, although for a time in the 1970s she worked as a legal secretary in Raleigh, North Carolina. She currently lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.One of her early efforts was...
at Kings & Queens, he realized he had a flair for accompaniment. “She was calling tunes and I thought to myself, I can really do this. This is easy. The keys don’t bother me, I can make instant arrangements. And I knew I could play some jazz.”
Renzi went on to study piano at the Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
and composition at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. Meanwhile he led the resident trio at Allary’s, a jazz club in downtown Providence; Renzi held that position from 1968 through 1976.
In 1972 he had become the musical director of The Sonya Hamlin Show, an afternoon talk show on Boston’s WBZ-TV. One of Hamlin’s frequent guests was the jazz and cabaret singer Sylvia Syms
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
. That year, when Syms co-hosted a week of Hamlin’s shows, the notoriously demanding vocalist was so impressed by Renzi’s playing and knowledge of songs that she invited him to accompany her in a concert at New York’s Town Hall. Broadway composer Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.-Life and career:He was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14, 1929, in New York City to Eastern European Jewish parents, and was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Ida was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason...
came backstage and urged Renzi to move to New York, offering help and connections. In September 1976, Renzi relocated to Manhattan.
Move to New York
Once there, he found a job playing piano at the Carnegie Tavern, a bar-restaurant that featured jazz. For the rest of the ‘70s Renzi commuted between New York and the New England area. He continued his work with Hamlin on her show Sunday Open House, while accompanying Syms at the Copley Plaza HotelCopley Plaza Hotel
The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel is a Forbes three-star, AAA four-diamond hotel in downtown Boston, Massachusetts owned by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It stands on Copley Square, by the John Hancock Tower.-Construction and opening:...
’s Merry-Go-Round Bar and other clubs. In 1979 he played on the soundtrack of the Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
film Manhattan; he also made his Carnegie Hall debut when he accompanied singer Jackie Cain
Jackie Cain
Jackie Cain is an American jazz vocalist best known for her partnership with her husband Roy Kral as the team Jackie and Roy.-Selected discography:* So Many Stars -Literature:...
(of the pop-jazz duo Jackie & Roy) in a Kool Jazz Festival gala concert in tribute to Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Howard Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
. Renzi was hired by Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, whom he accompanied at a Carnegie Hall concert and in an engagement at Marty’s, a New York supper club. The Marty’s shows yielded a double LP, Mel Tormé and Friends: Recorded at Marty’s, New York. In 1981, he became pianist in the orchestra that accompanied Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
in her one-woman Broadway concert, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music was a 1981 Broadway musical revue, written for and starring American singer and actress Lena Horne. The musical was produced by Michael Frazier and Fred Walker, and the subsequent musical soundtrack was produced by Quincy Jones. The show opened on May 12, 1981,...
. Renzi would accompany Horne off and on until her last public appearance in 2000.
His work with Tormé and Horne helped cement his reputation as “a constantly in-demand accompanist for discriminating singers,” as John S. Wilson
John S. Wilson
John S. Wilson may refer to:*John S. Wilson *John S. Wilson , American music critic and jazz radio host*John Wilson , John Samuel Wilson, Major League Baseball pitcher...
of the New York Times called him. During The Lady and Her Music, Renzi began a collaboration with Maureen McGovern
Maureen McGovern
Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
; he also continued his work with Sylvia Syms
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
, who hired him as musical director for This Time the Ladies, a tribute to female songwriters and singers, presented in the 1982 Kool Jazz Festival. Renzi returned to Broadway in 1983 as the pianist and conductor of Peg, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
’s one-woman autobiographical show, which closed within a week. Renzi continued to work with Lee, appearing with her in Japan, on a televised 1984 concert in Atlantic City (The Quintessential Peggy Lee), at the Valley Forge Music Fair, and in five engagements at The Ballroom, a New York City cabaret. Their partnership yielded three albums, and lasted until June 23, 1995, when Lee made her penultimate concert appearance, at Carnegie Hall. When a still-obscure Diana Krall
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
heard Renzi’s recording with Lee of the song “Remind Me,” she called him and asked if he would coach her; over a period of several months he instructed her on harmony.
All through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Renzi accompanied and conducted for a staggering array of singers; frequently he teamed with bassist Jay Leonhart
Jay Leonhart
Jay Leonhart is a noted bassist and songwriter working in jazz and popular music. He has performed with diverse artists including Judy Garland, Carly Simon, Bucky Pizzarelli, Sting, and Frank Sinatra...
and drummer Grady Tate
Grady Tate
Grady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count...
. He served as musical director for the actress and cabaret singer Dixie Carter
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
in six of her engagements at New York’s Café Carlyle; Renzi also accompanied Carter in her segment of In Performance at the White House: Cabaret, telecast in 1994 on PBS. He performed on several other occasions at the White House, including a performance of Carter’s cabaret act for the Clintons and another by Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
in the presence of President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
of France.
Renzi rejoined Mel Tormé in 1995 and continued working with him until the singer’s last recording session, for the Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
label in 1996. (Tormé suffered a stroke before that album project, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, was completed; his final tracks with Renzi remain unissued.) Renzi has served as musical director for several gala tribute shows at Carnegie Hall, including salutes to Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
(1995), Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
(1996), Marilyn and Alan Bergman (1997), Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
(1997), Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
(2000), and Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
(2003). He performed the same role in an 80th-birthday tribute to Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
(1997).
Solo piano work
Renzi has made relatively few appearances as a jazz instrumentalist. In 1986, he played on a 1986 album by saxophonist Gerry MulliganGerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
, Soft Lights and Sweet Music. A 1987 concert at Brown University in Providence was issued by Stash Records as the LP The Mike Renzi Quartet. In 1988, Renzi played at the 80th-birthday Carnegie Hall concert of jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
. In 1992 he led his own trio at the Chestnut Room of the Tavern on the Green
Tavern on the Green
Tavern on the Green was a privately owned American cuisine restaurant located in Central Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City. It remained in operation from 1934 to 2009 under various owners...
in New York.
Television and film
Renzi has worked as a session pianist on the soundtracks of numerous films, including Broadway Danny RoseBroadway Danny Rose
Broadway Danny Rose is a 1984 American black-and-white comedy film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen. It was screened out of competition at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.- Plot :...
, Everybody Says I Love You, Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, it follows Brighton Beach Memoirs and precedes Broadway Bound....
, Gremlins
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
, and The Bird Cage. In 1986 he became musical director for the TV soap opera As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
; in 1990 he switched to another soap opera, Loving
Loving
-Places:* Loving, New Mexico, a village located in Eddy County, New Mexico.* Loving County, Texas, the least populous county in the U.S.-Things:* Love, a range of human emotions* Loving , a 1945 novel by Henry Green....
. In 1997 he began a long stint as a musical director for All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
; he also appeared on camera in the role of a nightclub pianist. His work on All My Children earned him three Daytime Emmy Awards (and two additional nominations) for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction and Composition for a Drama Series. He did session work for Ryan’s Hope, also on ABC.
Also in 1997, he began a highly successful twelve-year stint as musical director for the Sesame Street TV series and for a number of Sesame Street specials. As composer of most of the music and pianist on all the soundtrack recording sessions, Renzi won four Daytime Emmys and was nominated for seven more (as well as one Primetime Emmy for the special Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On.
Recent work
Since leaving Sesame Street in 2009, Renzi has resumed accompanying on a steadier basis; singers with whom he has collaborated include Jack JonesJack Jones
Jack Jones may refer to:In the arts*Jack Jones , Welsh novelist and playwright*Jack Jones , American jazz and pop singer*Jack Jones , singer now known as Irwin ThomasIn politics...
, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson may refer to:* Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx , British poet, widow of former British prime minister, Harold Wilson* Mary Wilson , American singer, member of The Supremes...
, Jane Harvey, Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
, Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
, Shawnn Monteiro, and Nicolas King. He has continued his long-standing work as arranger for the Palm Beach Pops.
Partial discography
(includes albums on which Renzi has played, arranged, or both)- Karen AkersKaren AkersKaren Akers is an American actress and singer, who has appeared on Broadway, cabaret and film.-Background:She was born Karen Orth-Pallavicini in New York City on October 13, 1945. Her ancestry was a mixture of European stock: her immigrant father, Heinrick C...
: Just Imagine (DRG, 1993) - Bobbi Baird: Let's Go Back to the Waltz (Premier Recordings, 1993)
- Laurie BeechmanLaurie BeechmanLaurie Hope Beechman was an American singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Misérables...
: Time Between the Time (DRG, 1990) - Ruth BrownRuth BrownRuth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
: Songs of My Life (Fantasy, 1993) - Ann BurtonAnn BurtonAnn Burton is the pseudonym of Johanna Rafalowicz , a Dutch jazz singer.-Discography:* Ann Burton * Blue Burton...
: New York State of Mind (Inner City, 1979) - Laverne ButlerLaVerne ButlerLaVerne L. Butler was a prominent Southern Baptist pastor and college president in Kentucky who was a leader in the "Conservative Resurgence" in his denomination during the 1970s and 1980s.-Background:...
: No Looking Back (Chesky, 1994) - Ann Hampton CallawayAnn Hampton CallawayAnn Hampton Callaway is a multiplatinum-selling singer, composer, lyricist, pianist, and actress. She is best known for writing and singing the theme to the TV series The Nanny, writing songs for Barbra Streisand and starring in the Broadway musical Swing!.-Career:Callaway was described by the New...
: Ann Hampton Callaway (DRG, 1992) - Diahann Carroll: The Time of My Life (Sterling, 1997)
- Janet Carroll: Lady Be Good (Arbors, 2010)
- ChanticleerChanticleer- Fiction :*A rooster appearing in fables about Reynard The Fox**The Nun's Priest's Tale, a version of Chanticleer and the Fox told in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales**By metonymy, any rooster**A character in the movie Rock-a-Doodle played by Glen Campbell...
: Lost in the Stars (Teldec, 1994) - Christmas at Rao’s: A Celebration of Family, Friends and Holiday Spirit (Sony, 2001)
- Freddy ColeFreddy ColeLionel Frederick Cole is an American jazz singer and pianist, whose recording career has spanned over fifty years. He is leader of the Freddy Cole Quartet, which regularly tours the US, Europe, the Far East and South America....
: Le Grand Freddy (Fantasy, 1999) - Cynthia CraneCynthia CraneCynthia Crane is a New York City based jazz cabaret singer and former child actress, who has performed locally for forty years. She has been reviewed by the New York Times, Jazz Now, Jazz Times, Daily Variety and Time Out New York. John S...
: Our First Christmas (Lookout, 1995) - Cynthia Crane: Smoky Bar Songs for the No-Smoking Section (Lookout, 1994)
- Cynthia Crane: Blue Rendezvous (Lookout Jazz, 1995)
- Cynthia Crane: Cynthia’s in Love (Original Cast, 1997)
- Meredith d’Ambrosio: Echo of a Kiss (Sunny Side, 1998)
- Blossom DearieBlossom DearieBlossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
: Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Daffodil, 1991) - Blossom Dearie: Christmas Spice So Very Nice (Daffodil, 1996)
- Doug Ferony: It’s Christmas (Feroni Enterprises, 2002)
- Jane Harvey: The Other Side of Sondheim (Atlantic, 1998; reissued as Jane Harvey Sings Sondheim, SSJ, 2010)
- Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
: Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (Qwest/Warner Brothers, 1981) - Lena Horne: The Men in My Life (Three Cherries, 1988)
- Lena Horne: We’ll Be Together Again (Blue Note, 1993)
- Lena Horne: An Evening with Lena Horne (Blue Note, 1994)
- Lena Horne: Being Myself (Blue Note, 1998)
- Lena Horne: Seasons of a Life (Blue Note, 2006)
- Jack JonesJack JonesJack Jones may refer to:In the arts*Jack Jones , Welsh novelist and playwright*Jack Jones , American jazz and pop singer*Jack Jones , singer now known as Irwin ThomasIn politics...
: Jack Jones Paints a Tribute to Tony Bennett (Honest Entertainment, 1998) - Jack Jones: Love Makes the Changes: The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (2010)
- Peggy KingPeggy KingPeggy King is a pop singer and former TV personality.She is best remembered as the female vocalist on The George Gobel Show. She also appeared in American Bandstand, Maverick, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Jack Benny Show...
: Peggy King Sings Jerome Kern: Till the Clouds Roll By (Stash, 1984) - Eartha KittEartha KittEartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
: Back in Business (DRG, 1994) - Hilary Kole: You Are There (Justin Time, 2010)
- Cleo LaineCleo LaineDame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
: Jazz (BMG, 1991) - Cleo Laine: Blue and Sentimental (BMG, 1994)
- Bob Lappin and the Palm Beach Pops: Yours Is My Heart Alone (CDBY, 2007)
- Peggy LeePeggy LeePeggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
: Moments Like This (Chesky, 1993) - Peggy Lee: There’ll Be Another Spring: The Peggy Lee Songbook (Music Masters Jazz, 1990)
- Peggy Lee: Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Blues (Music Masters Jazz, 1988)
- Jay LeonhartJay LeonhartJay Leonhart is a noted bassist and songwriter working in jazz and popular music. He has performed with diverse artists including Judy Garland, Carly Simon, Bucky Pizzarelli, Sting, and Frank Sinatra...
: Salamander Pie (Digital Music Productions, 1990) - Jay Leonhart: Life on the Road (Nesak International, 1993)
- Gloria LynneGloria LynneGloria Lynne is an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Born Gloria Alleyne, Gloria Lynne grew up in Harlem; her mother was a gospel singer.-Career:...
: This One’s on Me (HighNote, 1998) - Maureen McGovernMaureen McGovernMaureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
: Another Woman in Love (Sony, 1987) - Maureen McGovern: The Pleasure of His Company (Sterling, 1998)
- Maureen McGovern: The Music Never Ends – The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (Sterling, 1997)
- Maureen McGovern: Out of This World: McGovern Sings Arlen (Varese Sarabande, 2003)
- Bob McGrathBob McGrathRobert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
: Christmas Sing Along (Bob’s Kids Music, 2006) - Brian Stokes MitchellBrian Stokes MitchellBrian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
: Brian Stokes Mitchell (Sony Legacy, 2006) - Nancy Marano: Magic (Laughing Face Productions, 2011)
- Gerry MulliganGerry MulliganGerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
: Soft Lights and Sweet Music (Concord Jazz, 1986) - Mark MurphyMark MurphyMark Murphy may refer to:*Mark Murphy , American ice hockey player who plays for the DEG Metro Stars *Mark Murphy , retired American football player, now President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers...
: Satisfaction Guaranteed (Muse, 1979) - Houston PersonHouston PersonHouston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...
: Santa Baby (Savoy Jazz, 1994) - Samuel RameySamuel RameySamuel Edward Ramey is an American operatic bass with a long, distinguished career.During his best years, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing the music of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, yet power...
: Samuel Ramey on Broadway: So in Love (Teldec, 1994) - Annette Sanders: Everything I Love (Ripe & Ready Records, 1998)
- Jane Scheckter: I’ve Got My Standards (DRG, 1998)
- Jane Scheckter: Double Standards (Doxie Records, 1993)
- Jonathan SchwartzJonathan SchwartzJonathan Schwartz or Jon Schwartz may refer to:* Jonathan I. Schwartz, former President and CEO of Sun Microsystems* Jon Schwartz, founder of Morrison Schwartz, inventors of Kids Programming Language* Jonathan Schwartz , radio disc jockey...
: Anyone Would Love You (Muse, 1985) - Daryl Sherman: I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All (Baldwin Street Music, 1983)
- Daryl Sherman: She’s a Great, Great Girl: Recorded at Freddy’s Supper Club (Tono, 1987)
- Carol SloaneCarol SloaneCarol Sloane is an American jazz singer born in Providence, Rhode Island, who has been singing professionally since she was 14, although for a time in the 1970s she worked as a legal secretary in Raleigh, North Carolina. She currently lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.One of her early efforts was...
(with Ben WebsterBen WebsterBenjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
): Carol & Ben (Honeydew, c.1964) - Carol Sloane: The Real Thing (Contemporary, 1990)
- Carol Sloane: Romantic Ellington (DRG, 1999)
- Ettore Stratta and the Royal Philharmonic: Symphonic Bossa Nova (Elektra, 1994)
- K.T. Sullivan: Sing My Heart: The Songs of Harold Arlen (DRG, 1995)
- Sumi Jo: Only Love (Erato, 2000)
- Sylvia SymsSylvia SymsSylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
: … Then Along Came Bill: A Tribute to Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
(DRG, 1990) - Sylvia Syms: You Must Believe in Spring: The Words of Marilyn and Alan Bergman (Elba, 1992)
- Grady TateGrady TateGrady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count...
: Body and Soul (Milestone, 1993) - Grady Tate: All Love: Grady Tate Sings (441 Records, 2003)
- Mel TormeMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
: Mel Tormé and Friends, Recorded at Marty’s, New York City (DCC Compact Classics, 1980) - Mel Tormé: Encore at Marty’s New York (Max Cat Records, 1982)
- Mel Tormé: An Evening with Mel Tormé (Concord Jazz, 1996)
- Was (Not Was)Was (Not Was)-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Contributions:* A Christmas Record - "Christmas Time In The Motor City"* That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"...
: Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (Geffen Gold Line, 1983) - Ben WebsterBen WebsterBenjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
: Ben Webster with the Mike Renzi Trio (Lonehill Jazz, 1963) - Thomas YoungThomas YoungThomas Young may refer to:*Thomas Young , Scottish Presbyterian and author*Thomas Young , member of the Sons of Liberty*Thomas Young , British polymath, scientist and Egyptologist...
: Clair de Lune & Sister Moon (Ocean, 2009)
Instrumental recordings (as pianist)
- The Mike Renzi Quartet (Stash, 1987, LP only; reissued on CD in abridged form as Providence Jam)
Awards and nominations
Emmy Awards:- Nominated, 2004, Outstanding Music and Lyrics for: "Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On" (shared with Lou BergerLou BergerLou Berger is a former head writer for Sesame Street. Berger was one of two writers that helped launch Reading Rainbow in the early 1980s and he co-wrote, with Judy Freudberg, the primetime special The Street We Live On, which was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Children's Program...
)
Daytime Emmy awards:
- Won, 1999, Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series for: "All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
" (shared with Paul F. Antonelli, A.J. GundellA.J. GundellA.J. Gundell is an American musician and music director. He has won 13 Emmy awards; his favorites being three in the "Outstanding Original Song" category.-Discography:...
, Pamela Magee, Dominic MessingerDominic MessingerDominic Messinger is an American soap opera composer. He began his work in soapmusic on "General Hospital", and has since co-written and composed over one hundred original songs for various soaps...
, Ron Goodman, Robbie KondorRobbie KondorRobbie Kondor is an American composer, session musician, and arranger. He has worked as a composer on The Significant Other, Ball In The House, Sally Jessy Ralphael, Happiness , The Suburbans , Forever Fabulous ,Drawing Angel , Series 7: The Contenders , Home Delivery and Equality U...
, Terry Walker, and Gary KuoGary KuoGary Kuo is an American composer and violinist. He has worked as a composer on Another Night , As the World Turns and All My Children. He played the violin for the film The Glass Shield in 1994, and instructed on the violin for Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance that same year...
) - Nominated, 2000, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series for: "All My Children" (shared with Terry Walker, A.J. GundellA.J. GundellA.J. Gundell is an American musician and music director. He has won 13 Emmy awards; his favorites being three in the "Outstanding Original Song" category.-Discography:...
, Jerry PilatoJerry PilatoJerry Pilato is an American director of television shows and theatrical plays. He has worked on the ABC Daytime drama series All My Children, for which he has received four Daytime Emmy wins and fifteen nominations...
, Dominic MessingerDominic MessingerDominic Messinger is an American soap opera composer. He began his work in soapmusic on "General Hospital", and has since co-written and composed over one hundred original songs for various soaps...
, Gary KuoGary KuoGary Kuo is an American composer and violinist. He has worked as a composer on Another Night , As the World Turns and All My Children. He played the violin for the film The Glass Shield in 1994, and instructed on the violin for Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance that same year...
, Robbie KondorRobbie KondorRobbie Kondor is an American composer, session musician, and arranger. He has worked as a composer on The Significant Other, Ball In The House, Sally Jessy Ralphael, Happiness , The Suburbans , Forever Fabulous ,Drawing Angel , Series 7: The Contenders , Home Delivery and Equality U...
, and Ron Goodman) - Nominated, 2000, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
" (shared with Danny Epstein, Dave Conner, Christopher CerfChristopher CerfChristopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
, Sarah DurkeeSarah DurkeeSarah Durkee is a singer-songwriter, a television lyricist and screenwriter, and an author and humorist.Durkee and her husband Paul Jacobs are the creators of the theme song for the popular PBS literacy education series, Between the Lions, and have also written many other musical numbers for the...
, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, Stephen J. LawrenceStephen J. LawrenceStephen J. Lawrence is an American composer, living and working in New York City.-Overview :Career overview to date : composed over 250 songs and scores for Sesame Street, resulting in three shared Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition; composed the title song...
, Jeff MossJeff MossJeffrey Arnold "Jeff" Moss was a composer, lyricist, playwright and television writer, best known for his award winning work on the children's television series Sesame Street.-Early life:...
, Paul JacobsPaul JacobsPaul Jacobs can refer to:*Paul Jacobs , American activist**Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang, documentary film about the above*Paul Jacobs , Flemish author*Paul Jacobs , professional hockey player...
, and Glen Daum) - Nominated, 2001, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series for: "All My Children" (shared with Terry Walker, A.J. GundellA.J. GundellA.J. Gundell is an American musician and music director. He has won 13 Emmy awards; his favorites being three in the "Outstanding Original Song" category.-Discography:...
, Jerry PilatoJerry PilatoJerry Pilato is an American director of television shows and theatrical plays. He has worked on the ABC Daytime drama series All My Children, for which he has received four Daytime Emmy wins and fifteen nominations...
, Dominic MessingerDominic MessingerDominic Messinger is an American soap opera composer. He began his work in soapmusic on "General Hospital", and has since co-written and composed over one hundred original songs for various soaps...
, Gary KuoGary KuoGary Kuo is an American composer and violinist. He has worked as a composer on Another Night , As the World Turns and All My Children. He played the violin for the film The Glass Shield in 1994, and instructed on the violin for Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance that same year...
, John WineglassJohn WineglassJohn Christopher Wineglass is an American television composer.-Biography:Wineglass was born in Washington, D.C., in 1972. He played in the DC Youth orchestra in 1984, and ten years later he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition at the American University...
, Brian Comotto, Loris HollandLoris HollandLoris Holland is an American composer, record producer, synthesizer and songwriter.-Biography:Holland grew up in the British Guyana, to a family which forbade any music other than hymns and classical music, due to the deaths of his maternal grandfather and uncle on separate occasions, whilst...
, Robbie KondorRobbie KondorRobbie Kondor is an American composer, session musician, and arranger. He has worked as a composer on The Significant Other, Ball In The House, Sally Jessy Ralphael, Happiness , The Suburbans , Forever Fabulous ,Drawing Angel , Series 7: The Contenders , Home Delivery and Equality U...
, and Ron Goodman) - Nominated, 2001, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Danny Epstein, Dave Conner, Christopher CerfChristopher CerfChristopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
, and Stephen J. LawrenceStephen J. LawrenceStephen J. Lawrence is an American composer, living and working in New York City.-Overview :Career overview to date : composed over 250 songs and scores for Sesame Street, resulting in three shared Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition; composed the title song...
) - Won, 2002, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series for: "All My Children" (shared with Terry Walker, A.J. GundellA.J. GundellA.J. Gundell is an American musician and music director. He has won 13 Emmy awards; his favorites being three in the "Outstanding Original Song" category.-Discography:...
, Jerry PilatoJerry PilatoJerry Pilato is an American director of television shows and theatrical plays. He has worked on the ABC Daytime drama series All My Children, for which he has received four Daytime Emmy wins and fifteen nominations...
, Dominic MessingerDominic MessingerDominic Messinger is an American soap opera composer. He began his work in soapmusic on "General Hospital", and has since co-written and composed over one hundred original songs for various soaps...
, Gary KuoGary KuoGary Kuo is an American composer and violinist. He has worked as a composer on Another Night , As the World Turns and All My Children. He played the violin for the film The Glass Shield in 1994, and instructed on the violin for Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance that same year...
, John WineglassJohn WineglassJohn Christopher Wineglass is an American television composer.-Biography:Wineglass was born in Washington, D.C., in 1972. He played in the DC Youth orchestra in 1984, and ten years later he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition at the American University...
, Brian Comotto, Loris HollandLoris HollandLoris Holland is an American composer, record producer, synthesizer and songwriter.-Biography:Holland grew up in the British Guyana, to a family which forbade any music other than hymns and classical music, due to the deaths of his maternal grandfather and uncle on separate occasions, whilst...
, Robbie KondorRobbie KondorRobbie Kondor is an American composer, session musician, and arranger. He has worked as a composer on The Significant Other, Ball In The House, Sally Jessy Ralphael, Happiness , The Suburbans , Forever Fabulous ,Drawing Angel , Series 7: The Contenders , Home Delivery and Equality U...
, Ron Goodman, and Peter Fish) - Won, 2002, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Danny Epstein, Dave Conner, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, Stephen LawrenceStephen LawrenceStephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, southeast London, who was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993....
, and Glen Daum) - Won, 2003, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series for: "All My Children" (shared with Terry Walker, Andrew J. Gundell, Jerry PilatoJerry PilatoJerry Pilato is an American director of television shows and theatrical plays. He has worked on the ABC Daytime drama series All My Children, for which he has received four Daytime Emmy wins and fifteen nominations...
, Dominic MessingerDominic MessingerDominic Messinger is an American soap opera composer. He began his work in soapmusic on "General Hospital", and has since co-written and composed over one hundred original songs for various soaps...
, Gary KuoGary KuoGary Kuo is an American composer and violinist. He has worked as a composer on Another Night , As the World Turns and All My Children. He played the violin for the film The Glass Shield in 1994, and instructed on the violin for Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance that same year...
, John WineglassJohn WineglassJohn Christopher Wineglass is an American television composer.-Biography:Wineglass was born in Washington, D.C., in 1972. He played in the DC Youth orchestra in 1984, and ten years later he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition at the American University...
, Brian Comotto, Loris HollandLoris HollandLoris Holland is an American composer, record producer, synthesizer and songwriter.-Biography:Holland grew up in the British Guyana, to a family which forbade any music other than hymns and classical music, due to the deaths of his maternal grandfather and uncle on separate occasions, whilst...
, Robbie KondorRobbie KondorRobbie Kondor is an American composer, session musician, and arranger. He has worked as a composer on The Significant Other, Ball In The House, Sally Jessy Ralphael, Happiness , The Suburbans , Forever Fabulous ,Drawing Angel , Series 7: The Contenders , Home Delivery and Equality U...
, Ron Goodman, Brian TarquinBrian TarquinBrian Tarquin is a guitarist/composer is established as a top-rated recording artist & TV composer. In 2003 and 2005, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series and also received Emmy nominations in 2001, 2002 and 2004.He wrote the theme...
, Kim OlerKim OlerKim Oler is an American television and theatrical composer. He is a member of the BMI and Dramatists Guild.-Positions held:* Composer on Little Women Pets!, When the Cookie Crumbles, The Secret Garden, Class Clown, Harriet the Spy and Babes in Toyland, All My Children, As the World Turns, The...
, Peter Fish, and Jim Klein) - Won, 2003, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Danny Epstein, Dave Conner, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, Stephen J. LawrenceStephen J. LawrenceStephen J. Lawrence is an American composer, living and working in New York City.-Overview :Career overview to date : composed over 250 songs and scores for Sesame Street, resulting in three shared Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition; composed the title song...
, Glenn Daum, and Christopher CerfChristopher CerfChristopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
) - Nominated, 2004, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Danny Epstein, Dave Conner, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, Stephen J. LawrenceStephen J. LawrenceStephen J. Lawrence is an American composer, living and working in New York City.-Overview :Career overview to date : composed over 250 songs and scores for Sesame Street, resulting in three shared Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition; composed the title song...
, and Glen Daum) - Nominated, 2005, Outstanding Original Song for: "Sesame Street" song "Things Change" (shared with Joey Mazzarino)
- Nominated, 2005, Outstanding Original Song for: "Sesame Street" song "Who Will Be My Friend?" (shared with Molly Boylan, and Judy FreudbergJudy FreudbergJudy Freudberg has been writing for Sesame Street since 1975. One of the creators and developers of Elmo's World, she now serves as head writer for that popular segment....
) - Nominated, 2005, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Dave Conner, Danny Epstein, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, and Glen Daum) - Won, 2006, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Dave Conner, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, and Danny Epstein) - Won, 2007, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Dave Conner, and Danny Epstein)
- Nominated, 2009, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for: "Sesame Street" (shared with Mark RadiceMark RadiceMark Radice is an American singer/musician and producer, who has worked with a variety of different artists and achieved minor success with his own material in the 1970s...
, Russell Velazquez, Tony GeissTony GeissTony Geiss was an award-winning producer, scriptwriter, songwriter and author, known principally for his children's work....
, Christopher CerfChristopher CerfChristopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
, and Stephen LawrenceStephen LawrenceStephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, southeast London, who was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993....
)
Grammy-nominated recordings
- Best Arrangement for Pop Vocal: Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
& Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, “I Wish I’d Met You” (from Horne album The Men in My Life) (1989 nomination) - Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal: Maureen McGovernMaureen McGovernMaureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
: The Music Never Ends – The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman) (1998 nomination) - Best Traditional Pop Vocal: Maureen McGovern with Mike Renzi, piano: The Pleasure of His Company (1999 nomination)
- Best Jazz Vocal Performance: An Evening with Lena Horne (Mike Renzi, pianist-conductor) (1995 win)
External links
- Mike Renzi at the Muppet Wikia
- Mike Renzi at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Mike Renzi CDs
- Mike Renzi at www.artistdirect.com