Peter Levinson, the publicist with a parallel career as a biographer of music and show business figures, died yesterday in a fall in his house in Malibu, California. He was seventy-four. Levinson had been suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, which robbed him of his voice but did not leave him incommunicado. Through the use of a computer capable of converting his typing to speech, he was able to keep working. He had finished a biography of Fred Astaire, which is to be published next spring. He also wrote three other books, biographies of Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and Nelson Riddle. The James book is one of the finest about a jazz artist.
One of the most respected publicists in the jazz field, over the years Levinson represented Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Erroll Garner and Stan Getz, as well as singers Peggy Lee, Mel Torme and Rosemary Clooney, actor Jack Lemmon and films including Fiddler on the Roof and Kramer vs. Kramer.
Peter was the publisher’s publicist for Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. He and I were friends since our mutual time in New York in the 1970s. I shall miss his earnest professionalism, advice, kindness and companionship. For more about Peter Levinson, see the Los Angeles Times obituary.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
It is with shock and sadness that I acknowledge the news of Peter Levinson’s passing. Having recently corresponded with Peter (writing Peter on October 13th and receiving his reply on October 16th) this news is especially stunning.
I so admired his vast knowledge and enthusiasm for jazz and the American Popular Songbook. Peter remains a gifted writer. His volumes on Harry James, Nelson Riddle, and Tommy Dorsey are vital documents of this period in music. I eagerly await his upcoming volume on Fred Astaire.
In 2002, Peter was the centerpiece of a two-part interview on the subject of Frank Sinatra’s contribution to the arts. That appearance was documented on the series that I produced and hosted for national public broadcasting, “The Sinatra Songbook.” Peter’s “fly-on-the-wall” accounts of seminal moments in the singer’s career enriched the interview as only the recollections of a first-hand witness could. As these witnesses to artistic history diminish in number, Peter’s first-hand reflections remain that much more significant.
I will always celebrate Peter’s ever-supportive
nature and his encyclopedic knowledge of the American Popular Songbook.
Mark Sudock
Senior Editor, Features
Fox11 News,
Host and Producer,
The Sinatra Songbook,
Levinson Friend and Admirer