Harold Arlen

Harold Arlen went beyond even Gershwin in bringing the styles and feeling of jazz to Tin Pan Alley, movies and the stage. Arlen arranged for the great Fletcher Henderson before becoming a staff writer for the Cotton Club (where he penned "Stormy Weather"). From there he went Hollywood and Broadway at the same time. Arlen's music was infused with the blues and he worked with the finest lyricists, including Johnny Mercer and Ira Gershwin, and wrote the score to The Wizard of Oz with Yip Harbug. With or without words, his priceless melodies are favorites among jazz musicians. The son of a cantor, he sung his own songs in a fine, light voice and even recorded with Duke Ellington.