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Composer, arranger, and conductor Burt Bacharach is a legend of American popular music. With such landmark tunes as "Alfie" and "What the World Needs Now," Bacharach has charmed audiences across the musical spectrum. |
Burt Bacharach was born on May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Mo. By the time he was 10, Burt's family had relocated to Queens, New York, where his mother soon enrolled him in piano lessons. An only child, Bacharach did not enjoy his lessons, preferring instead to be outside playing with his friends. In his mid-teens, he became slightly more interested in the popular music of the day, enjoying the big bands of Harry James and the Dorsey brothers. But it wasn't until he heard the bebop sounds of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker that his fascination with music was truly set in motion. Living a short bus ride away from Manhattan, the underage Bacharach often sneaked into downtown jazz clubs to hear the bebop greats.
Music became more and more a part of Bacharach's life and less of a solitary experience when he put together a band with high-school classmates. The group played pop standards of the day at parties and dances around town. With a new dedication to music, thanks in large part to his growing love of jazz, Bacharach went on to study piano at McGill University in Montreal. This was followed by stints at the Mannes School of Music, and at the New School for Social Research, where he studied under composers Bohuslav Martinu, Henry Cowell and Darius Milhaud.
Following school, Bacharach paid his dues by working in nightclubs and restaurants. He also went into the Army, where he continued playing piano and working as a dance-band arranger.
In 1957, Bacharach met fellow songwriter Hal David, and the two began a collaboration that would pen some of the most memorable songs of their day, including "What the World Needs Now is Love," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "What's New, Pussycat" and "Close to You." Bacharach, often in collaboration with Hal David, worked with a number of pop icons of the 1960s and '70s, including Tom Jones, Perry Como, Bobby Vinton, Herb Alpert, Dusty Springfield -- and Dionne Warwick, whom Bacharach and David discovered in the early '60s. The songwriting duo went on to write 20 Top 40 hits for Warwick.
Bacharach has received five Grammy's for his popular songs, and several Oscars for his scores for films, such as Arthur and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. With over 600 compositions published and more than 70 Top 40 hits, Bacharach's tunes have been recorded by close to 1,500 artists, including jazz artists like Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Nancy Wilson, and McCoy Tyner.
Set List for Burt Bacharach on Piano Jazz:"Alfie" (Bacharach, David)
"I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (Bacharach, David)
"This Guy's In Love With You" (Bacharach, David)
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (Bacharach, David)
"What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love" (Bacharach, David)
"Portrait of Burt Bacharach" (McPartland)
"The Windows of the World" (Bacharach, David)
"Close to You" (Bacharach, David)
Burt Bacharach Online
Music became more and more a part of Bacharach's life and less of a solitary experience when he put together a band with high-school classmates. The group played pop standards of the day at parties and dances around town. With a new dedication to music, thanks in large part to his growing love of jazz, Bacharach went on to study piano at McGill University in Montreal. This was followed by stints at the Mannes School of Music, and at the New School for Social Research, where he studied under composers Bohuslav Martinu, Henry Cowell and Darius Milhaud.
Following school, Bacharach paid his dues by working in nightclubs and restaurants. He also went into the Army, where he continued playing piano and working as a dance-band arranger.
In 1957, Bacharach met fellow songwriter Hal David, and the two began a collaboration that would pen some of the most memorable songs of their day, including "What the World Needs Now is Love," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "What's New, Pussycat" and "Close to You." Bacharach, often in collaboration with Hal David, worked with a number of pop icons of the 1960s and '70s, including Tom Jones, Perry Como, Bobby Vinton, Herb Alpert, Dusty Springfield -- and Dionne Warwick, whom Bacharach and David discovered in the early '60s. The songwriting duo went on to write 20 Top 40 hits for Warwick.
Bacharach has received five Grammy's for his popular songs, and several Oscars for his scores for films, such as Arthur and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. With over 600 compositions published and more than 70 Top 40 hits, Bacharach's tunes have been recorded by close to 1,500 artists, including jazz artists like Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Nancy Wilson, and McCoy Tyner.
Set List for Burt Bacharach on Piano Jazz:
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