Sammy Nestico
Biography
Sammy Nestico (6 February 1924, Pittsburgh, Penn. – 17 January 2021, Sherman Oaks, Calif.) was an American composer and arranger.
Mr. Nestico received a bachelor’s degree on music education from Duquesne University in 1950.
One of the most prolific composers and arrangers of big band music, Sammy Nestico’s name is synonymous with the Count Basie Orchestra in the school band setting. Nestico also made significant musical contributions to both the Boston Pops and several movie and television studios during his long career in the film industry as a composer/arranger. His scores for popular shows such as M*A*S*H, The Love Boat, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show are widely recognized around the world.
With over 600 works to his credit, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award and honorary doctorate from Duquesne University.
Works for Winds
- All Through the Night (as arranger) (1964)
- American Originals (as arranger) (1989)
- Apotheosis (1968)
- Armed Forces Medley (as arranger)
- The Boys of Wexford (as arranger) (1963/2007)
- Canyon Country (orch. Schueller) (1982/2014)
- Christmas Joy (1971)
- A Fireside Christmas (as arranger) (1992)
- Good Swing Wenceslas (as arranger) (2006)
- The Greenbriars of Wexley (1966)
- I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (as arranger) (1971)
- Jingle Bells (as arranger)
- Los Valientes (1979/1991)
- March for the Young
- Malagueña (as arranger)
- Marines' Hymn Apotheosis. See: Apotheosis
- Pacific Island Fantasy (1980)
- Persuasion (2001)
- Portrait of a Trumpet (1965)
- Reflections
- Reflective Mood (1964)
- Rhapsody for Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble (as arranger) (1975)
- Rhapsody for Flugelhorn
- Salute to American Jazz (as arranger) (1994)
- Seascape
- Shield of Freedom (1982)
- The Silver Quill (with Harpham) (1967)
- A Tribute to Harry James (2006)
- Tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr
- A Tribute to Stephen Foster (as arranger) (1968)
- Two Christmas Carols (1972)
- Two Folk Songs
- Vaquero (arr. Bocook) (1967)
- When You Wish Upon a Star (as arranger) (1940/1976)
Resources
- Sammy Nestico website Accessed 16 December 2022
- Sammy Nestico, Wikipedia Accessed 17 January 2021
- Nestico, Sammy. The Gift of Music. Sammy Nestico Publishing, c2009.
- Varga, George. "Sammy Nestico, ‘the Rolls Royce of composers and arrangers’ in big-band jazz, dies at 96." The San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 December 2021. Web. Accessed 27 January 2021
- Warrick, Jim. "Sammy Nestico." The Instrumentalist, April/May 2021, p. 6-11, 23. Print.