Allan Zavod

Allan Zavod
Born (1945-10-16)16 October 1945
Melbourne, Australia
Died 29 November 2016(2016-11-29) (aged 71)
Melbourne, Australia
Genres Jazz fusion, jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, actor
Instruments Piano, electric piano
Years active 1972–2016
Associated acts Glenn Miller Orchestra, Cab Calloway, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Jean-Luc Ponty
Website www.allanzavod.com

Allan Zavod (16 October 1945 – 29 November 2016) was an Australian pianist, composer, jazz musician and occasional conductor whose career had mainly been in America.[1]

Zavod completed a music degree from the Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne in 1969. His talent as a pianist was recognised by Duke Ellington, who arranged for him to study at the Berklee College of Music, Boston – where Zavod was later a professor of music.

In his career Zavod has collaborated with some well-known international musicians such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, George Benson, Eric Clapton, Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa, as well as Australian musicians the drummer Des McKenna, Wilbur Wild, Red Symonds and Daryl on Hey Hey Its Saturday James Morrison, Kate Ceberano and Judith Durham. He has performed for the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and several Heads of State.

Zavod was based in the US for 20 years, where he played, toured and recorded with some of the world's biggest names like the Glenn Miller Orchestra. When he wasn't on the road he scored more than 30 US and Australian films and TV shows.

Zavod was a pioneer in a compositional style that combines classical and jazz genres, where musicians from both worlds share the same concert platform equally.

Zavod's symphonic works have been performed by orchestras in Australia, Europe and the US.

As a film composer Zavod scored over 30 films, including a movie with Eric Clapton.

He composed the Environmental Symphony for orchestra, narrator and synchronized visuals which was performed at the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards and narrated by Sir Richard Branson.

The University of Melbourne awarded Zavod the Degree of Doctor of Music in recognition of his international achievements as a composer.[2]

Biography

Zavod was classically trained at University of Melbourne Conservatorium after being awarded the prestigious full Ormond scholarship. Married to author-artist Christine Zavod, he had one son, Zak.

In the late 1960s he was discovered by Duke Ellington, who arranged for him to further his jazz studies at famed Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, US, where Allan later held a post as professor. He spent the following 30 years in the US performing, recording and touring the states and the world with many of America’s music greats.

Throughout a distinguished career Zavod performed before Her Majesty the Queen and years later H.R.H. Prince Charles and Princess Diana and recently H.R.H. Prince and Princess Norodom of Cambodia, heads of country and state, foreign dignitaries, government bodies, universities and charitable organizations in many countries.

During his career as performer, composer, music director, arranger, producer, conductor, he appeared on American and Australian talk shows and music programs worldwide. As a film composer he wrote scores for over 40 films, documentaries, television and theatre, including:

Zavod wrote monthly music lessons for ‘Australian Musician’ Magazine for 15 years. As a pioneer in the classical–jazz fusion or 3rd stream genre. He has two student music awards in his name: The Zavod Classical-Jazz fusion Composers Award Administered by The University of Melbourne and The Zavod Classical-Jazz Performers Award administered by Monash University.

His awards include: The International Film and Television Award New York City: The Australian Writers and Directors Award: The WROC Australian Songwriter Award: The Australian Film Composers Award :Winner of the Asian Broadcasting Song Contest representing Australia (Soloist Kate Ceberano) Televised to eighty million viewers across Asia: Winner (1of 3) Worldwide composer competition for ‘Festival of Living Composers' New Orleans, US.

In 2009, he was awarded the Doctor of Music Degree by the University of Melbourne. Being one of only five recipients of an earned doctorate in composition over the history of the University, this higher doctorate is awarded to scholars who have “made an international contribution to music knowledge.”

Original compositions performed

Educator

International and national tours

Discography as primary and associate artist, and/or composer

Folio

1. Major new work:

2. Previously composed and recorded works:

a) Force D’Esprit (2006), score and live recording: 14’
b) Concerto for Jazz Trombone (2002), score and live recording: 25’
c) Concerto for Trumpet, Jazz Trio and Orchestra (1998), score and live recording: 24’
d) Concerto Australiana (1988), score and live recording (DVD): 20’

Discography Doctorate of Music : University of Melbourne

Allan Zavod Selected Works : Detailed Track and Performance Information : CD 1. Environmental Symphony, (the submitted major new work), is a symphony in 5 movements demonstrated on CD with synthesized orchestra and a demo narrative only.

CD 2. Allan Zavod (Previously composed and performed works)

Trk 1: Force D’Esprit (Power of the Spirit). 2006

Trk 2-4 : Concerto for Jazz Trombone. 2002

Trk 5-8 : Concerto for Trumpet, Jazz Trio and Orchestra. 1998

DVD. Concerto Australiana. 1988

Selected 20th-century work

References

  1. ↑ "Allan Zavod's Website". Allanzavod.com. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Dr Allan Hyam Zavod (OB 63)". Brightongrammar.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
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