Neal Hefti
Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for The Odd Couple movie and TV series and for the Batman TV series. He began arranging professionally in his teens, when he wrote charts for Nat Towles. He composed and arranged while working as a trumpeter for Woody Herman providing the bandleader with versions of "Woodchopper's Ball" and "Blowin' Up a Storm" and composing "The Good Earth" and "Wild Root". He left Herman's band in 1946. Now concentrating on writing music only, he began an association with Count Basie in 1950. Hefti occasionally led his own bands. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Hastings, Died October 11, 2008 (Los Angeles)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1942 - 1959
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, arranger, trumpet, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 101-125 of 262 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 84711 | 6/12/1953 | Eh làbas | Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet, arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 84712 | 6/12/1953 | Margie | Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet, arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85034 | 8/14/1953 | When I lost you | Jackie Paris | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85035 | 8/14/1953 | Idle gossip | Jackie Paris | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85036 | 8/14/1953 | I had a talk with a daisy | Jackie Paris | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85037 | 8/14/1953 | Skylark | Jackie Paris | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85292 | 10/1/1953 | Just one more chance | Neal Hefti Orchestra ; Mel Torme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85293 | 10/1/1953 | The anything can happen mambo | Neal Hefti Orchestra ; Mel Torme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85294 | 10/1/1953 | Blue skies | Neal Hefti Orchestra ; Mel Torme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85295 | 10/1/1953 | oo-ya-ya | Neal Hefti Orchestra ; Mel Torme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85486 | 11/5/1953 | The march of the Commanders | Commanders Big Band | arranger | |||
| Decca | 85487 | 11/5/1953 | I want a little girl | Commanders Big Band | arranger | |||
| Decca | 85664 | 1/5/1954 | Teardrop Avenue | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85665 | 1/5/1954 | Chain reaction | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85666 | 1/5/1954 | If you only knew | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85667 | 1/5/1954 | Fallen apples | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85668 | 1/5/1954 | Tea for two | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85669 | 1/5/1954 | Crocodile tears | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85670 | 1/5/1954 | Climb up the wall | Eydie Gorme | leader | |||
| Decca | 85675 | 1/7/1954 | The way I feel | Johnny Parker | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85676 | 1/7/1954 | Lover | Johnny Parker | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85677 | 1/7/1954 | Penthouse serenade (When we're alone) | Johnny Parker | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85678 | 1/7/1954 | Runnin' around in circles | Johnny Parker | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85915 | 3/1/1954 | Banana split | Jackie Cain ; Roy Kral | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 85916 | 3/1/1954 | Pa! Take me to the circus | Jackie Cain ; Roy Kral | arranger, leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hefti, Neal," accessed December 11, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103459.
Hefti, Neal. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103459.
"Hefti, Neal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 11 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Neal Hefti
Discogs: Neal Hefti
Allmusic: Neal Hefti
Grove: Neal Hefti
IMDb: Neal Hefti
Britannica: Neal Hefti
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Hefti, Neal - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82013466
Wikidata: Neal Hefti - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q463224
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/67646974
MusicBrainz: Neal Hefti - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/75770f14-cbe0-4b06-8825-14797098ff2a
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/86392 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/86392
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