Kander and Ebb
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Kander and Ebb is the songwriting team of composer John Kander, born March 18, 1927 and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1933 - September 11, 2004).
They met in 1963. They were introduced by their mutual music publisher Tommy Valando. The team first collaborated on a small show called Golden Gate, which Harold Prince once said, "Was basically a test to see if the collaboration was any good. The team had their first proffessional production in 1965, on Flora the Red Menace, which was produced by Hal Prince, directed by George Abbott, and with book by George Abbott and Robert Russell. It was the musical in which Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut. Kander and Ebb wrote material for Minnelli and Chita Rivera for their appearances live and on television.
Their greatest acclaim came from the musical and film Cabaret. The musical, directed by musical theatre giant Harold Prince was a major success, with a Broadway run of over 1100 performances. It won a Tony Award as the season's best musical, and its original cast recording won a Grammy. The film, directed by theatre/hollywood director Bob Fosse won eight Academy Awards. The 2002 film Chicago, based on their initially poorly-received musical of the same name, was also a great success, including an Oscar nomination for the two of them.
Liza Minnelli was probably the most talked about artist with Kander and Ebb. They were both infatuated with her. They enjoyed how she stayed faithful to the musician’s intent and how she had an appreciation and understanding for music. She had a good sense of how to approach the work and when she was unsuccessful, she would seek guidance from Kander and Ebb. They were like her father figures and worked together on many an occasion. Kander and Ebb marveled that Cabaret was an amazing experience, since all the collaborators worked together to create this musical. That was how they liked to work best, with all the collaboration teams working together and on the same page. The collaboration process also had a long experimental period in which actors such as Joel Grey were involved in the creation of characters. Kander and Ebb's fascination with collaboration began with their work on Caberet. Harold Prince would have the creative team over to his house, and they would all sit in his backyard and toss around ideas about where the show could go. These sessions are referred to in their biography, Colored Lights, as 'what if' sessions, and they were one of the most prized parts of the creative process for Kander and Ebb.
One of their best-known songs is the theme song from Scorsese's New York, New York, recorded by both Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra.
They were recognized for their contributions to theatre and music with Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.
[edit] Musicals
- Flora the Red Menace (1965)
- Cabaret (1966)
- Go Fly a Kite (1966), an industrial musical for General Electric
- The Happy Time (1968)
- Zorba (1968)
- 70, Girls, 70 (1971)
- Chicago (1975)
- The Act (1978)
- Woman of the Year (1981)
- The Rink (1984)
- And The World Goes 'Round (1991)
- Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992)
- Steel Pier (1997)
- Fosse (1999)
- All About Us (a.k.a. The Skin of Our Teeth) (1999)
- The Visit (2001)
- Curtains (2006)
[edit] Films
- Cabaret (1972)
- Chicago (2002)
- The duo also contributed four original songs, including the famous title song, to Martin Scorsese's New York, New York (1977)
