One of the great arrangers, Bill Holman's dense but hard-swinging charts often had so much of value going on that they reward repeated listening. After a stint with Charlie Barnet (1950-1951), Holman became well-known for his arrangements for Stan Kenton (1952-1956), which helped advance the Kenton sound. Although a fine tenor saxophonist, Holman's writing always overshadowed his playing. He concentrated on studio work in the 1960s, but over the years, he also wrote for Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich, among others. Holman wrote the charts for Natalie Cole's best-selling Unforgettable album (1991) and led his own part-time big band in the Los Angeles area from 1975 onward. He recorded as a leader for the Capitol, Coral (reissued on Sackville), Andex, and Hi Fi labels between 1954-1960, and in the late '80s and early '90s, his Los Angeles band was documented by JVC. Bill Holman died on May 7, 2024, at the age of 96. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi