The Grammy-winning musician's interests included jazz, Latin and pop music, and he released more than 50 albums under his name.
By Don Heckman, Special to The Los Angeles Times
Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winning pianist, composer and arranger who crossed freely from jazz toLatin and pop music, working with Dizzy Gillespie, George Shearing, Natalie Cole and Joao Gilberto as well as Paul McCartney, Prince, Spike Lee and Michael Jackson, has died. He was 83.
Fischer died Thursday at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank of complications of aheart attack suffered two weeks ago, according to family spokeswoman Claris Dodge.
Although Fischer entered the professional music world through jazz, his expansive creative perspective quickly grew to embrace many other musical areas.
"I relate to everything," he explained in a 1987 interview with The Times. "I'm not just jazz, Latin or classical. I really am a fusion of all of those, not today's fusion, but my fusion." He went on to describe his fascination with Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Bartok, as well as Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Lee Konitz, Tito Puente and boogie-woogie pianist Meade Lux Lewis.
Regardless of the area in which he was working, Fischer's arranging and composing always possessed a rich harmonic palette, one that attracted and influenced other musicians.
"Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept," noted Herbie Hancock, describing Fischer's arrangements for the 1950s vocal group the Hi-Lo's as having a significant impact upon his own recording, "Speak Like a Child."
Fischer's arranging was especially valued by pop and rock artists for the lush, classical qualities of the textures he created, especially for string ensembles. Working closely with his son, Brent Fischer, also an arranger and conductor, he provided arrangements and orchestrations for Paul McCartney, Chaka Khan, Carlos Santana, Rufus, Brandy, Prince and numerous others. His first film credit was the music for Prince's "Under the Cherry Moon."
In addition to his writing efforts, Fischer was a busy studio keyboardist, performing, composing or arranging for commercials, film and television scores, and more than 100 albums for other artists.
He also released more than 50 albums under his own name in a recording career that began in 1962 with the Pacific Records album "First Time Out." His diverse ensembles included the Latin groupSalsa Picante; the vocal ensemble 2 + 2; his Clarinet Choir; a big, 30-piece band called Clare Fischer's Jazz Corps; solo piano performances; pairings with Donald Byrd, Gary Foster, Jerry Coker and others; and a duo with Fischer's digital piano and the acoustic guitar of Helio Delmiro.
"After the Rain," produced in 2001, was his first classical recording, a collection of his symphonic works.
He won two Grammy awards, in 1981 for "Clare Fischer and Salsa Picante Present 2+2" and in 1986 for "Freefall."
Douglas Clare Fischer was born Oct. 22, 1928, in Durand, Mich., the third of four children. His first instruments were violin and piano. By the time he was in his teens, after his family had moved to Grand Rapids, he was composing and writing arrangements for big dance bands. His versatility as an instrumentalist grew to include cello, clarinet and saxophone during his high school years. In 1947, he entered Michigan State University, majoring in composition and theory, graduating in 1951 cum laude with a bachelor's degree in music.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Michigan State, receiving a master's in music in 1955.
Fischer's professional career escalated in the late 1950s during his five-year association as pianist/arranger/conductor with the musically adventurous Hi-Lo's. But it was his arrangements for Dizzy Gillespie's 1960 album, "A Portrait of Duke Ellington," that brought him the full attention of the jazz community. Albums for George Shearing, Cal Tjader, Bud Shank and Joe Pass followed. In the mid-'70s a reunion with Tjader also revived Fischer's fascination with Latin music via his Salsa Picante group. His affection for Brazilian music in general, and bossa nova in particular, resulted in albums such as "So Danco Samba," "Lembrancas" and "Symbiosis."
In the '80s, Fischer became an arranger and orchestrator of choice for many major pop artists.
In 1988, Fischer had a freeway encounter with another driver that climaxed in a physical confrontation at the side of the road. Fischer, 60 at the time, was pushed to the ground by the combined assault of the driver and his companion, suffering a hairline skull fracture and a concussion. He was in the hospital, in and out of consciousness for two weeks. It took nearly a year before he was able to return to music.
"If I discovered anything in that strange, 10-month period of recovery," he said in a 1992 interview, "it's that music is the one thing that makes me sane."
He is survived by his wife, Donna; his children, Lee, Brent and Tahlia; two stepchildren, Lisa and Bill Bachman; three grandchildren; and a brother, Stewart.
news.obits@latimes.com
Fischer died Thursday at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank of complications of aheart attack suffered two weeks ago, according to family spokeswoman Claris Dodge.
Although Fischer entered the professional music world through jazz, his expansive creative perspective quickly grew to embrace many other musical areas.
"I relate to everything," he explained in a 1987 interview with The Times. "I'm not just jazz, Latin or classical. I really am a fusion of all of those, not today's fusion, but my fusion." He went on to describe his fascination with Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Bartok, as well as Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Lee Konitz, Tito Puente and boogie-woogie pianist Meade Lux Lewis.
Regardless of the area in which he was working, Fischer's arranging and composing always possessed a rich harmonic palette, one that attracted and influenced other musicians.
"Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept," noted Herbie Hancock, describing Fischer's arrangements for the 1950s vocal group the Hi-Lo's as having a significant impact upon his own recording, "Speak Like a Child."
Fischer's arranging was especially valued by pop and rock artists for the lush, classical qualities of the textures he created, especially for string ensembles. Working closely with his son, Brent Fischer, also an arranger and conductor, he provided arrangements and orchestrations for Paul McCartney, Chaka Khan, Carlos Santana, Rufus, Brandy, Prince and numerous others. His first film credit was the music for Prince's "Under the Cherry Moon."
In addition to his writing efforts, Fischer was a busy studio keyboardist, performing, composing or arranging for commercials, film and television scores, and more than 100 albums for other artists.
He also released more than 50 albums under his own name in a recording career that began in 1962 with the Pacific Records album "First Time Out." His diverse ensembles included the Latin groupSalsa Picante; the vocal ensemble 2 + 2; his Clarinet Choir; a big, 30-piece band called Clare Fischer's Jazz Corps; solo piano performances; pairings with Donald Byrd, Gary Foster, Jerry Coker and others; and a duo with Fischer's digital piano and the acoustic guitar of Helio Delmiro.
"After the Rain," produced in 2001, was his first classical recording, a collection of his symphonic works.
He won two Grammy awards, in 1981 for "Clare Fischer and Salsa Picante Present 2+2" and in 1986 for "Freefall."
Douglas Clare Fischer was born Oct. 22, 1928, in Durand, Mich., the third of four children. His first instruments were violin and piano. By the time he was in his teens, after his family had moved to Grand Rapids, he was composing and writing arrangements for big dance bands. His versatility as an instrumentalist grew to include cello, clarinet and saxophone during his high school years. In 1947, he entered Michigan State University, majoring in composition and theory, graduating in 1951 cum laude with a bachelor's degree in music.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Michigan State, receiving a master's in music in 1955.
Fischer's professional career escalated in the late 1950s during his five-year association as pianist/arranger/conductor with the musically adventurous Hi-Lo's. But it was his arrangements for Dizzy Gillespie's 1960 album, "A Portrait of Duke Ellington," that brought him the full attention of the jazz community. Albums for George Shearing, Cal Tjader, Bud Shank and Joe Pass followed. In the mid-'70s a reunion with Tjader also revived Fischer's fascination with Latin music via his Salsa Picante group. His affection for Brazilian music in general, and bossa nova in particular, resulted in albums such as "So Danco Samba," "Lembrancas" and "Symbiosis."
In the '80s, Fischer became an arranger and orchestrator of choice for many major pop artists.
In 1988, Fischer had a freeway encounter with another driver that climaxed in a physical confrontation at the side of the road. Fischer, 60 at the time, was pushed to the ground by the combined assault of the driver and his companion, suffering a hairline skull fracture and a concussion. He was in the hospital, in and out of consciousness for two weeks. It took nearly a year before he was able to return to music.
"If I discovered anything in that strange, 10-month period of recovery," he said in a 1992 interview, "it's that music is the one thing that makes me sane."
He is survived by his wife, Donna; his children, Lee, Brent and Tahlia; two stepchildren, Lisa and Bill Bachman; three grandchildren; and a brother, Stewart.
news.obits@latimes.com
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