Sammy Nestico  

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Samuel Louis Nistico (February 6, 1924 – January 17, 2021), better known as Sammy Nestico, was an American composer and arranger. Nestico is best known for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra.

Biography

Nestico was born on February 6, 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Nestico joined his high school's beginner orchestra in 1937 as a trombonist. In 1939, he wrote his first arrangement. At age 17, Nestico joined the ABC radio station WCAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a trombonist. Nestico received a Bachelor's degree in music education from Duquesne University in 1950. He later received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from his alma mater.

During his career, he arranged music for the Count Basie Orchestra (1967–1984), the U.S. Air Force Band (fifteen years) and the U.S. Marine Band (five years) both in Washington, D.C. In addition, he played trombone in the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet. He conducted and recorded his arrangements with several leading European Radio Jazz Orchestras, including the BBC Big Band in London, Germany's SWR Big Band and NDR Big Band and the DR Big Band.

During his long career in the television and film industry, he arranged and conducted projects for Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Toni Tennille, Frank Sinatra, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand, and Count Basie. As orchestrator, he has worked on nearly seventy television programs, including Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Charlie's Angels, and The Mod Squad.

Nestico composed commercial jingles for Anheuser-Busch, Zenith, Ford Motor Company, Mattel Toys, Pittsburgh Paint, the National Guard, Dodge, Remington Bank, and Americard.

Publication

Nestico published nearly 600 numbers for school groups and many for professional big bands.

Teaching

In 1998–1999 Nestico was a professor at the University of Georgia, teaching commercial orchestration and conducting the studio orchestra. He also directed music programs at Los Angeles Pierce College, Woodland Hills, California, Westinghouse Memorial High School, and Wilmerding, Pennsylvania.

Death

Nestico died on January 17, 2021 at the age of 96.

Discography

• 1982 Dark Orchid (Palo Alto)
• 1986 Night Flight (Sea Breeze)
• 1998 Big Band Favorites of Sammy Nestico (Summit)
• 2000 Sammy Nestico – For You to Play (Jamey Aebersold)
• 2000 Basie & Beyond The Quincy Jones-Sammy Nestico Orchestra (Qwest / Warner Bros.)
• 2005 No Time Like the Present (Hänssler)
• 2005 Basie Cally Sammy: The Music of Count Basie and Sammy Nestico (Hänssler)
• 2009 Sammy Nestico, Vol. 3: Fun Time (Hänssler)
• 2011 Fun Time & More Live (Hänssler)
• 2017 A Cool Breeze with Sammy Nestico with the SWR Big Band (SWR Music)

As arranger

With Count Basie

• Basie Straight Ahead (Dot, 1968)
• Standing Ovation (Dot, 1969)
• Have a Nice Day (Daybreak, 1971)
• Bing 'n' Basie (Daybreak, 1972)
• Basie Big Band (Pablo, 1975)
• Warm Breeze (Pablo, 1981)
• 88 Basie Street (Pablo, 1983)
• Fancy Pants (Pablo, 1983)

With Frank Sinatra

• L.A. Is My Lady (Qwest, 1984)

With Sarah Vaughan

• Send in the Clowns (Pablo, 1981)

The Sammy Nestico Award

The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the USAF, sponsor an annual competition for composers and arrangers of big band music, in honor of Sammy Nestico. Previous winners are: