Cy Coleman

Cy Coleman
Name	Cy Coleman
Birth name	Seymour Kaufman
Birth date	October 14, 1929
Birth place	Bronx, New York City
Death date	November 18, 2004
Death place	New York City
Occupation	Composer, songwriter, musician, arranger
Years active	1940s–2004

Cy Coleman Seymour Kaufman was an American composer and jazz pianist known for contributions to Broadway musical theatre, popular song, and jazz. He collaborated with lyricists and performers across Tin Pan Alley, Brill Building, and the Broadway stage, creating works performed by leading figures in American popular music, jazz, and theatre.

Early life and education

Born in the Bronx to immigrant parents, he studied piano as a child and absorbed influences from nearby venues including Harlem landmarks and Tin Pan Alley songwriters. He trained in classical and jazz idioms, performing in neighborhood clubs and connecting with musicians active in New York City's jazz scene, Manhattan venues, and radio orchestras. Early mentors and contacts included performers and arrangers who worked with Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and members of the American Federation of Musicians.

Career

He began as a nightclub pianist and composer in New York City nightclubs, collaborating with songwriters and performers associated with the Brill Building and recording for labels linked to Columbia Records, RCA Victor, and small independent studios. Transitioning to Broadway, he worked with lyricists whose careers intersected with writers for MGM, Paramount Pictures, and television programs produced by CBS and NBC. His collaborations involved notable performers from the Great American Songbook, arrangers from orchestras led by Count Basie and Tommy Dorsey, and directors active in Broadway theatre and touring productions. He wrote for revues, cabaret acts, and motion picture projects, interacting with producers who had credits on Tony Awards–winning shows, and composers connected to the American Theatre Wing.

Major works and compositions

He composed the scores for Broadway musicals that included collaborations with lyricists and book writers associated with landmark shows presented at venues like the St. James Theatre, Winter Garden Theatre, and regional theatres in Chicago and San Francisco. His catalogue contains songs recorded by leading vocalists from labels such as Columbia Records, Capitol Records, and Decca Records, and interpreted by instrumentalists from the Jazz Messengers, Modern Jazz Quartet, and big bands linked to NBC Symphony Orchestra alumni. He wrote chart hits and standards performed by artists who also recorded for Verve Records and performed in festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Notable stage scores drew on influences seen in works staged at the Public Theater and productions associated with the Shubert Organization.

Awards and honors

Throughout his career he received recognitions from institutions including the Tony Award committee, the Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy, and honors from organizations linked to ASCAP and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His shows were eligible for awards administered by the Drama Desk and were cited in retrospectives by the New York Times and theatre historians associated with Lincoln Center programs. He was honored by performing arts institutions such as the Kennedy Center and included in tribute concerts organized by Broadway producers and unions like the Actors' Equity Association.

Personal life

He maintained professional relationships with performers and writers who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and television specials produced by CBS and ABC. His social and creative circles included arrangers, lyricists, and singers connected to cabaret venues in Greenwich Village and clubs on Broadway; colleagues included collaborators who worked with Liza Minnelli, Martha Graham–era dancers, and musicians who had roles in film scores for MGM and Warner Bros.. He balanced touring commitments with residencies in New York City and engagements in international festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe and European concert series.

Legacy and influence

His body of work influenced subsequent generations of Broadway composers, lyricists, and arrangers associated with institutions like Juilliard and the Yale School of Drama; performers and educators referenced his songs in curricula at conservatories and summer programs run by the Tanglewood Music Center and regional theatres. His songs continue to be performed by artists from the Great American Songbook revival movement, jazz instrumentalists linked to Blue Note Records and vocalists on labels including Decca Records and Columbia Records. Retrospectives and revivals at venues managed by the Roundabout Theatre Company and the New York Philharmonic's education programs have cited his influence on American musical theatre idioms, and scholars of American musical theatre and popular song trace lines from his work to contemporary composers represented by Broadway publishers and rights organizations such as Music Theatre International.

Category:American composers Category:Broadway composers Category:1929 births Category:2004 deaths