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| Jerry Hey | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jerry Hey |
| Birth date | 29 March 1940 |
| Occupation | Trumpeter, arranger, composer |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Associated acts | * Michael Jackson * Quincy Jones * George Benson * George Duke |
Jerry Hey is an American trumpeter, arranger, and composer renowned for his work in jazz, pop, and studio orchestration. He rose to prominence through collaborations with leading figures in jazz and pop music and became a sought-after session musician in Los Angeles. Hey's horn arrangements and distinctive trumpet playing contributed to numerous gold and platinum recordings, film scores, and television productions.
Jerry Hey was born in 1940 and grew up in a period shaped by postwar United States music scenes. He studied brass performance and arrangement, attending institutions and programs that connected him with educators and performers involved in big band and jazz fusion movements. Early influences included prominent figures from the West Coast jazz and Los Angeles studio communities, which led to mentorships and early session opportunities with established artists and ensembles.
Hey's professional career began in the 1960s and expanded through the 1970s and 1980s as he became integral to the Los Angeles session scene centered around studios like those used by A&M Studios and Capitol Records. He worked on recordings spanning jazz, R&B, funk, and pop genres, collaborating with producers and arrangers from the camps of Quincy Jones, David Foster, and Arif Mardin. Hey's contributions included brass charts, trumpet solos, and orchestral cues for studio albums, motion pictures, and television soundtracks produced by companies associated with Universal Pictures and Warner Bros..
Hey's notable collaborations encompass a wide array of performers and producers. He arranged and played on sessions for Michael Jackson albums produced by Quincy Jones, and contributed to recordings by Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, and Paul McCartney. Hey also worked with jazz and fusion artists such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, and Al Jarreau, and contributed to projects produced by Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler. His film and television work connected him with composers like Henry Mancini, John Williams, James Newton Howard, and orchestras associated with Hollywood Bowl and Los Angeles studio ensembles.
Hey's arranging style is characterized by tightly voiced brass harmonies, precise rhythmic punctuation, and sophisticated voicings rooted in big band and jazz fusion traditions. His charts often feature complex chordal structures reminiscent of arrangers such as Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, while interacting with contemporary production techniques developed by Quincy Jones and David Foster. Hey's trumpet tone and improvisational approach reflect influences from trumpeters like Maynard Ferguson and Bobby Shew, integrating elements suitable for pop productions, jazz soloing, and orchestral sessions for film composers like Henry Mancini and John Williams.
Hey's work earned industry recognition, including multiple Grammy Awards for performances and arrangements associated with landmark albums. His collaborations on albums that received honors from the Recording Academy and chart success certified by organizations related to RIAA cemented his reputation. Hey's contributions to acclaimed records and soundtracks have been highlighted in industry publications and acknowledged by peers such as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and leading session musicians from the Los Angeles recording community.
In later decades, Hey continued to record, arrange, and occasionally tour, while mentoring younger arrangers and brass players connected to music schools and conservatories in Los Angeles and beyond. His horn charts remain staples for studio sessions and sample libraries used by producers in contemporary pop and film scoring contexts. Hey's influence endures through recordings with icons like Michael Jackson and through ongoing recognition by arrangers, session musicians, and institutions documenting the history of studio work in the United States.
Category:American trumpeters Category:American arrangers Category:Grammy Award winners