Vaughn Wiester's reflections on Bill Holman, who passed away on May 6th, 2024 at the age of 96

It was always just a band playing. It was a record playing, or the radio. Or I was listening to a band or playing in a band. I never saw any reason to take note of the names in the upper right hand corner of the first page of the chart. But my interest in the music was apparent to the local barber, a guy named Howard Shackle, who, for whatever reason, decided to give me a copy of an LP from 1955 by Stan Kenton entitled “Contemporary Concepts”. Here’s where I learned the name Bill Holman and got a good grasp of what it meant to be an arranger. (Incidentally, that album taught me a few other names: Mel Lewis, Al Porcino, Charlie Mariano, Max Bennett, Carl Fontana, Bill Perkins).

By this time, which must have been around 1959, I was 14 years old and already familiar with a handful of records from the 1940s by Stan Kenton. But this LP had a totally different sound, feel and mentality. Almost immediately, Bill Holman‘s music became an ideal in my mind and demonstrated to me the importance of what an arranger is doing. Who is in the band matters, of course. BUT, the writing is what makes the sound of the band!

After graduating high school, I became a Navy musician. It was never hard to find other guys who were interested in Holman‘s music. In fact some of those guys were pretty adept at acquiring copies of some of the arrangements. So naturally I decided to pursue a similar course. It is always rewarding to find good music that I’ve heard for years and to be able to put it in front of the band. It’s particularly sweet for me when it’s Bill’s music! I’m sure Holman has been aware most of his life that his music has been sought after. Naturally, it’s a consequence that a lot of people are playing his music that never paid him a dime. He never seemed to me to be disturbed by that obvious fact. Publication of his arrangements has always been a spotty affair, and is only recently of any serious consequence, thanks to Sierra Publishing.

I don’t know if a reasonable accounting can ever be made of how much music Bill Holman wrote in his lifetime. I can assure you his compositions and arrangements would total to a dizzying number! He wrote albums for Stan Kenton and Count Basie. He wrote arrangements for various other bands such as Charlie Barnett, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band. He wrote solo albums for Frank Rosolino, Charlie Mariano, Jiggs Whigham, Mark Murphy, Anita O’Day, and others. He wrote numerous arrangements for Doc Severinsen’s “Tonight Show” band, Steve Allen, Jack Sheldon and Mitzi Gaynor, to say nothing of the recordings he made that were issued under his own name.

Around 1980 I pestered Ray Eubanks enough that he invited Holman to guest with the Columbus Jazz Arts Group. We had a sensational concert with him. We discovered him to be very personable, good humored and comfortable in front of the band and the audience. One afternoon that week I convinced him to pay me a visit at my house. We spent a couple enjoyable hours talking about music and listening mostly to the music of Charles Ives. It took me quite some time to understand that although he is known professionally as “Bill Holman”, his birth name is Willis. I soon found out that all his acquaintances in Los Angeles enjoyed calling him by that name! But I always called him Bill, and I never sensed any objection.

In 2000, I was privileged to participate in a concert with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, when they hosted Holman. By this time I had developed a friendship with Roland Paolucci, a friendship literally founded upon Bill’s music. When Bill showed up at the rehearsal, I was knocked out to be treated like a friend. With profuse thanks to Becky Ogden, I gathered the nerve in 2003 to host Bill with the Famous Jazz Orchestra. We did this a total of five times! He was always enjoyable, gracious company and always made a hit with the audience with his low-key but witty manner.

It’s great after having met your hero that he is still your hero. It doesn’t have to turn out that way.

— V. Wiester

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For more reflections on the life and influence of Bill Holman, and an interview with Bill, check out this excellent article at All About Jazz