Jazz arranger, composer and pianist, born January 17, 1920 in New York, died January 8, 1997.
Handy’s musical beginnings were fostered under the tutelage of pianist Aaron Copland. While he had an impressive career as a pianist and arranger, he is best known in retrospect for his bebop arrangements.
Handy first worked professionally as a swing pianist for Michael Loring in 1938, but was drafted into the army in 1940. From 1944 to 1946 he was a member of the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra, composing and performing on piano. This was at a time when many big bands were transforming their music toward bebop. He did leave the orchestra briefly to work for Paramount Studios, but soon returned to Raeburn. This was one of his most creative periods, making arrangements of older standards with a distinctly bebop quality. Just as he was entering his prime, however, he had a falling out with Raeburn and left. While he continued to arrange for other bands, it is that 1944–1946 period for which he is remembered most.