Clare Fischer

[b]Clare Fischer[/b] (22 October 1928, Durand, Michigan — 26 January 2012, Los Angeles, California) was an American jazz composer, arranger, bandleader, keyboardist, and multi-instrumentalist. He was the younger brother of [url=https://discogs.com/artist/2332672]Stewart "Dirk" Fischer[/url] (1924—2014), uncle of [url=https://discogs.com/artist/284968]André Fischer[/url] (b. 1948), and father of [a436604] (b. 1964), with whom Clare extensively collaborated. With a career spanning over five decades, Fischer came to prominence in the early 1960s with seminal albums in Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, and bossa nova genres, and wrote two standards, [i]Pensativa[/i] and [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/527830]Morning[/url][/i]. Since the 1970s, Clare Fischer was a sought-after session musician and arranger, collaborating with [a=Prince], [a=João Gilberto], [a=Paul McCartney], [a19298], [a=Robert Palmer], [a=Paula Abdul], [a=Natalie Cole], [a=Branford Marsalis], and [a=Michael Jackson].

Fischer attended Michigan State University, studying composition and music theory under [a1136846] and graduating [i]cum laude[/i] with his Bachelor's degree in 1951, followed by a Master's in 1955. (He received an Honorary Ph.D. from Michigan State in December 1999.) Shortly after graduation, Clare Fischer began working with [a=The Hi-Lo's] band, as a piano accompanist and subsequently an arranger on several [l=Columbia] albums. Circa 1957, Fischer arranged the [i][r=2534133][/i] album for renowned jazz trumpeter [a=Donald Byrd] (unreleased for the next 25 years), followed by small ensemble arrangements on [i][m=421677][/i] by [a=Dizzy Gillespie], released by [l=Verve Records] to critical acclaim in 1960. He also collaborated with a prominent vibraphonist [a=Cal Tjader] on several records on [l=Fantasy] and Verve.

In 1962, after relocating to Hollywood and signing his first record deal with [l=Pacific Jazz], Fischer released a debut album under his name, [i][m=449642][/i]. He soon established a reputation in Brazilian music, presenting [i][m=489236][/i] duo with saxophonist [a=Bud Shank], with "Pensativa" widely adopted as a jazz standard. He also arranged [i][m=300732][/i] by pianist [a=George Shearing] for [l=Capitol Records]. In the early-to-mid 1970s, Fischer began commissioning orchestral and string arrangements for pop-oriented R&B, funk, and disco acts, starting with [a=Chaka Khan]'s band [a=Rufus] co-founded by his nephew [url=https://discogs.com/artist/284968]André[/url] and subsequently working with [a=The Jacksons], [a=Earl Klugh], [a253606] and [a157990], [a=Atlantic Starr], and [a136279]. Clare also wrote music for commercials and the film industry, collaborating with [a=Henry Mancini] and recording piano on [a=Lalo Schifrin]'s [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/1137111]Boulevard Nights[/url][/i] soundtrack, among others.

In the late 1970s, he started a new band, [a=Clare Fischer & Salsa Picante], leading on electric piano and featuring his son [url=https://discogs.com/artist/436604]Brent[/url] on electric bass. Their debut [i][m=601542][/i] LP on [l=Pausa Records], featuring an [url=https://discogs.com/artist/3629180]eponymous vocal quartet[/url], earned three Grammy nominations and won the "Best Latin Recording" award in 1981. Fischer then formed [url=https://discogs.com/artist/3982940]Latin Jazz Sextet[/url], winning another Grammy for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance" with [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/1200759]Free Fall[/url][/i] LP in 1986. He established and directed several other prolific ensembles, including his [url=https://discogs.com/artist/1970936]Big Band[/url] and [r=12387283] with 20+ brass instruments.

Fischer began collaborating with [a=Prince] in 1985, contributing orchestral arrangements on [i][m=16132][/i]. In the next twenty years, they partnered on several studio albums and film soundtracks, including [i][m=52497][/i], [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/52430]Batman[/url][/i], [i][m=22447][/i], [i][m=97264][/i], [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/233491]Girl 6[/url][/i], and [i][m=109262][/i]. Clare Fischer also formed and conducted [a=The NPG Orchestra], which recorded Prince's sole classical music experiment, [i][m=778640][/i] ballet, and contributed to solo projects by Prince's protegés on [l=Paisley Park] and [l=NPG Records], including [a=Jill Jones], [a=Eric Leeds], [url=https://discogs.com/artist/148601]The Family[/url] band, [a=Chaka Khan], [a=Larry Graham]'s GCS, [a=Támar Davis], and [a=Bria Valente].