I was in the back of the room, naturally, and she said, "What are you doing?" I told her, "I'm writing a Christmas carol." She obviously assumed that was a dodge and came over to my desk. I was in the second grade, and my teacher, Miss Mathews, asked me a question in arithmetic class that I wasn't able to answer. JOHN KANDER: I remember very distinctly the first piece of music I wrote. In this first conversation, the songwriters recall the years leading up to their partnership.
Their dialogue is at times like one of their musicals, as either may be prompted to break into song and Kander may dash to the piano at any moment to provide accompaniment. The longevity of their collaboration rests in part on the fact that while the two may often disagree, they have never had a serious fight or falling out since they started working together.
Referring to their songs, Kander says, "I think when we're at our best we sound like one person." But when they reminisce with each other, as they do here, two distinct voices can be heard: Kander, the unflappable Midwesterner, mild-mannered and buoyantly optimistic, and Ebb, the acerbic New Yorker who wears his wit and insecurities on his sleeve. Ebb also wrote for the satirical television show That Was the Week That Was. That same year Kander met Ebb, who was writing special material for nightclub acts and contributing to revues, including Vintage 1960, Put It in Writing, and From A to Z. In 1962 Kander co-wrote A Family Affair with James and William Goldman and made his Broadway debut as a composer. He later prepareddance arrangements for Gypsy and Irma la Douce. Kander began his career in 1956 as the pianist for The Amazing Adele and An Evening with Beatrice Lillie. at Columbia, where he studied composition with Jack Beeson, Otto Luening, and Douglas Moore. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1951, and later earned an M.A.
John Kander, the son of Harold and Bernice (Aaron) Kander, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 18, 1927. He graduated from New York University in 1955 and received a master's degree in English literature from Columbia University in 1957. Mounted inside a glass frame is a huge enlargement of a crossword puzzle with one highlighted clue: "Partner of Ebb." The answer circled below the puzzle reads "John Kander."įred Ebb, the son of Harry and Anna Evelyn (Gritz) Ebb, was born April 8, 1936, in Manhattan. A few blocks away in Kander's brownstone, one of the living room walls displays a piece of memorabilia that aptly defines their enduring relationship. These discussions took place over the kitchen table in Ebb's home, an elegant retreat on Manhattan's Central Park West where the songwriters have worked during most of their years together.
#WALKING PAPERS LIZA MINNELLI SERIES#
Broadway's longest-running music-and-lyrics team, John Kander and Fred Ebb marked the fortieth anniversary of their collaboration with a series of conversations aimed at chronicling their careers.
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