Mel Powell

American jazz pianist, composer and arranger of classical music. Born February 12, 1923 in New York City, New York, USA. Died April 24, 1998 (age of 75) in Sherman Oaks, California, USA. Married to actress Martha Scott (1946-1998, his death). He won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize in music for his composition, "Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra". Powell began as a teenager at Nick's in New York before joining the band of Mugsy Spanier. With Benny Goodman from 1941, for who he wrote several seminal tracks, including "The Earl", "Clarinet a la King" and "Mission to Moscow". He was a member of Glenn Miller's Army Band during World War II. He turned to classical music in the 1980's. Credited also for writing liner notes.