Jorge Calandrelli (born December 31, 1939, in Buenos Aires; died May 4, 2026 was an Argentine composer, arranger, pianist, conductor, and music producer who was nominated for an Oscar in 1986 for the film drama *The Color Purple* and in 2001 for the fantasy film *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*.

Jorge Calandrelli was born on New Year's Eve, 1939, in Buenos Aires, the youngest of six children. His father, Matias Calandrelli—an exceptional chess player—was a physician, President of the Argentine Chess Club, and, in his capacity as a doctor, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Argentine Army. His mother, Nieves Solá Calandrelli—the daughter of politician E. Solá—was a classical pianist and a member of the Jockey Club in Argentina. Various tours took Calandrelli and his quintet across Europe before he returned to Buenos Aires to work as a pianist with his jazz trio, assisting major artists with both the organization and execution of their tours, as well as with negotiations with record labels. Together with Guillermo Iscla, he undertook formative self-studies that included piano performance; he studied voice leading with composer Carlos Guastavino, composition with composer Roberto García Morillo, and harmonic adaptation with Jacobo Ficher. He also conducted masterclasses in contemporary composition alongside composer Gerardo Gandini.

Before moving to the United States in 1978, Calandrelli was active in Argentina and Europe as a pianist, arranger, and conductor. His work spans the fields of pop, jazz, Latin American music, and classical music. Calandrelli has composed, arranged, or produced for, among others, the following artists: Tony Bennett, Céline Dion, Roberto Carlos, Barbra Streisand, Julio Iglesias, Amy Winehouse, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, Kenny G, Elton John, Paul McCartney, k.d. lang, George Michael, Billy Joel, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Sting and Barry Manilow, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Crowded House, Enrique Iglesias, Yo-Yo Ma, David Foster, Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Plácido Domingo, James Taylor, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Gino Vannelli, Madonna, Marc Anthony, Neil Diamond, Bette Midler, Whitney Houston, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Vanessa Lynn Williams, Carrie Underwood, John Legend, the Dixie Chicks, and Elvis Costello.

In an interview, Barbra Streisand remarked that Calandrelli definitely belongs to an elite group of arrangers. Tony Bennett expressed his gratitude to Calandrelli for their long-standing collaboration and the many beautiful arrangements. Johnny Mandel declared himself to be one of his greatest admirers. Phil Ramone praised his sensitivity and warmth, stating that he is one of the very best. Céline Dion described him as a musician of the highest caliber.

In 1985, Calandrelli composed the *Concerto for Jazz Clarinet and Orchestra*—a three-movement concerto (Allegro, Adagio, and Presto) for jazz clarinet and orchestra—which draws inspiration from the composers Stravinsky and Bartók. For this work, he was honored in 1986 with the Wavedon All Music Award for Music Composer of the Year. Calandrelli received 27 Grammy Award nominations. In addition to his work on the two Oscar-nominated films, he also contributed to the orchestrations for *The Shining* (1980) and *Tron* (1982).Together with his collaborator, the composer Ettore Stratta, Calandrelli composed Latin American music (bolero, bossa nova, tango). His other works include a collection of piano pieces created in collaboration with pianist Sonya Belousova, as well as a piano concerto titled *Diptychon* for piano and orchestra.

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Calandrelli

Jorge Calandrelli - My Funny Valentine

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The Shining OST - I wish we could stay here forever… …and ever… …and ever.