Editing Kander and Ebb

{{Short description|American songwriting team}}
'''Kander and Ebb''' were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of [[composer]] [[John Kander]] (born March 18, 1927) and [[lyricist]] [[Fred Ebb]] (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004).  Known primarily for their stage [[musical theatre|musicals]], which include ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' and ''[[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]]'',  Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including [[Martin Scorsese]]'s ''[[New York, New York (1977 film)|New York, New York]]''. Their most famous song is [[Theme from New York, New York|the theme song]] of that movie.  Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for [[Frank Sinatra]].  The team also became associated with two actresses, [[Liza Minnelli]] and [[Chita Rivera]], for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.

==History==
John Kander and Fred Ebb were introduced by their mutual music publisher Tommy Valando in 1962. Kander and Ebb met at Ebb's apartment and decided to test their compatibility as writing partners with a "mock title song" for a musical comedy already running on Broadway, a Hal Prince production called ''Take Her, She's Mine.''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kander and Ebb|url=https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve|url-access=limited|last=Leve|first=James|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0300114874|pages=[https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve/page/n37 19]}}</ref> As James Leve remarks in his book ''Kander and Ebb'' (2009), "The turning point in Kander and Ebb's collaboration occurred when Kander suggested that they try a ballad. The result, 'My Coloring Book,' became an instant hit."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kander and Ebb|url=https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve|url-access=limited|last=Leve|first=James|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0300114874|pages=[https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve/page/n35 17]}}</ref> [[Sandy Stewart (singer)|Sandy Stewart]] performed the song, and it was nominated for a 1962 Grammy Award. [[Barbra Streisand]] and [[Dusty Springfield]] later covered "My Coloring Book". This song established what was to become Kander and Ebb's iconic musical style, deceptively sophisticated harmonic progression with lyrics and melodies that are accessible to audiences. As Leve writes, "what best defines their voice is the contradictory nature of their collaboration: the composer and lyricist have strikingly different artistic temperaments, the former demonstrably sentimental, the latter campy and cynical."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kander and Ebb|url=https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve|url-access=limited|last=Leve|first=James|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0300114874|pages=[https://archive.org/details/kanderebbyalebro00leve/page/n37 19]}}</ref>

Kander and Ebb collaborated on an unproduced musical called ''Golden Gate'', which producer-director [[Harold Prince]] called "...basically a test to see if the collaboration was any good."  They wrote ''[[Flora the Red Menace]]'', their first musical to be produced on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], in 1965, in which Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut.  Another early collaboration was the [[industrial musical]] ''General Electric presents Go Fly a Kite'' written with [[Walter Marks (composer)|Walter Marks]] for [[General Electric]]'s 5th Electric Executives Conference in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]], in 1966.

Kander's and Ebb's greatest acclaim came from the musical ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' (1966) and the [[Cabaret (1972 film)|1972 film version]].  The musical, directed by frequent collaborator [[Harold Prince]], was a major success, with a Broadway run of over 1,100 performances.  It won a [[Tony Award]] as the season's best musical, and its original cast recording won a [[Grammy Award]].  The film, directed by [[Bob Fosse]], won eight [[Academy Awards]].  The musical ''[[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]]'' (1975) after an excellent initial run of 936 performances was revived on Broadway in 1996 to become an even greater hit.  It has become the longest-running revival in Broadway history, and the [[Chicago (2002 movie)|2002 film version]] was also a great success, including an Oscar nomination for the collaboration.  Other Broadway successes included ''[[Woman of the Year (musical)|Woman Of The Year]]'' (1981), ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' (1992), and, posthumously for Ebb, ''[[Curtains (musical)|Curtains]]'' (2006), their final musical.

Minnelli became strongly associated with Kander and Ebb, with Ebb producing Minnelli's Emmy-winning television special ''[[Liza with a Z]]''.  They appreciated the actress's excellent musicianship and found her congenial to work with.  Kander said, "One of the nice things about writing for Liza is that you don't have to write for Liza. She can do anything. You know that whatever you do write, she's going to deliver it exactly the way you intended it. It's really the same with Chita Rivera, the other woman in our lives."<ref>''The Art Of The American Musical: Conversations With The Creators'', Jackson R. Bryer, Richard Allan Davison, p. 102, 2005, Rutgers University Press, {{ISBN|0-8135-3613-8}}</ref>

Kander's and Ebb's fascination with the collaborative process began with their work on ''Cabaret'', where a long experimental period permitted actors such as [[Joel Grey]] to contribute ideas toward the creation of their characters.  The creative team often met at Harold Prince's home to discuss ideas.  These sessions are discussed in the Kander and Ebb biography, ''Colored Lights'', as “what if” sessions.<ref>''Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz'', John Kander,  Fred Ebb, and Greg Lawrence, p. 61, November 5, 2003, Faber & Faber, {{ISBN|0-571-21133-X}}</ref>

In 1998, Kander and Ebb were recognized for their contributions to theatre and music with [[Kennedy Center Honors]].

In 1994, they were granted honorary [[doctorate]] degrees from [[Niagara University]], in [[Lewiston, New York]].

''[[The Scottsboro Boys (musical)|The Scottsboro Boys]]'' played on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] for a short time in 2010.<ref>Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/135291-Cullum-Dixon-Domingo-Hicks-and-More-Will-Star-in-Kander-%26-Ebbs-The-Scottsboro-Boys "Cullum, Dixon, Domingo, Hicks and More Will Star in Kander & Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys"] playbill.com, December 14, 2009</ref> The book was written by [[David Thompson (writer)|David Thompson]] and choreographed and directed by [[Susan Stroman]].

Susan Stroman and David Thompson would collaborate again, as director/choreographer and book writer respectively, for Kander & Ebb's ''[[New York, New York (musical)|New York, New York]]'', musical<ref>[https://newyorknewyorkbroadway.com/ "NewYorkNewYorkBroadway.com"], retrieved March 20, 2023</ref> which uses songs from Scorsese's movie but weaves them into a new story set during the same time period.<ref>Huston, Caitlin. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/new-york-new-york-kander-ebb-musical-broadway-lin-manuel-miranda-1235249123/ "New Kander & Ebb Musical ‘New York, New York’ Heads to Broadway With Lyrics By Lin-Manuel Miranda"] hollywoodreporter.com, October 26, 2022</ref> The show ran April 26 – July 30, 2023.<ref>[https://playbill.com/article/new-york-new-york-closes-on-broadway-july-30 "New York, New York Closes On Broadway"]. ''Playbill''. Retrieved July 30, 2023.</ref>

== Musicals ==
Sources: IBDB<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/john-kander-6837 "John Kander Broadway"] ibdb.com, retrieved January 22, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/fred-ebb-5654 "Fred Ebb Broadway"] ibdb.com, retrieved January 22, 2019</ref>

*''[[Flora, The Red Menace]]'' (1965)
*''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' (1966)
*''Go Fly a Kite'' (1966), an [[industrial musical]] for [[General Electric]]
*''[[The Happy Time (musical)|The Happy Time]]'' (1968)
*''[[Zorba (musical)|Zorba]]'' (1968)
*''[[70, Girls, 70]]'' (1971)
*''[[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]]'' (1975)
* ''2 by 5'' (1976)<ref>[http://www.lortel.org/Archives/Production/2634 ''2 by 5''] lortel.org, retrieved January 22, 2019</ref>
*''[[The Act (musical)|The Act]]'' (1978)
*''[[Woman of the Year (musical)|Woman of the Year]]'' (1981)
*''[[The Rink (musical)|The Rink]]'' (1984)
*''[[And The World Goes 'Round]]'' (1991)
*''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' (1992)
*''[[Steel Pier (musical)|Steel Pier]]'' (1997)
*''[[Fosse (musical)|Fosse]]'' (1999)
*''[[All About Us (musical)|Over and Over]]'' aka ''[[All About Us (musical)|All About Us]]'' (a.k.a. ''The Skin of Our Teeth'') (1999)
*''[[Liza's Back]]'' (recording, wrote the title song: "Liza's Back") (2002) 
*''[[Curtains (musical)|Curtains]]'' (2006)
*''[[The Scottsboro Boys (musical)|The Scottsboro Boys]]'' (2010)
*''[[The Visit (musical)|The Visit]]'' (2015)
*''[[New York, New York (musical)|New York, New York]]'' (with additional lyrics by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]]) (2023)

== Films ==
*''[[Cabaret (1972 film)|Cabaret]]'' (1972)
*''[[Funny Lady]]'' (1975) 
*''[[New York, New York (1977 film)|New York, New York]]'' (1977) (Four original songs, including the famous title song)
*''[[Chicago (2002 movie)|Chicago]]'' (2002)

==Television==
*''[[Mama Malone]]'' (1984) (Theme Song)
*''[[The Thorns (TV series)|The Thorns]]'' (1988) (Theme Song)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Playbill person|john-kander-vault-0000000991|John Kander}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120122143616/http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/991/John-Kander archive])
*{{Playbill person|fred-ebb-vault-0000001325|Fred Ebb}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120122143616/https://web.archive.org/web/20120122143520/http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/1325/Fred-Ebb archive])
*{{IMDb name|0437218|John Kander}}
*{{IMDb name|0247939|Fred Ebb}}

{{Kander and Ebb}}

[[Category:American musical duos]]
[[Category:American musical theatre lyricists]]
[[Category:American songwriting teams]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]