R.I.P. Neal Hefti...

Mr. Hefti passed away in his California home at the ripe old age (for a musician, anyhow) of 85, of natural causes. We should all be so lucky, I would think. Anyhow, if I know you, and I’d like to think I do, you’re going “who the fuck is Neal Hefti, and why should I care?” Well. He was Count Basie’s arranger and writer for a time, but that music has largely lost its allure to the Short Attention Span Theatre that passes for the music buying public these days.

What he’s really known for, perhaps unfortunately in light of his other work, is one of the single most enduring themes in the history of music for synchronization. He wrote the title music for the original Batman television show. Full obituary is here.