Family Affair Breaths New Life into Legendary Rumson Musical Legacy

August 2007 was a time of convergence for the legacy of the incomparable composer, arranger and band leader Nelson Riddle, a 1939 graduate of the then Rumson High School who single-handedly lifted Frank Sinatra back to musical superstardom with his stellar arrangements.

Best known as "The Voice's" right hand man, many people don't know just how many household names Riddle's Midas touch shot to the top including Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith, and that's just the singers.

Nelson also wrote for jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, and arranged for Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. His extensive film and television work includes winning an Oscar for the score of "The Great Gatsby" in 1975, the original "Ocean's Eleven", "Lolita", "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever", and the popular Sixties television version of "Batman".

A small a pub in Ireland's capital, Dublin, is the unlikely location for this providential twist in Riddle history to have taken place. Nelson's granddaughter, Danielle Acerra, was in town with the rest of the Riddle family for a major celebration of Riddle's music with the Irish National Symphony when her path crossed with the orchestra's executive Francis Kiernan. The spark had been set for the chain of events that would follow.

Back at home, popular big band albums by Rod Stewart, Michael Buble' and the "90th Birthday Limited Collector's Edition" of Frank Sinatra's "Duets" and "Duets ll" album had rekindled serious interest in Nelson's music from fans and stars alike, not the least of which included Bono of rock super group U2. It's a not so well kept secret in the music industry that singing Nelson Riddle's arrangements of popular songs is a rite of passage for vocalists, and singers from seasoned vets to up and comers alike relish the opportunity.

The budding romance between local artist Acerra and the Irish gentleman coincided with the Riddle family's growing desire to resurge the massive catalogue of wonderful music that their father had left behind. Nelson passed away, too soon, in 1985 at the age of sixty four, right before the release of his third Grammy winning recording with Linda Ronstadt, considered to be among his best work. Francis came to Monmouth County, and into the extended Riddle family newly engaged to Danielle. His experiences in owning and producing successful orchestras in Europe including the Nordic Film Orchestra and the Irish National Broadcasting Orchestra RTE made him the perfect fit to spearhead the effort as the general manager and producer of the revived Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

As music fans we attend a performance or listen to a recording and know little or nothing of what it takes to make the music what it is, to produce the synergy of sound and artistry involved. We simply enjoy the music, or not, based on our experiences, our environment and personal taste. Recreating an orchestra that could successfully execute the music of someone as skilled as Nelson Riddle, whose music is known for its nuance, dynamics and precision, was a Herculean task.

 The early stages of this renaissance saw Francis feverishly working late into the nights for months on end. He concentrated on the larger picture business plan and doing the aforementioned "details that no one considers". Such details as meeting with theater owners and promoters, creating a brand and image, developing marketing strategy, writing copy, testing musical selections, designing shows, auditioning and hiring (and firing) musicians, editing the original manuscripts and even such minute details as dusting off the CD's for sale as the orchestra's first test shows along the Jersey Shore.

Almost two years on the frenzy has subsided and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra team is well on its way with the calendar filling up nicely and numerous media performances of the original Riddle charts. "We have a very solid team that I'm honored to call family" said Kiernan. "Danielle and I were married in May of this year at Holy Cross Church in Rumson. It is such a privilege to work on this music with such a great bunch of people who have all come such a long way in the past couple years" added Francis. "These people include my bother-in-law Michael Acerra as stage manager, his wife Janet as production coordinator, my mother-in-law, Rosemary, Nelson's daughter as the President and my wife Danielle as the librarian of the treasured Riddle library."

For more information, concert updates, or some terrific video of recent performances visit www.nelsonriddle.org, and keep an eye out for Danielle Acerra-Kiernan's original art work in local galleries and all Target stores.