Gene Orloff

Gene Orloff (June 14, 1921 – March 23, 2009) was an American violinist, concertmaster, arranger, contractor and session musician.

Background The son of a Russian immigrant violin maker, Orloff would try and get his father's violin down from the piano and try to play it. He was only three at the time. By the time he was five, he was playing recitals in his home city of Boston. Later, he was playing concerts at venues which included performances at Carnegie Hall and with the Boston Symphony. Having won a scholarship at the Curtis Institute of Music, he left due to the schedule and found work as a commercial musician and, on occasion, was working 15 hours per day.

During his time, the artists that Orloff performed with included Meat Loaf, The Bee Gees, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. Orloff's daughter Marcy said that one of his favorites was Van McCoy.

Career In the late 1940s, he was in Neal Hefti's orchestra, together with, among others, Curley Russell, Shelley Manne and Flip Phillips, on a recording date backing Charlie Parker, and with Nat King Cole's trio/The Muleskinners, backing Woody Herman on vocals.

1970s Working under Van McCoy's direction, he handled the arrangements for the horns and strings on the Faith Hope & Charity album by Faith Hope and Charity which was released in 1970. Other musicians to play on the album were Richard Tee and Leon Pendarvis on keyboards, guitarists Eric Gale and David Spinozza, bassists Gordon Edwards, percussionists Arthur Jenkins, George Devens and drummer Steve Gadd. He also played on the Disco Baby album by Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony which was released in 1975 and featured "The Hustle".

Discography As sideman 1947: The Jazz Scene (Verve Records, 1949) 1949: "Mule Train"/"My Baby Just Cares for Me" – Woody Herman with Nat King Cole Trio/The Muleskinners (Capitol) 1955: Ballads – Ben Webster 1955: That Old Feeling - Al Cohn 1955: By George! (Handy, Of Course) - George Handy 1956: The Hawk in Hi Fi – Coleman Hawkins 1957: Stormy Weather – Lena Horne 1958: An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings - Lee Konitz 1958: Jump for Joy – Cannonball Adderley 1959: Late Date with Ruth Brown – Ruth Brown 1959: Jamal at the Penthouse – Ahmad Jamal 1959: Heavenly -Johnny Mathis 1963: The Body & the Soul – Freddie Hubbard 1963: Fusion! Wes Montgomery with Strings – Wes Montgomery 1963: The Alternative Wes Montgomery – Wes Montgomery 1964: Who Can I Turn To - Tony Bennett 1965: Bumpin' – Wes Montgomery 1965: Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook – Sarah Vaughan 1965: The In Instrumentals – Kai Winding 1965: ¡Viva! Vaughan – Sarah Vaughan 1966: Tequila – Wes Montgomery 1966: The Dissection and Reconstruction of Music from the Past as Performed by the Inmates of Lalo Schifrin's Demented Ensemble as a Tribute to the Memory of the Marquis De Sade – Lalo Schifrin 1967: The Beat Goes On – Herbie Mann 1967: Wave – Antônio Carlos Jobim 1967: A Day in the Life – Wes Montgomery 1967: Beach Samba - Astrud Gilberto 1967: Aretha Arrives – Aretha Franklin 1967: The World We Knew -Frank Sinatra 1968: Child Is Father to the Man – Blood, Sweat & Tears 1968: Bigger & Better - David Newman 1968: Down Here on the Ground – Wes Montgomery 1968: Left & Right – Rahsaan Roland Kirk 1968: Once Upon a Dream – The Rascals 1968: Silver Cycles – Eddie Harris 1968: Windmills of My Mind – Grady Tate 1969: I've Gotta Be Me – Tony Bennett 1969: The Many Facets of David Newman - David Newman 1969: Daddy Bug & Friends – Roy Ayers 1969: Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul - Hank Crawford 1969: Dusty in Memphis – Dusty Springfield 1969: First Take – Roberta Flack 1969: Round Trip – Phil Woods 1969: Who Really Cares – Janis Ian 1969: After the Long Ride Home – Grady Tate 1970: Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! - Tony Bennett 1970: Stone Flute – Herbie Mann 1970: MCMLXX - Ray Bryant 1970: What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong 1970: Tony Bennett's "Something" - Tony Bennett 1970: Louis Armstrong and His Friends - Louis Armstrong 1971: First Light – Freddie Hubbard 1971: Gilberto with Turrentine – Astrud Gilberto and Stanley Turrentine 1971: Nature's Baby – Lena Horne 1971: Salt Song – Stanley Turrentine 1971: Sing Me a Song of Songmy – Freddie Hubbard 1971: Wild Horses Rock Steady – Johnny "Hammond" Smith 1972: Prelude – Eumir Deodato 1972: Breeding of Mind – O'Donel Levy 1972: Sunflower – Milt Jackson 1972: Young, Gifted and Black – Aretha Franklin 1972: All the King's Horses – Grover Washington, Jr. 1973: Turtle Bay – Herbie Mann 1973: Bette Midler – Bette Midler 1974: One – Bob James 1974: Walking Man – James Taylor 1975: Taking Off – David Sanborn 1975: Judith – Judy Collins 1975: Disco Baby - Van McCoy 1976: Bat Out of Hell – Meat Loaf 1976: Surprises - Herbie Mann (Atlantic) 1976: Dee Dee Bridgewater - Dee Dee Bridgewater (Atlantic) 1976: The Man with the Sad Face - Stanley Turrentine (Fantasy) 1977: Concrete Jungle – David "Fathead" Newman (Prestige) 1977: More Stuff – Stuff 1977: Tailgunner - Jimmy McGriff 1978: C'est Chic – Chic 1979: Spy – Carly Simon 1979: I Love to Dance – Kleeer 1979: Thighs and Whispers – Bette Midler 1979: Risque - Chic 1981: What Cha' Gonna Do for Me – Chaka Khan 1981: She Shot Me Down - Frank Sinatra 1984: L.A. Is My Lady - Frank Sinatra 1987: A Sound Investment – Flip Phillips and Scott Hamilton 1995: Real Time – Richard Tee 1995: Tonin' – The Manhattan Transfer 2000: Oops!... I Did It Again - Britney Spears 2001: King of the Beat – Bernard "Pretty" Purdie