Alonzo Levister

In 1949, he went to Paris where he was accepted by Nadia Boulanger, who had taught George Gershwin, to study music theory and composition as a private student.

In 1955 he worked with Charles Mingus and his company Debut Records, arranging for artists such as Don Senay on "The Edge of Love", "Fanny" and "Makin' Whoopee", and with Ada Moore on "Lass from the Low Country".

[1] His suite Manhattan Monodrama appeared in 1956 also from Debut Records and included Louis Mucci, John LaPorta, and Teddy Charles.

[5] In 1958 he composed a short, jazz-flavored Chamber Opera called Blues in the Subway, promoted by The Village Voice at the Loew's Sheriden Theater.

In 1968 he was one of the composers for the Broadway Musical "New Faces of 1968" in which his future wife of 50 years, Gloria Bleezarde, was a member of the cast, along with her close friend Madeline Kahn.