Leroy Ostransky (January 17, 1918 – October 11, 1993) was an American composer, music educator, and writer of books on jazz.
Ostransky's father, a saloon owner during prohibition known to the neighborhood as "Sharkey", had greater aspirations of success for his son Leroy as a violinist.
Ostransky's memoir details his difficult relationship with his father, who could be both physically and emotionally manipulative and even abusive.
[1] After leaving home at seventeen, Ostransky worked as a pianist in a jazz club before receiving his doctorate in musical arts at the State University of Iowa in 1959.
In addition to his published books, Ostransky composed 75 educational pieces and had five of his compositions performed by the Seattle Symphony.