Robert Drasnin facts for kids

Robert Jackson Drasnin (November 17, 1927 – May 13, 2015) was an American composer and clarinet player.

Robert Drasnin was born on November 17, 1927, in Charleston, West Virginia. He became interested in the Clarinet at a young age. When his family moved to Los Angeles, he continued his music studies. He went to Franklin Avenue Grammar School in East Hollywood, then Thomas Starr King Junior High, and finally Los Angeles High School. During high school, he joined the American Federation of Musicians. After graduating, Drasnin joined the United States Army and served during the Korean War.

Robert Drasnin passed away on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at Providence Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, Los Angeles. He was 87 years old. His death was due to problems from a recent fall.

Robert Drasnin's Music Career

Robert Drasnin spent most of his career creating music for movies and television shows. He wrote or oversaw the music for more than 100 films and TV programs.

In 1955, Drasnin wrote the music for the film Teenage Devil Dolls. He also composed for other movies like Ride in the Whirlwind (1966) and The Kremlin Letter (1970). Drasnin created background music for many famous TV shows, including The Twilight Zone, Mission: Impossible, Wild, Wild West, Hawaii Five-0, Lost In Space, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E..

Robert Drasnin also worked as a music supervisor at CBS. In this role, he oversaw the music for TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and The Twilight Zone, as well as many TV movies.

In 1959, Robert Drasnin earned his master's degree in music from UCLA. That same year, he was asked to create an Exotica album. This type of music was very popular then, made famous by artists like Martin Denny. Drasnin wrote 12 original songs for the album, which was called Voodoo: Exotic Music From Polynesia And The Far East. A young pianist named John Williams played on this album; he later became famous for composing music for movies like Star Wars and Jaws.

After his time in the Army, Drasnin returned to UCLA as a student and became a conductor for the UCLA Symphony. In the 1950s, he also played music with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra and Red Norvo's quintet. In 1977, he became the Director of Music for the CBS Network.

In 2002, three songs from his 1959 Voodoo album were used in the documentary film Cinemania.

In 2005, Robert Drasnin was invited to perform at The Hukilau, a Tiki culture festival in Florida. He put together a 12-person orchestra for the show. They played songs from his Voodoo album and new Exotica-style music he had written. These new songs later became part of his Voodoo II album.

In 2007, Robert Drasnin released Voodoo II, a follow-up to his 1959 Voodoo album. He performed again at The Hukilau festival that year, playing music from both Voodoo and Voodoo II.

In 2008, he was honored by being inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

Drasnin also taught music for many years. He taught film scoring, orchestration, and music theory at Cal State Northridge from 1976 to 1991. He also taught in the Film Scoring program at UCLA Extension from 1993 to 2014.

Robert Drasnin's Personal Life

Robert Drasnin was married to Marlene Waters starting in 1956. They remained married until his death in Tarzana, California. They had three children: Morgen, Jennifer, and Michael.

Robert Drasnin's Music Albums

Albums he composed

• Voodoo (1959)
• Chant of The Moon/Voodoo 45 RPM single (1959)
• Percussion Exotique (1960) – This was a re-release of Voodoo with a different cover.
• Voodoo CD Reissue (1996)
• Exotic Excursion (October, 1996) – Another CD re-issue of Voodoo.
• Voodoo II (2007)
• Voodoo III (2015) – This album was finished by Skip Heller after Drasnin's death.

Albums he played on

• It's New, It's Nice, It's Norvo (1956) (with the Red Norvo Quintet)
• Ken Hanna and his Orchestra
• Blues at Norm's (1963)
• Norvo...Naturally! (1957)
• Vibe-Rations (1956)
• "Couch, Los Angeles", Skip Heller (clarinet)
• "The Blue Dahlia" (2000) (flute & clarinet)
• "Homegoing", Skip Heller (2002) (flute & alto saxophone)
• "Man From U.N.C.L.E., Volume 2" (2003)
• Jewbilee (2005)
• "Lost in Space - 40th Anniversary Edition" (2006)
• "Lua-O-Milo", Skip Heller (2009)

See also

• Martin Denny
• Arthur Lyman
• Exotica
• Tiki culture

Television Scores (Partial List)