Frank Caruso (jazz musician)

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Frank Caruso (born October 10, 1948 in Chicago , † April 22, 2019 in Cary (Illinois) ) was an American jazz musician ( piano , keyboard , composition ) and music teacher .

Live and act

Caruso, who comes from Chicago, was considered a child prodigy and has played the piano professionally since he was 12 years old. He studied at DePaul University until graduation in 1968 , and then volunteered in the US Navy Band in Washington, DC until 1972 . In 1969 he was committed to a dinner concert at the State Department for the first astronauts to land on the moon. Caruso continued to attend the White House birthday party for Duke Ellington , playing for President Nixon , later for President Clinton , Vice President Gore, and Senator John McCain . In the course of his career, Caruso u. a. with artists such as Luciano Pavarotti , Henry Mancini , Louie Bellson , Herbie Hancock , Billy Joel , Maynard Ferguson and the Count Basie Orchestra .

Caruso also played with the Chicago Symphony in Ravinia and has appeared with show business greats such as Bob Hope , Steve Lawrence , Eydie Gorme , Red Skelton , Suzanne Sommers , Joan Rivers , Rich Little and Rosemary Clooney . He has also made guest appearances at the Valparaiso Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Elkhart Jazz Festival and has also appeared in theater productions such as Lord of the Rings . He also wrote music for commercials on radio and television, as well as for his albums under his own name such as Freefall , Mango Tango , Heart of the City or Songs from the Kingdom of Jazz . In his hometown he performed as a soloist and played with musicians such as Mark Colby, Jim Massoth , Jean Laughlin, Diane Delin and the John Burnett Swing Orchestra. Around 2011 he took u. a. with Eddie Gomez on the self-produced album Analea , with standards such as “ Stella by Starlight ” and original compositions such as “Waltz for Gomez”. In the field of jazz, Tom Lord listed 15 recording sessions between 1985 and 2011. He last released his trio album Chosen in 2017 after several quintet albums .

Caruso wrote the textbook Piano Improvisation: A Powerful, Practical System (2010) with Karl Mollison . He taught jazz piano first at the American Conservatory of Music and at Roosevelt University , most recently at North Central and Elmhurst College, and also taught as a combo leader at Wheaton North High School. In cooperation with Chicago Jazz Magazine , he initiated the event Conceptual Jazz: Masterclass Blues Piano in 2018 .

Discographic notes

  • Freefall (Quaver, 1986)
  • Mark Colby / Frank Caruso: Mango Tango (Universal, 1987)
  • Mark Colby / Frank Caruso: Heart of the City (1994)
  • Jim Massoth / Frank Caruso: Songs from the Kingdom of Jazz (2008)
  • Chosen (2017), with Eddie Gomez, Bob Rummage

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c In Memoriam Frank Caruso. In: Down Beat . April 25, 2019, accessed May 1, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Tom Lord: The Jazz Discography (online, accessed April 24, 2019)
personal data
SURNAME Caruso, Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (piano, composition) and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH October 10, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH April 22, 2019
Place of death Cary (Illinois)