Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino (born August 20, 1926 in Detroit , Michigan ; † November 26, 1978 in Van Nuys , California ) was an American jazz trombonist who is best known as a soloist with Stan Kenton . He had a reputation for being an excellent technician on his instrument.
Live and act
At the age of 9 he began taking guitar lessons from his father and at 14 he began to learn the trombone. As a teenager he played in the demanding Cass Tech Symphony Orchestra in his hometown (where Donald Byrd also started) and after a time as a soldier in an army band during World War II (in Germany and the Philippines until 1946) he played in the big bands of Bob Chester , Glen Gray , Tony Pastor , Georgie Auld , Herbie Fields and Gene Krupa (where he can also be heard with scat singing, so on Lemon Drop ) and with his own group in Detroit. He played bebop a . a. with Dizzy Gillespie , Charlie Parker and was easily able to follow the sometimes high tempo of this style with his instrument. From 1952 to 1954 he played in the Stan Kenton Big Band, in which he became known for his solos, as on his album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm (he also played with the Kenton studio band in 1955).
He then moved to Los Angeles , worked as a studio musician and played regularly from 1954 to 1960 with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars (as well as Shorty Rogers , Shelly Manne , Conte Candoli at times ). He took up fashion under his own name and worked a. a. with Terry Gibbs (in his Dream Band 1959/60, 1962), Dexter Gordon , Zoot Sims , Sonny Stitt , Buddy Rich , Sarah Vaughan , Max Roach . In the 1960s he played a. a. two years on the Steve Allen TV show, where he also had comedic interludes. In the 1970s he played with the Soul Blaster band Tower of Power , toured with Supersax by Med Flory , played with Conte Candoli (World Tour 1973, 1975) and in the Japanese tour of Quincy Jones . He also toured the United States in 1974 with Benny Carter and toured Europe a. a. with Peter Herbolzheimer's big band. He also recorded a piece by composer Jerry van Rooyen entitled Violet with a Dutch symphony orchestra .
His third wife committed suicide in 1972, leaving behind their two sons. In 1978 Rosolino shot his two sons in bed and then killed himself with a head shot. One of the sons survived despite being shot in the head (but remained blind). In the year of his death, he played on the Supersax record Dynamite the piece Gloomy Sunday and still came in September - seemingly good mood - with Harry Pepl and the Fritz Pauer Trio at the Vienna Jazzland on.
Play style
Frank Rosolino is known for his exorbitantly fast technique, not only in the "comfortable positions". He mastered the upper range of the instrument beyond perfection. In the later years in particular, he always played really brute solos, which shone with strength rather than delicacy. Stylistically, he has started his own new style.
collection
- Bob Cooper , Bill Holman & Frank Rosolino - Kenton Presents Jazz (1954-55) . Mosaic 1999 - 4 CDs with Charlie Mariano , Sam Noto , Claude Williamson , Curtis Counce , Stan Levey , Bill Holman arr, Pete Jolly , Max Bennett - rest of the collection at Bob Cooper & Bill Holman
Web links
- Rosolino, biography, memories of friends at Jazzmasters
- Short bio in Jazz Network
- Discography
- Frank Rosolino at Discogs (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Rosolino, Frank |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz trombonist |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 20, 1926 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Detroit , USA |
DATE OF DEATH | November 26, 1978 |
Place of death | Van Nuys , California, USA |