Pete Jolly

Peter A. Ceragioli (born June 5, 1932 in New Haven , Connecticut , † November 6, 2004 in Pasadena , California ) was an American jazz pianist and accordionist and best known for his work on soundtracks for various television films and television series .

Live and act

Jolly started playing the accordion at the age of three. In 1940 he appeared as "The Boy Wonder Accordionist" on the radio show Hobby Lobby. The radio announcer had trouble with his Italian name and then called him Pete Jolly. He liked it so much that he adopted it as his stage name. 1955 appeared on RCA Victor as the album Jolly Jumps In , on which jazz musicians such as Jimmy Giuffre , Shorty Rogers , Howard Roberts , Curtis Counce and Shelly Manne participated and on which Jolly can be heard partially on the accordion.

His composition Little Bird was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1963 . In 1964 he founded the Pete Jolly Trio , but he also recorded several albums as a solo artist and worked with some well-known jazz artists such as Buddy DeFranco , Art Pepper and Red Norvo . Jolly's music can be heard in various television productions such as Get Smart , The Love Boat , I Spy , Mannix , M * A * S * H , and Dallas , as well as in movie soundtracks. His last albums include Timeless (with bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Nick Ceroli ), recorded live at the Donte’s jazz club in 1969, and Yeah! (1995).

He died in Pasadena of complications from bone cancer . His life was all about music, as the pianist once confided in the Los Angeles Times : “I was lucky enough to do many things that I wanted to do. You go out and play what you want and people enjoy it. It was a good life for me. "

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Jolly, Pete
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ceragioli, Peter A. (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American jazz pianist and accordionist
DATE OF BIRTH	June 5, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH	New Haven , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH	November 6, 2004
Place of death	Pasadena , California