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Frank Rosolino

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Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino (middle) at the Village Lounge, Lake Buena Vista, FL in 1978
Frank Rosolino (middle) at the Village Lounge, Lake Buena Vista, FL in 1978
Background information
Born(1926-08-20)August 20, 1926
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedNovember 26, 1978(1978-11-26) (aged 52)
Van Nuys, California
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTrombone
Years active1945 - 1978

Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist.[1]

Biography

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Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States,[1] He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray,[1] Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gene Krupa, and Stan Kenton. After a period with Kenton he settled in Los Angeles, where he performed with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars (1954–1960) in Hermosa Beach.[2]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, between nightclub engagements, Rosolino was active in many Los Angeles recording studios where he performed with such notables as Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Michel Legrand, and Quincy Jones. In the mid-to-late 1960s he and fellow trombonist Mike Barone, billed as "Trombones Unlimited," recorded for Liberty Records several albums of pop-style arrangements of current hits, such as the 1968 album Grazing in the Grass. He can also be seen performing with Shelly Manne's group in the film I Want to Live! (1958) starring Susan Hayward, and also in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. He was a regular on The Steve Allen Show and a guest artist on The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show. Rosolino was a talented vocalist, renowned for his wild form of scat-singing, notably on Gene Krupa's hit record, "Lemon Drop".[1]

During the 1970s, Rosolino performed and toured with Quincy Jones and the Grammy Award winning group Supersax.[1]

Rosolino's private life was deeply troubled. On November 26, 1978, Rosolino shot both of his sons, 11 year old Justin, and 7 year old Jason, as they slept. Justin died instantly; Jason survived, but was blinded.[1] Rosolino fatally shot himself in the head immediately after shooting his sons.[3][4]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Frank Rosolino (Capitol, 1954)
  • Frankly Speaking (Capitol, 1955)
  • I Play Trombone (Bethlehem, 1956)
  • Frank Rosolino Quintet (Mode, 1957)
  • Turn Me Loose! (Reprise, 1961)
  • Jazz a Confronto 4 (Horo, 1973)
  • Conversation with Conte Candoli (RCA Victor, 1976)
  • Just Friends with Conte Candoli (MPS, 1977)

Posthumous releases

  • Thinking About You (Sackville, 1984) – rec. 1976
  • Free for All (Speciality, 1986) – rec. 1958
  • The Last Recording (Sea Breeze, 2006) – rec. 1978

As sideman

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With Georgie Auld

With Max Bennett

  • Max Bennett (Bethlehem, 1955)
  • Max Bennett Plays (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Francy Boland

  • Blue Flame (MPS/BASF 1976)
  • Red Hot (MPS, 1977)
  • White Heat (MPS, 1978)

With Buddy Bregman

With Benny Carter

With June Christy

  • Fair and Warmer! (Capitol, 1957)
  • June's Got Rhythm (Capitol, 1958)
  • June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days (Capitol, 1959)
  • Do-Re-Mi (Capitol, 1961)
  • Big Band Specials (Capitol, 1962)
  • Impromptu (Interplay, 1977)

With Terry Gibbs

  • Launching a New Band (Mercury, 1959)
  • The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band (Verve, 1961)
  • Explosion! (Mercury, 1962)

With Vince Guaraldi

With Quincy Jones

  • The Hot Rock OST (Prophesy, 1972)
  • Body Heat (A&M, 1974)
  • Mellow Madness (A&M, 1975)
  • I Heard That!! (A&M, 1976)

With Stan Kenton

With Skip Martin

  • Scheherajazz (Pye/Golden Guinea 1959)
  • Songs and Sounds from the Era of the Untouchables (Somerset 1960)
  • Perspectives in Percussion Vol. 1 (Somerset/Stereo-Fidelity, 1961)
  • Perspectives in Percussion Vol. 2 (Somerset/Stereo-Fidelity, 1961)

With Shorty Rogers

With Pete Rugolo

With Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

  • Vol. 6 (Contemporary, 1955)
  • Lighthouse at Laguna (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Volume Three (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Music for Lighthousekeeping (Contemporary, 1957)
  • Double or Nothin' (Liberty, 1957)
  • In the Solo Spotlight! (Contemporary, 1957)
  • Jazz Rolls Royce (Lighthouse, 1958)
  • Jazz Structures (Philips, 1961)

With Supersax

  • Supersax Plays Bird with Strings (Capitol, 1975)
  • Chasin' the Bird (MPS, 1977)
  • Dynamite!! (MPS, 1979)

With Mel Torme

  • Swings Shubert Alley (Verve, 1960)
  • I Dig the Duke/I Dig the Count (Verve, 1962)
  • A Day in the Life of Bonnie and Clyde (Liberty, 1968)

With others

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 373/4. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ "Frank Rosolino: Biography" AllMusic.
  3. ^ Lees, Gene (1988). Meet Me at Jim & Andy's: Jazz Musicians and Their World. Oxford University Press. pp. 115–119. ISBN 0195046110.
  4. ^ Owen Cordle (May 2007). "Frank Rosolino The Last Recording". Jazz Times. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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