Charlie Ventura
| Charlie Ventura | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Charlie Ventura, c. October 1946 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Venturo |
| Born |
December 2, 1916 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
January 17, 1992 (aged 75) Pleasantville, New Jersey |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Labels | GNP Crescendo |
Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was a tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ventura had his first taste of success working with Gene Krupa. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone category.[1][2] In the late 1940s he led several popular groups and went on to become known for his "bop for the people," with vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral.
After the early 1950s he made only a few recordings. His first was the debut album for Gene Norman's GNP Crescendo label (GNPD No. 1) recorded live in Los Angeles. In Las Vegas, he worked with Jackie Gleason and was the featured soloist on four albums Gleason produced : Riff Jazz (1958), on which he played alto, tenor, and bass saxophones; Silk and Brass (1965); A Taste of Brass for Lovers Only (1967); and Doublin' in Brass (1968)
Ventura died of lung cancer in Pleasantville, New Jersey at the age of 75.
Discography
- 1945 Crazy Rhythms of Charlie Ventura Columbia
- 1947 Carnegie Hall Concert Verve
- 1950 Stomping with the Sax Crystalette
- 1953 Charlie Ventura Decca
- 1953 Charlie Ventura Concert Featuring the Charlie Ventura Septet Universal
- 1953 Charlie Ventura and His Sextet Imperial Records (Japan)
- 1954 Charlie Ventura [GNP] GNP
- 1954 Charlie Ventura Quartet Norgran
- 1954 An Evening with Mary Ann McCall Norgran
- 1954 An Evening with Charlie Ventura Verve
- 1954 F.Y.I. Ventura Emarcy
- 1954 Charlie Ventura in Concert MCA/Decca
- 1955 Another Evening with Charlie Ventura and Mary Ann McCall Norgran
- 1955 Charlie Ventura's Carnegie Hall Concert
- 1955 Jumping with Ventura Emarcy
- 1955 In a Jazz Mood Norgran
- 1956 Charlie Ventura Plays Hi Fi Jazz Tops
- 1956 Blue Saxophone Norgran
- 1956 New Charlie Ventura in Hi Fi Baton
- 1956 Charley's Parley Norgran
- 1957 Adventure with Charlie Ventura King
- 1957 Here's Charlie Brunswick
- 1957 Charlie Ventura in a Jazz Mood Verve
- 1958 The Charlie Ventura Quintet: A Lost Gem Baton
- 1958 East of Suez Columbia
- 195? Charlie Ventura & His Orchestra Clef
- 1960 Charlie Ventura Plays for the People Craftsman
- 1977 Chazz Famous Door
- 1995 Live at the Three Deuces, 1947 Jazz Band
- 2002 Live at the Three Deuces, Vol. 2 HighNote
- 2002 Legendary Pasadena Concert Proper[3]
- It's All Bop to Me (1999)
- Running Wild (1998)
- Bop for the People (2002)
- Charlie Comes On (2002)
- Complete 1951–52 Verve Studio Sessions (Quartet & Quintet) (2002)
- I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (2002)
- Blue Ventura (2005)
- High on an Open Mike (2009)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Bluebird, 1937–1949 [1995])
With Gene Krupa
References
- ↑ Charlie Ventura bio allmusic.com
- ↑ Down Beat Poll Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Charlie Ventura | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.