Frank Catalano
| Frank Catalano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | Lake Shore, Retropolis, Delmark, Bright, Savoy, Ropeadope |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Chamberlin, Von Freeman, David Sanborn |
| Website |
www |
Frank Catalano is an American jazz saxophonist living in Chicago, Illinois.
Biography
Frank Catalano began playing saxophone at age 7. When he was 16, his right middle finger was severed while working on a car engine. Following reconstructive surgery, he forced his hands to relearn his technique.[1] When he was 18, he toured with the rock band Santana, then signed with Delmark Records to record his first solo album, Cut it Out, with trumpeter Ira Sullivan.
Catalano's albums include You Talkin to Me?!, which features a tandem tenor session with Von Freeman, and Live at the Green Mill with Randy Brecker on trumpet. Mighty Burner debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard sales chart, while Bang debuted at No. 12. While recording with Ministry in 1999, Catalano was inspired by the band's use of sampling and engineered a sampling keyboard attachment for the saxophone. His device was patented on Dec. 11, 2001, on the two-year anniversary of the death of his mentor, Charles Earland.
He has worked with Louie Bellson, Tito Puente, David Sanborn, Betty Carter, John Medeski, and DJ Logic.
Catalano holds a degree in classical composition from DePaul University. He is a frequent contributor to Chicago Public Radio and plays Chicago's Green Mill. A Chicago native, he runs the after-school jazz program at the Off the Street Club. He was saxophone professor at College of Lake County from 2005–2012.
Discography
- Cut It Out (Delmark, 1998)
- Pins 'n' Needles (Lake Shore, 1999)
- You Talkin' to Me?! with Von Freeman (Delmark, 2000)
- Ring-a-Ding Romance! (Retropolis, 2001)
- Live at the Green Mill with Randy Brecker (Delmark, 2001)
- Mighty Burner (Bright, 2006)
- Bang! (Savoy Jazz, 2008)
- Love Supreme Collective (EP) (Ropeadope, 2014)
- God's Gonna Cut You Down (Blu Jazz, 2015)
- Bye Bye Blackbird (Ropeadope, 2016)[2]
References
- ↑ "Busy teen fills life with music". Daily Herald. 1995-09-30. p. 10.
About two years after the 1994 accident that severed a finger on the teen's right hand, the 18-year-old Catalano entered DePaul University in Chicago this fall on a full-tuition music scholarship for his talent as a saxophone player.
- ↑ "Frank Catalano | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2017.