William Catalano Jr. (July 9, 1934 – July 15, 2005)[1] was an American jazz trumpet player who performed with Stan Kenton And His Orchestra in the late 1950s, appearing on at least 30 original recordings as well new compilations from Capitol, Omega, Playboy Records, and Verve. After returning to his hometown of San Francisco, he resumed playing the local scene as a side musician, bandleader, and musical contractor, hiring local musicians for numerous touring performers and shows. Alongside his performing career he was an educator for 41 years, teaching music to middle school and high school students in San Francisco. One of his best known private students was jazz trumpet player, Jon Faddis.

Early life

Billy Catalano Jr. was born on July 9, 1934, in San Francisco, California.

Growing up part of a legendary musical family, Catalano was surrounded by extremely talented musicians. His uncles, Frankie, Johnny, and Leo Catalano, were multi-instrumentalists who could play any standard in any key. Along with his father, drummer Bill Catalano Sr., they would bring the young trumpet player to their gigs and challenge him to follow their lead in a constant trial by fire. By the age of 15, Catalano had already played hundreds of professional gigs, which ingrained a knowledge of the Great American Songbook that he would use in decades to follow.

After attending James Denman Middle School and Balboa High School in the late 1940s through early 1950s, Catalano attended and graduated from San Francisco State University.[2] He was part of the first class that relocated the college's campus from its location at Buchanan and Haight streets to its current location near Lake Merced.

Trumpet playing and musical contracting

In May 1957, Catalano joined Stan Kenton's band,[3] playing in the trumpet section alongside Ed Leddy, Lee Katzman, Sam Noto, and Phil Gilbert.

As a youth, Catalano idolized Kenton and his trumpet players. Kenton had significant impact on Billy's life as a band leader and, later, teacher. "As a leader, Stan would really zero in on the young guys and lift them up constantly. For instance, he'd say to me, 'Billy, you're going to be my next Al Porcino. Now look at the back of that ballroom and just make noise!'"[3]

After touring the United States with Kenton, he returned to his hometown and remained first call on the music scene, playing every nightclub and casual music venue throughout the city and San Francisco Bay Area. During this period, Catalano also established being one of San Francisco's busiest musical contractors. In two decades, he hired hundreds of local musicians for productions such as the Ice Follies, the Grand National Rodeo, Nureyev and Fonteyn's Ballet Tour at the War Memorial Opera House, and international shows brought to the Bay Area by renowned producer, Terry Terajima. Billy served as musical contractor for numerous high profile artists, such as Marlene Dietrich, Harry Belafonte, Tex Beneke, Bette Midler, and Tony Bennett, when they performed in San Francisco.

Teaching

Interspersed with a playing career that spanned 60 years, Catalano taught and inspired a multitude of young musicians. One of his most notable trumpet students is Jon Faddis,[4] whom he met while teaching at Best Music in Oakland, California after his short tenure with Kenton.

Jon Faddis: "Well, Bill Catalano was very, very special, in that he exposed me to live jazz playing at a very young age. And at that time, this in the early sixties, you had to be 21 to go in a lot of the clubs. But, he would take me to rehearsal bands in San Francisco after my lesson. We would go over to San Francisco and they would have rehearsals, and they would play, you know, Billy Byers charts, and Frank Foster charts."[5]

"He would just sit me in the section, I'd be sitting with my horn, and he'd say, 'Okay, now when this comes up, play these four bars.' And I'd just play the four bars and I'd play along just keep out of the way, but I was hearing these great players play in these big bands from an early age."[6]

He returned in the late 1970s to his alma maters, Balboa and Denman, to direct the bands and rebuild the instrumental music program at both schools.

As part of media coverage for a donation of musical instruments to Denman by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area, Catalano was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The article became primarily focused on the "maestro of middle school": "Music doesn't come from the lips. Music comes from someplace else, someplace more truthful than most lips. 'Lips don't play anything,' said Bill Catalano, the maestro of middle school, laying down his baton to impart a great truth. 'You're the one that plays. Not the instrument, the lips, the mouth or the fingers. You.' He leaned forward and grabbed his gut. 'Play from here,' he said."[7]

Retirement and cancer

After four years of battling throat and lung cancer, he decided to retire from teaching in 2003. Despite the loss of a quarter of his lungs from surgery, Billy never stopped playing his trumpet daily. His dedication to music and playing his horn was evident up to two weeks before he passed on July 15, 2005.

Discography

From Bill Catalano on Discogs

RecordingLabelYear
Stan Kenton - Rendezvous With KentonCapitol Records1958
Stan Kenton - Back To BalboaCapitol Records1958
Virgil Gonsalves Big Band Plus Six* - Jazz At MontereyOmega Records1959
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - The Stage Door SwingsCapitol Records1959
Two Shades Of Autumn - Various - The Playboy Jazz All-Stars, Volume 3 (3xLP, Comp)Playboy Records1960
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - By Request - Volume ICreative World1972
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - By Request - Volume VICreative World1973
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Kenton '56 - The Concepts EraArtistry Records1983
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Return To BiloxiMagic1989
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live in BiloxiMagic1989
Stan Kenton - At The Rendezvous Vol IStatus1989
Stan Kenton - At The Rendezvous Vol IIStatus1989
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - In A Mellow MoodTotal Recording1991
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live 1957-1959Total Recording1991
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume OneMagic1992
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume TwoMagic1992
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume ThreeMagic1992
Ann Richards With The Stan Kenton Orchestra* - I Hear Music - Recorded Live 1957-1958Total Recording1993
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Out Of NowhereFour Star1994
Stan Kenton - The Ballad Style Of Stan KentonCapitol Jazz1997
Kenton* - Kenton '58 Road Band!Astral Jazz1997
Anita O'Day - The Complete Anita O'Day Verve/Clef SessionsMosaic Records1999
Kenton* - Odyssey 1951 -1968Astral Jazz2000
Anita O'Day - Anita O'DayVerve Records2003
Stan Kenton - 'Live' From BirdlandMr. Music2008
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra With Ann Richards Plus The Four Freshmen - Road ShowsTantara2013
Jerry Coker - Composes-Arranges-Plays Modern Music From Indiana University And The Bay Area 1955-1956Fresh Sound Records2016
Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Artistry In JazzCapitol RecordsUnknown
Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Sings The WinnersVerve RecordsUnknown

References

  1. "CATALANO, William Joseph Jr". San Francisco Chronicle. July 17, 2005.
  2. Rubenstein, Steve (July 19, 2005). "William 'Billy' Catalano -- S.F. trumpet player, teacher". SFGATE.
  3. 1 2 Harris, Steven (2003). The Kenton Kronicles (Second printing ed.). Dynaflow Publications. p. 159. ISBN 0-9676273-1-1.
  4. "Jon Faddis - Interview with Jim Newsom". www.jimnewsom.com.
  5. Nemeyer, Eric (May 23, 2004). "Interview with Jon Faddis". Jazz Improv. 5 (Autumn 2004): 38.
  6. Nemeyer, Eric (May 23, 2004). "Interview with Jon Faddis". Jazz Improv. 5 (Autumn 2004): 39.
  7. Rubenstein, Steve (19 May 2001). "Making music / Middle school maestro has been telling students to play from their gut for 41 years". SFGate.com.
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