HolgerFreimutSchrick Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 Trumpeter Al Porcino has died in Munich. http://newsticker.sueddeutsche.de/list/id/1531547 Quote
Cyril Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 I was waiting for it...., because he was living in Germany. Al passed away on New Year's Eve morning, 12/31/13. http://jazzpro.nationaljazzarchive.org.uk/interviews/al_porcino.htm RIP Quote
Cyril Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Porcino Quote
jeffcrom Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 Porcino's lead trumpet was a major factor contributing to the high quality of one of my favorite big band sessions, Chubby Jackson's 1949 date for Columbia. R.I.P. Quote
John Tapscott Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 RIP. Terrific lead trumpet player, one of the best - Stan Kenton, Terry Gibbs, Buddy Rich, Thad-Mel, etc. Fellow musicians often spoke of with awe of his abilities, and the seeming ease with which he did it all. I think this is Al second from the left in the trumpet section beside Conte. Quote
Mark Stryker Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Absolutely one of the finest lead players of the post-war era -- guys with that much power and high chops but also with the ability to swing and the taste to know what not to do are rare. I preferred Snooky Young because the swing was just a hair more relaxed but Porcino definitely had a pocket and knew how to stay there and might have been more flexible in terms of hooking up with all kinds of different drummers who put the beat in different places. He was a sign of quality and consistency on any recording on which he appeared. I've been listening to a ton of Gerald Wilson in the last week while revamping a piece and it's been a pleasure to hear Porcino on those Pacific LPs.Coda: A trumpet player friend notes insightfully that while Porcino was a pure lead player, Young was also a soloist and thus also brought that aesthetic into his lead playing. Edited January 3, 2014 by Mark Stryker Quote
king ubu Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 r.i.p. I was waiting for it...., because he was living in Germany. Hu? Can't quite follow ... to go live in Germany is to go and die soon? Quote
ejp626 Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 r.i.p. I was waiting for it...., because he was living in Germany. Hu? Can't quite follow ... to go live in Germany is to go and die soon?I think he meant given the distance he was waiting for more verification? Quote
king ubu Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 No matter what, the link in Holger's post goes to a serious rag out of Munich, where he lived ... so I'd assume very much this is accurate news. Quote
JSngry Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 Absolutely one of the finest lead players of the post-war era -- guys with that much power and high chops but also with the ability to swing and the taste to know what not to do are rare. I preferred Snooky Young because the swing was just a hair more relaxed but Porcino definitely had a pocket and knew how to stay there and might have been more flexible in terms of hooking up with all kinds of different drummers who put the beat in different places. He was a sign of quality and consistency on any recording on which he appeared. I've been listening to a ton of Gerald Wilson in the last week while revamping a piece and it's been a pleasure to hear Porcino on those Pacific LPs. Coda: A trumpet player friend notes insightfully that while Porcino was a pure lead player, Young was also a soloist and thus also brought that aesthetic into his lead playing. Lead players are a separate breed, truly great lead players a rare breed within that breed...Al Porcino was a truly great lead player. And Snooky was pretty much the most unique of all, for that exact reason. Vanishing arts, all these things are...I'm glad I've gotten to experience as much of it in real time as I have... Quote
sidewinder Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Sorry to hear this. Always thought he was brilliant with the Buddy Rich Big Band on 'Mercy Mercy..' and the other PJs. RIP. Edited January 3, 2014 by sidewinder Quote
Cyril Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) r.i.p. I was waiting for it...., because he was living in Germany. Hu? Can't quite follow ... to go live in Germany is to go and die soon? There wasn't a good (German) source at that time... Is that a good reason? I don't live in Germany From the JazzTimes site: http://jazztimes.com/articles/116243-trumpeter-al-porcino-dies-at-88 Edited January 3, 2014 by Cyril Quote
sgcim Posted January 3, 2014 Report Posted January 3, 2014 Very sad to hear. RIP, Al. The days of the great lead players like Al, Bernie Glow, etc... are all but over. Today, everyone is expected to be able to do everything, and it doesn't neccessarily mean that things are better that way... Quote
Mark Stryker Posted January 5, 2014 Report Posted January 5, 2014 Porcino and Young side by side with Thad & Mel,1969. The two finest post-war lead players in the same section. Pretty sure it's Porcino playing first trumpet here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZLvqXFddu0 Quote
JSngry Posted January 5, 2014 Report Posted January 5, 2014 That's Joe on tenor...is there additional footage from this gig that would have him soloing? Quote
Mark Stryker Posted January 5, 2014 Report Posted January 5, 2014 That's Joe on tenor...is there additional footage from this gig that would have him soloing? Unfortunately, I haven't seen any film of Joe soloing with the band. However, there are bootleg recordings that can be found on CD that have him playing (his ass off) on "Don't Get Sassy," including one from Basle (Basel) and one from Paris. I'm pretty sure film exists somewhere because at least parts of two concerts were captured by presumably European TV. The question is whether either (or others) picked up a tune with Joe soloing. I'm not sure if he played on any other tunes they were regularly performing at that time. Eddie Daniels plays, for example, on "Mean What You Say." Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 6, 2014 Report Posted January 6, 2014 Bernie Glow has been mentioned on this thread as another top-notch post-war lead player, but what about Conrad Gozzo? Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 6, 2014 Report Posted January 6, 2014 Some Gozzo (perhaps not all to our taste): Quote
Mark Stryker Posted January 6, 2014 Report Posted January 6, 2014 Interesting you mentioned Gozzo: In a conversation that grew out of a discussion about Porcino and Young, a credentialed trumpet player friend (excellent small group player who was also on the Ray Charles band ) told me that Gozzo is revered among other trumpeters. Quote
JSngry Posted January 6, 2014 Report Posted January 6, 2014 The Gozzo story that I've heard most often from the most people is that there was a running pool amongst the L.A. studio trumpeters of the day as to what date it would be when Gozzo fluffed a note on a session. The winner varies by who is telling the story, but the pot kept growing (over years and years!) and eventually reach around 5-6 K before it got collected, not too much before Gozzo's death. Quote
Mark Stryker Posted January 16, 2014 Report Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) That's Joe on tenor...is there additional footage from this gig that would have him soloing?Unfortunately, I haven't seen any film of Joe soloing with the band. However, there are bootleg recordings that can be found on CD that have him playing (his ass off) on "Don't Get Sassy," including one from Basle (Basel) and one from Paris. I'm pretty sure film exists somewhere because at least parts of two concerts were captured by presumably European TV. The question is whether either (or others) picked up a tune with Joe soloing. I'm not sure if he played on any other tunes they were regularly performing at that time. Eddie Daniels plays, for example, on "Mean What You Say."Bret Primack has posted this fantastic footage of Joe soloing with Thad and Mel from this particular tour. This is the first I have scene and am ecstatic to find it. Also great to see Thad in action in front of the band, shaping performance on the fly. Edited January 30, 2014 by Mark Stryker Quote
JSngry Posted January 16, 2014 Report Posted January 16, 2014 "Second Race"! That's a snaky chart, "just" a blues. And Joe was just the man to take that spot (no dis to Seldon Powell). Between this and the "Don't Get Sassy" that's on the Jazz Wave Ltd. side...hey. Quote
king ubu Posted January 16, 2014 Report Posted January 16, 2014 Very cool video, thanks for sharing! Btw, it's my understanding the Basle disc isn't a boot. Fantastic disc! Quote
JSngry Posted January 16, 2014 Report Posted January 16, 2014 I have the Basel disc, but my recollection is that Joe isn't miked all that well. The Jazz Wave Ltd. thing otoh....you can wreck a car if you're not careful, driving with that thing on. I'm telling you! Quote
king ubu Posted January 16, 2014 Report Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Not miked that well, but on fire! The cut from "Jazz Wave" must be on the Mosaic, which was my first encounter with this amazing band - got to dig it up some day soon! Btw, is it just me or does late Getz (eighties) occasionally have some similarities with JoeHen? Sonically, rhythmically ... I can't really pin it down, but in the opener of "Pure Getz" that's spinning right now, I had to think back about Henderson. Edited January 16, 2014 by king ubu Quote
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