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Charlie Ventura

Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura, c. October 1946
Charlie Ventura, c. October 1946
Background information
Birth nameCharles Venturo
Born(1916-12-02)December 2, 1916
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 1992(1992-01-17) (aged 75)
Pleasantville, New Jersey
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone
Years active1940s–1980s

Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992)[1] was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Career

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During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands of Gene Krupa and Teddy Powell.[2] In 1945 he was named best tenor saxophonist by DownBeat magazine.[2][3] He led a band which included Conte Candoli, Bennie Green, Boots Mussulli, Ed Shaughnessy, Jackie Cain, and Roy Kral.[2] He led big bands in the 1940s and 1950s and formed the Big Four with Buddy Rich, Marty Napoleon, and Chubby Jackson.[2] He was a sideman with Krupa through the 1960s, then worked in Las Vegas with comedian Jackie Gleason.[2]

He died of lung cancer in 1992.[2] His great-grandson is the musician MJ Lenderman.[4]

Discography

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As sideman

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References

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  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 409. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kelsey, Chris. "Charlie Ventura". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. ^ Down Beat Poll Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Groundwater, Colin (17 November 2023). "MJ Lenderman Does Not Have Mamba Mentality". GQ. Retrieved 9 November 2024.