Pete Candoli
Encyclopedia
Pete Candoli was an American
swing and West Coast jazz
trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman
, Stan Kenton
, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries. He was born in Mishawaka, Indiana
.
. He quickly found a spot as lead trumpeter, and by 1940 had become a part of Sonny Dunham
's band. In 1941 he left the band to replace Ziggy Elman
of the Tommy Dorsey
band. During this time the band performed in three films, Las Vegas Nights (1941), Girl Crazy
(1943) and Upbeat In Music (1943). In 1944 Candoli joined the Teddy Powell
band. It was while with Teddy Powell
that he brought his younger brother Conte
into the big band major league.
After 1945, Candoli worked with several bands including notably that of Stan Kenton. Later, he drifted into the "West Coast Jazz
" and studio scenes. Despite his range, he rarely played lead, reserved instead for feature roles. He became a favorite collaborator of many influential musicians and performers, including Peggy Lee
, Henry Mancini
, and Frank Sinatra
, and was widely sought for studio work. In 1957 Pete and Conte reunited to form the Candoli Brothers band.
Look magazine named him one of the seven all-time outstanding jazz trumpet players—the others being Louis Armstrong, Bix Biederbecke, Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Dizzy Gillespie and Bobby Hackett.
Strong evidence of his restraint can be found in his work on Peggy Lee's "Black Coffee", one of the first 33⅓ rpm long-play vocal albums. Pete appears on all of the original 10" tracks (recorded in 1953; expanded in 1956 to 12" with a different set of musicians). Muted but felicitously omnipresent on all the 10" tracks, he performs open-horned on the last chorus of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy
", building from modest fills to a full-throated high-note climax that helps to make the song the centerpiece of the album and gives Lee arguable co-ownership of this song with Mary Martin
.
Candoli performs sublimely on the two Mancini Peter Gunn
albums, albeit as only one of similarly adroit group of musicians. He and his brother Conte were often seen playing in the background during scenes in "Mother's" nightclub. Most of Candoli's best solos are rather short. One of his best longer solos was wasted in the Peter Gunn medley on a forgettable concert album of Mancini's. It is an almost quintessential Pete Candoli performance in the staccato-to-climax mode described earlier. He is also the attributed soloist for the superb high-note work in the "Dance at the Gym" sequence in the movie version of West Side Story
.
and singer Edie Adams
. He had two daughters, Tara Clair from another marriage, and Carolyn with Betty Hutton
. In 1980, the trumpeter Jack Sheldon
said, "I get a lot of my work playing at Pete Candoli's weddings. He's married a lot of people. Hardly fair, because Pete was married no more than three times and had lived his last 18 years loyally with his partner Sheryl." Independent.co.uk His younger brother, Conte
, achieved an arguably stronger critical reputation. They often worked together in anonymous recording gigs and in several joint albums on minor labels.
Both brothers were diagnosed with prostate cancer in later life. Pete Candoli died of complications from prostate cancer
on January 11, 2008, aged 83. His brother also died from cancer in 2001.
|-
! Band
! Years
|-
| Sonny Dunham
| 1940–1941
|-
| Will Bradley
| 1941
|-
| Ray McKinley
| 1942
|-
| Benny Goodman
| 1942
|-
| Tommy Dorsey
| 1943–1944
|-
| Teddy Powell
| 1944
|-
| Woody Herman's
First Herd
| 1944–1946
|-
| Tex Beneke
| 1947–1949
|-
| Jerry Gray
| 1950–1951
|-
| Les Brown
| 1952
|-
| Stan Kenton
| 1954–1956
|-
| Glen Gray
| 1956–1963
|-
| Candoli Brothers
| 1957–1962
|-
|}
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
swing and West Coast jazz
West coast jazz
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...
trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries. He was born in Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
.
Career
Born as Walter Joseph Candoli, Candoli's professional career began at the age of 13, when he became a member of the American Federation of MusiciansAmerican Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
. He quickly found a spot as lead trumpeter, and by 1940 had become a part of Sonny Dunham
Sonny Dunham
Elmer "Sonny" Dunham was an American trumpet player and bandleader.Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, the son of Elmer and Ethel Dunham, he attended local schools and took lessons on the valve trombone at the age of 7. He changed to the slide trombone at age 11, and was playing in local bands by...
's band. In 1941 he left the band to replace Ziggy Elman
Ziggy Elman
Harry Aaron Finkelman , better known by the stage name Ziggy Elman, was an American jazz trumpeter most associated with Benny Goodman, though he also led his own Ziggy Elman and His Orchestra....
of the Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
band. During this time the band performed in three films, Las Vegas Nights (1941), Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in this musical production....
(1943) and Upbeat In Music (1943). In 1944 Candoli joined the Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell was an American jazz guitarist, composer and big band leader...
band. It was while with Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell was an American jazz guitarist, composer and big band leader...
that he brought his younger brother Conte
Conte Candoli
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
into the big band major league.
After 1945, Candoli worked with several bands including notably that of Stan Kenton. Later, he drifted into the "West Coast Jazz
West coast jazz
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...
" and studio scenes. Despite his range, he rarely played lead, reserved instead for feature roles. He became a favorite collaborator of many influential musicians and performers, including Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, and was widely sought for studio work. In 1957 Pete and Conte reunited to form the Candoli Brothers band.
Awards
He was inducted into The International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the "Big Band Hall of Fame" in 2003. He won the Down Beat, Metronome, Esquire "All American Band Trumpet Bronze Award".Look magazine named him one of the seven all-time outstanding jazz trumpet players—the others being Louis Armstrong, Bix Biederbecke, Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Dizzy Gillespie and Bobby Hackett.
Musical style
Candoli's solo work is notable for his eloquent roles, supportive of the efforts of others. His adroit use of staccato was rare among modern jazz trumpeters. Despite his reputation for his high-note ability, he rarely used it unless explicitly called for by the conductor, the band leader, or the composer. More often, his solos began with low-to-mid-register staccato riffs which built into rolling cadenzas and ending, when appropriate, in high-note, bravura climaxes.Strong evidence of his restraint can be found in his work on Peggy Lee's "Black Coffee", one of the first 33⅓ rpm long-play vocal albums. Pete appears on all of the original 10" tracks (recorded in 1953; expanded in 1956 to 12" with a different set of musicians). Muted but felicitously omnipresent on all the 10" tracks, he performs open-horned on the last chorus of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy
My Heart Belongs to Daddy
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a song written by Cole Porter, for the 1938 musical Leave It to Me! which premiered on Nov 9, 1938. It was performed by Mary Martin who played Dolly Winslow, the young protégée of an elderly ambassador, Alonzo P. Goodhue...
", building from modest fills to a full-throated high-note climax that helps to make the song the centerpiece of the album and gives Lee arguable co-ownership of this song with Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
.
Candoli performs sublimely on the two Mancini Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
albums, albeit as only one of similarly adroit group of musicians. He and his brother Conte were often seen playing in the background during scenes in "Mother's" nightclub. Most of Candoli's best solos are rather short. One of his best longer solos was wasted in the Peter Gunn medley on a forgettable concert album of Mancini's. It is an almost quintessential Pete Candoli performance in the staccato-to-climax mode described earlier. He is also the attributed soloist for the superb high-note work in the "Dance at the Gym" sequence in the movie version of West Side Story
West Side Story (film)
West Side Story is a 1961 musical film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno,...
.
Personal life
Candoli married numerous times, typically to other musicians, including singer-actress Betty HuttonBetty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
and singer Edie Adams
Edie Adams
Edie Adams was an American singer, Broadway, television and film actress and comedienne. Adams, a Tony Award winner, "both embodied and winked at the stereotypes of fetching chanteuse and sexpot blonde." She was well-known for her impersonations of female stars on stage and television, most...
. He had two daughters, Tara Clair from another marriage, and Carolyn with Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
. In 1980, the trumpeter Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon is an American bebop and West Coast jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor. He is a trumpet player and was a comedian on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as the voice heard on several episodes of the educational music television series Schoolhouse Rock.-Biography:Sheldon was born in...
said, "I get a lot of my work playing at Pete Candoli's weddings. He's married a lot of people. Hardly fair, because Pete was married no more than three times and had lived his last 18 years loyally with his partner Sheryl." Independent.co.uk His younger brother, Conte
Conte Candoli
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
, achieved an arguably stronger critical reputation. They often worked together in anonymous recording gigs and in several joint albums on minor labels.
Both brothers were diagnosed with prostate cancer in later life. Pete Candoli died of complications from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
on January 11, 2008, aged 83. His brother also died from cancer in 2001.
Band memberships
-
-
- {| class="wikitable"
-
|-
! Band
! Years
|-
| Sonny Dunham
Sonny Dunham
Elmer "Sonny" Dunham was an American trumpet player and bandleader.Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, the son of Elmer and Ethel Dunham, he attended local schools and took lessons on the valve trombone at the age of 7. He changed to the slide trombone at age 11, and was playing in local bands by...
| 1940–1941
|-
| Will Bradley
Will Bradley
Wilbur Schwictenberg was an American trombonist and bandleader who also performed under the name Will Bradley...
| 1941
|-
| Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
| 1942
|-
| Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
| 1942
|-
| Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
| 1943–1944
|-
| Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell was an American jazz guitarist, composer and big band leader...
| 1944
|-
| Woody Herman's
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
First Herd
| 1944–1946
|-
| Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee Beneke , professionally known as Tex Beneke, was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gorme...
| 1947–1949
|-
| Jerry Gray
Jerry Gray
Jerry Don Gray is a former American Football cornerback who played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1985 to 1991, the Houston Oilers in 1992, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.-Playing career:Jerry Gray was a two-time All American...
| 1950–1951
|-
| Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
| 1952
|-
| Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
| 1954–1956
|-
| Glen Gray
Glen Gray
Glen Gray Knoblauch, better known as Glen Gray, was a jazz saxophonist and leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra....
| 1956–1963
|-
| Candoli Brothers
| 1957–1962
|-
|}
External links
- Profile on JazzProfessional.com
- Memorium on AllAboutJazz.com
- http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/
- Official Candoli Brothers Site
- The Independent UK Obituaries