Frank Rosolino

Frank Rosolino
Rosolino circa 1963
Background information
Born(1926-08-20)August 20, 1926
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedNovember 26, 1978(1978-11-26) (aged 52)
Van Nuys, California, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTrombone
Years active1945–1978

Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist.

Biography

Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 20, 1926.[1] He learned to play the guitar at age nine from his musically inclined father, but switched to the trombone at age fourteen.[2] He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray[1], Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gene Krupa, and Stan Kenton. After a period with Kenton, he settled in Los Angeles, where he performed with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars (1954–1960) in Hermosa Beach.[3] His composition "Blue Daniel" was first recorded by Shelly Manne & His Men in 1959 and later became a jazz standard, with notable versions by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet and Ben Sidran, who wrote lyrics for the song in 1979.[4]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, between nightclub engagements, Rosolino was active in Los Angeles recording studios, performing with such notables as Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Michel Legrand, and Quincy Jones.[1] In the mid-to-late 1960s, he and fellow trombonist Mike Barone, billed as "Trombones Unlimited," recorded several albums for Liberty Records featuring pop-style arrangements of current hits, including the 1968 album Grazing in the Grass. [1] He can also be seen performing with Shelly Manne's group in the films I Want to Live! (1958), starring Susan Hayward, and Sweet Smell of Success (1957), with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.[3] He was a regular on The Steve Allen Show and appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show. [2] Rosolino was also a talented vocalist, renowned for his exuberant style of scat singing, notably on Gene Krupa's hit recording "Lemon Drop."[1]

During the 1970s, Rosolino performed and toured with Quincy Jones and the Grammy Award–winning group Supersax.[1]

Rosolino's private life was deeply troubled.[1] On November 26, 1978, he shot both of his sons—11-year-old Justin and 7-year-old Jason—as they slept.[1] Justin died instantly; Jason survived but was blinded.[1] Rosolino then fatally shot himself.[5][6]

Discography

As leader

  • Frank Rosolino (Capitol, 1954)
  • Frankly Speaking (Capitol, 1955)
  • I Play Trombone (Bethlehem, 1956)
  • Frank Rosolino Quintet (Mode, 1957)
  • Turn Me Loose! (Reprise, 1961)
  • Jazz a Confronto 4 (Horo, 1973)
  • Conversation with Conte Candoli (RCA Victor, 1976)
  • Just Friends with Conte Candoli (MPS, 1977)
  • Thinking About You (Sackville, 1984) – rec. 1976
  • Free for All (Speciality, 1986) – rec. 1958
  • The Last Recording (Sea Breeze, 2006) – rec. 1978

As sideman

With Georgie Auld

With Max Bennett

  • Max Bennett (Bethlehem, 1955)
  • Max Bennett Plays (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Francy Boland

  • Blue Flame (MPS/BASF 1976)
  • Red Hot (MPS, 1977)
  • White Heat (MPS, 1978)

With Buddy Bregman

With Benny Carter

With June Christy

  • Fair and Warmer! (Capitol, 1957)
  • June's Got Rhythm (Capitol, 1958)
  • June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days (Capitol, 1959)
  • Do-Re-Mi (Capitol, 1961)
  • Big Band Specials (Capitol, 1962)
  • Impromptu (Interplay, 1977)

With Victor Feldman

  • Vic Feldman on Vibes (Mode, 1957)
  • Latinsville! (Contemporary, 1964)

With Terry Gibbs

  • Launching a New Band (Mercury, 1959)
  • The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band (Verve, 1961)
  • Explosion! (Mercury, 1962)

With Vince Guaraldi

With Bill Holman

  • In a Jazz Orbit (Andex, 1958)
  • Bill Holman's Great Big Band (Capitol, 1960)

With Quincy Jones

  • The Hot Rock OST (Prophesy, 1972)
  • Body Heat (A&M, 1974)
  • Mellow Madness (A&M, 1975)
  • I Heard That!! (A&M, 1976)

With Stan Kenton

With Gene Krupa

  • Drummin' Man (Columbia, 1963)
  • 1949 (Alamac, 1974)

With Stan Levey

  • This Time the Drum's On Me (Bethlehem, 1956)
  • Grand Stan (Bethlehem, 1957)

With Shelly Manne

With Charlie Mariano

  • Mariano (Bethlehem, 1955)
  • Charlie Mariano Plays (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Skip Martin

  • Scheherajazz (Pye/Golden Guinea 1959)
  • Songs and Sounds from the Era of the Untouchables (Somerset 1960)
  • Perspectives in Percussion Vol. 1 (Somerset/Stereo-Fidelity, 1961)
  • Perspectives in Percussion Vol. 2 (Somerset/Stereo-Fidelity, 1961)

With Gerry Mulligan

  • The Jazz Combo from I Want to Live! (United Artists, 1958)
  • Nightwatch (United Artists, 1961)

With Anita O'Day

  • Cool Heat (Verve, 1959)
  • Trav'lin' Light (Verve, 1961)

With Shorty Rogers

With Pete Rugolo

With Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

  • Vol. 6 (Contemporary, 1955)
  • Lighthouse at Laguna (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Volume Three (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Music for Lighthousekeeping (Contemporary, 1957)
  • Double or Nothin' (Liberty, 1957)
  • In the Solo Spotlight! (Contemporary, 1957)
  • Jazz Rolls Royce (Lighthouse, 1958)
  • Jazz Structures (Philips, 1961)

With Lalo Schifrin

With Horace Silver

With Zoot Sims

With Joanie Sommers

  • For Those Who Think Young (Warner Bros., 1962)
  • The Voice of the Sixties! (Warner Bros., 1961)

With Sonny Stitt

With Frank Strazzeri

  • Taurus (Revelation, 1973)
  • Frames (Glendale, 1975)

With Supersax

  • Supersax Plays Bird with Strings (Capitol, 1975)
  • Chasin' the Bird (MPS, 1977)
  • Dynamite!! (MPS, 1979)

With Mel Torme

  • Swings Shubert Alley (Verve, 1960)
  • I Dig the Duke/I Dig the Count (Verve, 1962)
  • A Day in the Life of Bonnie and Clyde (Liberty, 1968)

With others

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 373–374. ISBN 1852279370.
  2. ^ a b "Frank Rosolino". Jazzmasters. n.d. Archived from the original on July 14, 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Frank Rosolino – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  4. ^ "Blue Daniel". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  5. ^ Lees, Gene (1988). Meet Me at Jim & Andy's: Jazz Musicians and Their World. Oxford University Press. pp. 115–119. ISBN 0195046110.
  6. ^ Cordle, Owen (May 2007). "The Last Recording: Frank Rosolino". Jazz Times. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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