Al Belletto (January 3, 1928 – December 26, 2014) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist and clarinetist.

Early life and education

Belletto was born and raised in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, where he led his own bands as a college student. He graduated from

Warren Easton Charter High School Warren Easton Charter High School is a secondary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Warren Easton Charter Foundation governs the school, which is chartered by Orleans Parish School Board. History The school was founded in 1843 as Boys High Sch ...

before studying music at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

and earning a master's degree from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

Career

Belletto played with Sharkey Bonano, Louis Prima,

Wingy Manone Joseph Matthews "Wingy" Manone (February 13, 1900 – July 9, 1982) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. His recordings included " Tar Paper Stomp", "Nickel in the Slot", "Downright Disgusted Blues", "There'll Come a ...

and the

Dukes of Dixieland The Dukes of Dixieland was an American, New Orleans "Dixieland"-style revival band, originally formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records ...

in the 1940s and 1950s, then led his own band for several albums on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

from 1952. He and his ensemble became part of

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

's band for

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

tours of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

in 1958 and 1959. In the 1960s, Belletto worked at the New Orleans Playboy Club fronting the house band and serving as Musical/Entertainment Director, booking nationally known acts into the venue.

Personal life

Belletto and his wife, Linda, had one son. Belletto died in

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...

, in 2014.

Discography

*''Sounds and Songs'' (

, 1955) *''Half and Half'' (Capitol, 1956) *''Whisper Not'' (Capitol, 1957) *''The Big Sound'' (King Records, 1962) *''Coach's Choice'' ( ART Records, 1973) *''Jazznocracy'' ( Louisiana Red Hot, 1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belletto, Al Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz clarinetists 1928 births 2014 deaths American male jazz musicians 20th-century American saxophonists Louisiana State University alumni