The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut is an American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

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 ...

ensemble, named after the 1977 album ''Juggernaut'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

) by

Frank Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

and

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

. The group was known equivalently as the Capp-Pierce Orchestra and the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut in its early years. Its membership was rotating, though Capp and Pierce remained its leaders until Pierce's death in 1992, after which Capp continued with the group as "The Frank Capp Juggernaut".

Members

* Bill Berry *

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of th ...

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) 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 Orc ...

* Frank Szabo * Benny Powell * Britt Woodman *

Buster Cooper George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016) was an American jazz trombonist. Career A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, Cooper played in a territory band with Nat Towles in Texas in the late 1940s and with Lionel Hamp ...

Garnett Brown Garnett Brown (January 31, 1936 – October 9, 2021) was a jazz trombonist who worked with The Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Hampton, Earth Wind and Fire and others. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he graduated from the University of Arkans ...

Marshal Royal Marshal Walton Royal Jr. (December 5, 1912 – May 8, 1995) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist best known for his work with Count Basie, with whose band he played for nearly twenty years. Early life and education Marshal Royal ...

Lanny Morgan Lanny Morgan (born March 30, 1934 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American jazz alto saxophonist chiefly active on the West Coast jazz scene. Morgan was raised in Los Angeles. In the 1950s he played with Charlie Barnet, Si Zentner, Terry Gibbs, and ...

Joe Romano Joseph S. Romano (April 17, 1932 – November 26, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was born in Rochester, New York, United States. Romano learned to play clarinet and alto and tenor sax as a child. He enlisted in the United States Air F ...

Richie Kamuca Richie Kamuca (July 23, 1930 – July 22, 1977) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Musical career Kamuca was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and, like many players associated with West Coast jazz, grew up in the East befo ...

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sa ...

* Rickey Woodard *

Pete Christlieb Pete Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb. Christlieb ...

* Bob Cooper *

Red Holloway James Wesley "Red" Holloway (May 31, 1927 – February 25, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Born in Helena, Arkansas,Daniel E. Slotnik"Red Holloway, Swinger of the Sax, Dies at 84" ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2012 ...

Jack Nimitz Jack Nimitz (January 11, 1930 – June 10, 2009) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. He was nicknamed "The Admiral". Career A native of Washington, D.C., Nimitz started on clarinet in his early teens before playing alto saxophone. Dur ...

Gerry Wiggins Gerald Foster Wiggins (May 12, 1922 – July 13, 2008) was an American jazz pianist and organist. Early life Wiggins was born in New York City on May 12, 1922.Vacher, Pete"Wiggins, Gerry" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). G ...

* Herb Ellis *

Dennis Budimir Dennis Matthew Budimir (June 20, 1938 – January 2023) was an American jazz and rock guitarist. He was considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography Budimir learned to play piano and guitar in his youth and first played professio ...

John Pisano John Pisano (born February 6, 1931) is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York. Biography Pisano has worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. Discography As leader * ''Makin' It: Guitar Duets'' wit ...

Chuck Berghofer Charles Curtis Berghofer (born June 14, 1937), professionally known as Chuck Berghofer, is an American jazz double bassist and electric bassist, who has worked as a studio musician and in the film industry for more than 60 years, including workin ...

Ernie Andrews Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr. (December 25, 1927 – February 21, 2022) was an American jazz, blues, and pop singer. Life and career Andrews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Los Angeles, and is said to have been discovered b ...

Jackie Kelso John Joseph Kelson Jr. (February 27, 1922 – April 28, 2012), known professionally as Jackie Kelso, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist. Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Kelson was the eldest child of John Josep ...

Joe Roccisano Joseph Lucian Roccisano (October 15, 1939 in Springfield, Massachusetts – November 9, 1997) was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger. Career Roccisano received his bachelor's degree in music education from SUNY-Potsdam in 1963. In 1964 he ...

Mel Wanzo Melvin "Mel" Wanzo, also known as Melvin Wahid Muhammad (November 22, 1930, Cleveland - September 9, 2005, Detroit) was an American jazz trombonist. He is best known for his longtime association with the Count Basie Orchestra. Wanzo received for ...

* Bill Green

Discography

*Frank Capp & Nat Pierce: ''Juggernaut'' (

CJ-40, 1976) *The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: ''Live at the Century Plaza'' with Joe Williams (Concord Jazz CJ-72, 1978) *The Frank Capp-Nat Pierce Orchestra: ''Juggernaut Strikes Again!'' with

(Concord Jazz 4183, 1982) *The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: ''Live at the Alley Cat'' with

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

(Concord Jazz 4336, 1987) The Frank Capp Juggernaut *''In A Hefti Bag (Compositions & Arrangements By Neal Hefti) (Concord Jazz, 1995) *''Play It Again Sam'' (Concord Jazz, 1997)

References

American jazz ensembles Big bands Musical groups from Los Angeles Jazz musicians from California {{US-jazz-band-stub