Michael Antonio Cuozzo (June 12, 1925 – April 2, 2006) 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 businessman.

Early life

Cuozzo was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Shep Fields Shep may refer to: People Given name *Shep Fields, American band leader *Shep Goodman, American music producer and songwriter *Shep Gordon, American talent manager, Hollywood film agent, and producer * Shep Mayer, Canadian ice hockey player *Shep ...

and His Rippling Rhythm in the 1940s.

Career

Cuozzo began his professional career as a

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Joe Marsala Joseph Francis Marsala (January 4, 1907 – March 4, 1978) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist and songwriter. His younger brother was trumpeter Marty Marsala and he was married to jazz harpist Adele Girard. Music career He was born in Ch ...

's band. He played for the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and was part of

Elliot Lawrence Elliott Lawrence Broza (February 14, 1925 – July 2, 2021), known professionally as Elliott Lawrence, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he pl ...

's band in the early-1950s.Marc Myers, "Mike Cuozzo: Lost Sax", ''JazzWax'', April 29, 2014
Retrieved 24 April 2019 In November 1955, he led his own session, recording the album ''Mighty Mike Cuozzo'' for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

. Other personnel on the album were Eddie Costa (

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

Ronnie Ball Ronald Ball (December 22, 1927 – October 1984) was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger, born in Birmingham, England. Biography Ball moved to London in 1948, and in the early 1950s he worked both as a bandleader and under Ronnie Scott, Tony ...

(piano),

Vinnie Burke Vinnie Burke (born Vincenzo Bucci) (March 15, 1921 – February 1, 2001) was an American jazz bassist born in Newark, New Jersey.Leonard Feather & Ira Gitler ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' Oxford University Press (1999) p94 Burke play ...

(bass) and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

(drums). Reviewer

Marc Myers Marc Myers (born September 4, 1956) is an American journalist, author of five books and a regular contributor to ''The Wall Street Journal'', where he writes on music, the arts and celebrities. In 2007, he founded ''JazzWax'', a leading daily jazz ...

commented that Cuozzo had a " Ben Webster sound, and his smooth, inventive improvisational style on modernist tracks, blues and ballads was superb." He recorded again in March 1956, on bassist

Mort Herbert Mort Herbert (June 30, 1925 – June 5, 1983) was an American jazz bassist and lawyer. Life Herbert was born Mort Pelovitz on June 30, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey. Self-taught on bass, Herbert is best-remembered for his stint as a member of ...

's album ''Night People'' on Savoy. His final recording, again in 1956, was the album ''Mike Cuozzo with the Costa-Burke Trio'', for

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the company ...

, on which he performed with Eddie Costa, Vinnie Burke, and drummer

Nick Stabulas Nicholas Stabulas (December 18, 1929 – February 6, 1973) was an American jazz drummer. Career After working in commercial music, Stabulas was a member of Phil Woods group from 1954 to 1957. He did extensive work as a sideman in the 1950s, ...

. Although Myers describes Cuozzo as "a strong, smart player", Cuozzo did not record again.Eugene Chadbourne, "Mike Cuozzo", ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 24 April 2019 In 1957, Cuozzo set up a small housing development company in New Jersey with his brother. In 1970, he acquired and started managing an auto dealership franchise. His two albums, ''Mighty Mike Cuozzo'' and ''...with the Costa-Burke Trio'', were reissued on CD in the 1980s, and he continued to play saxophone in local clubs in Cedar Grove and

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.

, until the 1990s.

Personal life

Cuozzo married in 1958 and thereafter declined invitations to join touring bands. He died in

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...

, in 2006, aged 80.

References

1925 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American saxophonists American jazz tenor saxophonists Savoy Records artists Jubilee Records artists {{US-jazz-musician-stub