Tony Parenti (August 6, 1900 – April 17, 1972) 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 m ...

clarinetist and saxophonist born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. After starting his musical career in New Orleans, he had a successful career in music in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

for decades.

Biography

Parenti was a childhood musical prodigy, first on violin, then on clarinet. As a child he substituted for

Alcide Nunez Alcide Patrick Nunez (March 17, 1884 – September 2, 1934), also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, was an American jazz clarinetist. He was one of the first musicians of New Orleans to make audio recordings. Biography Alcide Patrick Nunez wa ...

Papa Jack Laine George Vital "Papa Jack" Laine (September 21, 1873 – June 1, 1966) was an American musician and a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish–American War to World War I. He was often credited for training many musici ...

's band. In New Orleans he also worked with Johnny Dedroit. During his early teens, Parenti worked with the

Nick LaRocca Dominic James "Nick" LaRocca (April 11, 1889 – February 22, 1961), was an American early jazz cornetist and trumpeter and the leader of the Original Dixieland Jass Band. He is the composer of one of the most recorded jazz classics of all-time ...

band, among other local acts. Parenti led his own band in New Orleans in the mid-1920s, making his first recordings there, before moving to

at the end of the decade. In the late 1920s, Parenti worked with Benny Goodman and

Fred Rich Frederic Efrem Rich (January 31, 1898 – September 8, 1956) was a Polish-born American bandleader and composer who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Among the musicians in his band were the Dorsey Brothers, Joe Venuti, Bunny Berigan, and B ...

, and then in New York City, where he worked through the 1930s as a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

staffman and as a member of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra. From 1939 until 1945, Parenti, with Ted Lewis's band, played alongside

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swin ...

. In 1944, he recorded and appeared in concert with

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic tempe ...

and Max Miller in Chicago. In the 1940s and still in New York City, Parenti formed a

Dixieland jazz Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

band called Tony Parenti and His New Orleanians, and which featured

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they ...

, Art Hodes and

Jimmy Archey Jimmy Archey (12 October 1902 – 16 November 1967) was an American jazz trombonist born in Norfolk, Virginia, perhaps most noteworthy for his work in several prominent jazz orchestras and big bands of his time (including his own). He performed ...

, among others. He often appeared at such New York jazz spots as Nick's and Jimmy Ryan’s, and also worked with Eddie Condon. Parenti remained active until the 1960s in clubs, and died in New York City on April 17, 1972. Over his career, Parenti recorded on the labels of

Jazzology Jazzology Records is an American jazz record company and label. It is part of the Jazzology group of labels owned and operated by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. Jazzology Records was founded in 1949 by George H. Buck, Jr. That year he ...

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...

and Fat Cat, among several others.

Discography

* Que Records. 1957, ''Dixie By The "7"'' – Que JLS 5000

As leader

* ''Tony Parenti & His New Orleanians'' (Jazzology, 1949) with Wild Bill Davison, Jimmy Archey, Art Hodes,

Pops Foster George Murphy "Pops" Foster (May 19, 1892 – October 30, 1969) was an American jazz musician, best known for his vigorous slap bass playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally. Biography Foster was born ...

Arthur Trappier Arthur "Traps" Trappier (May 28, 1910, Georgetown, South Carolina – May 17, 1975, New York City) was an American jazz drummer. Trappier played with Charlie Skeets and Blanche Calloway in the late 1920s. After working steadily through the 193 ...

* ''Ragtime Jubilee'' (Jazzology) * ''Ragtime!'' (

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...

205) * ''Tony Parenti & His Downtown Boys'' (Jazzology, 1955–65) with

Dick Wellstood Richard MacQueen Wellstood (November 25, 1927 – July 24, 1987) was an American jazz pianist. Career He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Wellstood's mother was a graduate of the Juilliard School who played church organ. Wellst ...

, Armand Hug * ''Tony Parenti & His Ragtime Gang - Ragtime Jubilee'' (Jazzology J-21) the front cover reads: "Featuring Knocky Parker" * ''The Final Bar'' (Jazzology, 1971) with Max Kaminsky, Charlie Bornemann, Bobby Pratt,

Buzzy Drootin Benjamin "Buzzy" Drootin (April 22, 1920 – May 21, 2000) was an American jazz drummer. Career Drootin was born near Kyiv, Ukraine, and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, with his family when he was five. His father played the cl ...

References

Other sources

* ''Who's Who of Jazz''.

John Chilton John James Chilton (16 July 1932 – 25 February 2016) was a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s, he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1 ...

, Da Capo, 1972 * ''

Metronome Magazine ''Metronome'' was a music magazine published from January 1885 to December 1961. History Founding (1885) Bandmaster Arthur Albert Clappé (1850–1920) first published ''The Metronome'' in January 1885 for band leaders. In 1891, Harry Colema ...

'', Dec 1946, Article by George Hoefer {{DEFAULTSORT:Parenti, Tony 1900 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century clarinetists 20th-century American saxophonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from New Orleans American male jazz musicians Riverside Records artists