Vido William Musso (January 16, 1913 – January 9, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist.

Biography

Musso moved with his family from Sicily to the U.S. in July 1920, having arrived at the Port of New York on the Italian steamship ''Patria''. They lived in Detroit, where Musso started learning to play clarinet. Ten years later, he went to Los Angeles and formed a big band with

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

in 1935. Musso dropped out the next year to work with

Gus Arnheim Gus Arnheim (September 4, 1897 – January 19, 1955) was an American pianist and an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being "I Cried for You" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s. He ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

, and

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, S ...

. He accompanied

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

and pianist

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of ma ...

on recordings in the late 1930s. He replaced

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

as the leader of his band and tried unsuccessfully at other times during the 1930s and 1940s to be a big band leader. But most of his career was spent as a sideman. After returning to Goodman, he was a member of big bands led by

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

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 ...

, and

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

. He went back to play with Kenton during the middle 1940s. Having moved to California, he retired around 1975. As a leader, Musso recorded for

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

(1946), Trilon (1947),

Arco ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...

, Fantasy Records, Fantasy (1952), RPM Records (United States), RPM, Crown Records (1930s label), Crown, and Modern Records, Modern.

Discography

As leader

Singles * "Jig-a-Jive" // "I've Been a Fool" with Betty Van (Davis & Schwegler, 1938) *
Moose on a Loose
//
Vido in a Jam
(

, 1946) with Kai Winding, Gene Roland, Boots Mussulli *
Spellbound
//
Lem Me Go
(Savoy, 1946) with the Eddie Safranski All Stars (including Lem Davis) * "My Jo-Ann" // "Big Deal" (Savoy, 1946) * "On the Mercury" with the Raye Sisters // "Vido's Bop" (Trilon, 1947) * "Vido in a Mist"// "Gone with Vido" (Trilon, 1947) * "Trees" with Ray Wetzel // "The Unfinished Boogie" (Trilon, 1947) * "The Day I Left Alsace-Lorraine" with the Honeydreamers // "Checkerboard" (Trilon, 1947) * "Santa Lucia" // "Pagliacci" (Capitol Records, Capitol, 1950) * "Blue Night" // "Vido's Boogie" (RPM Records (United States), RPM, 1953) * "Vido's Drive" // "Frosty" (RPM, 1953) * "Blues for Two" // "Speak Easy" (RPM, 1957) * "Lullaby" // "Roseland Boogie" (Crown Records (1930s label), Crown, 1953) * "Musso's Boogie" // "Sing, Sing, Sing" (Crown, 1954) * "Flat Top Boogie" // "Power House Boogie" (Crown, 1954) Albums * ''Loaded'' (Savoy, 1956) with Kai Winding, Gene Roland, Boots Mussulli, Eddie Safranski, Denzil Best * ''The Swingin'st'' (Modern Records, Modern, 1956) with Maynard Ferguson, Milt Bernhart * ''Teenage Dance Party'' (Crown, 1957) * ''Thanks for the Thrill'' (Sounds of Yesteryear, 2015)

As sideman

With Wardell Gray * ''Way Out Wardell'' (Modern, 1956) With

* ''Artistry in Rhythm'' (Capitol, 1950) * ''Encores (Stan Kenton album), Encores'' (Capitol, 1950) * ''Stan Kenton's Milestones'' (Capitol, 1950) * ''Stan Kenton Classics'' (Capitol, 1952) * ''The Kenton Era'' (Capitol, 1955) * ''Kenton in Hi-Fi'' (Capitol, 1956) With Jess Stacy * ''Tribute to Benny Goodman'' (Atlantic, 1954)

References

1913 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American saxophonists American jazz musicians American people of Italian descent Jazz tenor saxophonists Swing saxophonists Italian emigrants to the United States American jazz saxophonists {{US-jazz-saxophonist-stub