Henry "Boots" Mussulli (November 18, 1915 in

Milford, Massachusetts Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th c ...

– September 23, 1967 in

Norfolk, Massachusetts Norfolk is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, with a population of 11,662 people at the 2020 census. Formerly known as North Wrentham, Norfolk broke away to become an independent town in 1870. History Norfolk is a rural su ...

) was an Italian-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 ...

saxophonist, based chiefly out of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. According to the

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

files, he was born in 1915, not in 1917 as previously stated. Mussulli's first instrument was

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

, which he first played at age 12. He played with Mal Hallett in Massachusetts around 1940, and joined

Teddy Powell Teddy Powell (March 1, 1905 – November 17, 1993) was born in Oakland, California, United States, as Teodoro Paolella, and became a respected American jazz musician, band leader, composer, and arranger. Some of his compositions were written unde ...

's group in 1943-44. He played 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 ...

from 1944 to 1947 and returned to play with Kenton again on tour in 1952 and 1954. He also played with Vido Musso,

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, ...

(1948),

Charlie Ventura Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Career During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands o ...

(1949),

Serge Chaloff Serge Chaloff (November 24, 1923 – July 16, 1957) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. The first and greatest bebop baritonist, Chaloff has been described as 'the most expressive and openly emotive baritone saxophonist jazz has ever ...

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in '' Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

(1955), and

Herb Pomeroy Irving Herbert Pomeroy III (April 15, 1930 – August 11, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, teacher, and the founder of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. Early life Pomeroy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He began playing ...

. In 1949, Mussulli opened a jazz club in his hometown, called "The Crystal Room". From the mid-1950s, he concentrated more on

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origin ...

, leading a local youth orchestra, the Milford Youth Band, at the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

in 1967. He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

shortly thereafter.

Discography

As leader

*''The Fable of Mabel'' ( Storyville, 1954) - with

, Russ Freeman *''Kenton Presents Jazz: Boots Mussulli Quartet'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

, 1954)

As sideman

With

*''

Artistry in Rhythm ''Artistry in Rhythm'' is an album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton featuring performances recorded in 1946 and originally released on the Capitol label as four 78rpm discs, reissued as a LP in 1953, and then as a LP in 1955 with additional ...

'' (Capitol, 1946–47 el. 1950 *'' Encores'' (Capitol, 1946–47 el. 1950 *'' Stan Kenton's Milestones'' (Capitol, 1943–47 el. 1950 *''

Stan Kenton Classics ''Stan Kenton Classics'' is an album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton compiling performances recorded between 1945 and 1947 and originally collected on the Capitol label as a 10-inch LP in 1950 then reissued as a 12-inch LP with additional t ...

'' (Capitol, 1944–47 el. 1952 *''

The Kenton Era ''The Kenton Era'' is a compilation album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton featuring recordings from 1940 to 1954 which was originally released in two limited edition box sets, as fifteen 7 inch 45 rpm discs and four 12 inch LPs, on Capitol i ...

'' (Capitol, 1940–54, el. 1955 With

*''

Life Is a Many Splendored Gig ''Life Is a Many Splendored Gig'' is an album by the Herb Pomeroy Orchestra. Recording and music The album was recorded in New York in June 1957. The arrangements were written by various band members. Release The album was released by Roulette ...

'' (Roulette, 1957)

References

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles a ...

, Boots Mussulliat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mussulli, Boots 1910s births 1967 deaths American jazz alto saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Massachusetts 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians