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Charlie Ventura | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Charles Venturo |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | December 2, 1916
Died | January 17, 1992 Pleasantville, New Jersey | (aged 75)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
Years active | 1940s–1980s |
Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) [1] was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands of Gene Krupa and Teddy Powell. [2] In 1945 he was named best tenor saxophonist by DownBeat magazine. [2] [3] He led a band which included Conte Candoli, Bennie Green, Boots Mussulli, Ed Shaughnessy, Jackie Cain, and Roy Kral. [2] He led big bands in the 1940s and 1950s and formed the Big Four with Buddy Rich, Marty Napoleon, and Chubby Jackson. [2] He was a sideman with Krupa through the 1960s, then worked in Las Vegas with comedian Jackie Gleason. [2] In 1992 he died of lung cancer. [2]