Deceased
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Harry Sargent was a jazz drummer based out of Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Kenny Sargent (1906-1969), was a famous singer during the Big Band Era. Kenny scored several...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Gerry Mulligan helped define the Cool Jazz genre with his rich baritone saxophone style and a series of historic recordings including several with Miles Davis. He played...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: George David Weiss wrote a number of successful songs for Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. He began writing jazz tunes such as the...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Herb Jeffries was a singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra who scored a top hit recording with "Flamingo" in 1941. Other songs would follow but none matched the success...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray Evans was an Oscar winning songwriter who penned tunes for jazz and pop artists as well as for television and film. Teamed often with his lifelong friend Jay...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jay Livingston happily wrote the music to accompany the lyrics of his lifelong friend, Ray Evans. They wrote three Oscar winning songs along with the Christmas classic "...
Buddy Greco was classically trained on the piano and found himself arranging for Benny Goodman as a teenager. With his love of singing and the encouragement of mentors such as Nat “King” Cole and Frank Sinatra, Buddy launched into his own singing career. Over the years he recorded a string of hit...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Chuck Foster was a bandleader's bandleader! During the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 40s, Chuck promoted radio and live performances of up and coming musicians and singers...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ernie Heckscher is perhaps best known for leading a society style orchestra during the Big Band Era. His smooth arrangements were perfect for hotel ballrooms that catered...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Buddy Tate was a leading saxophonist during the Big Band Era. Buddy played with such celebrated jazz bands as Andy Kirk, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. Beginning in 1947...