Nick Fatool (January 2, 1915 – September 26, 2000) was an American jazz drummer.

Music career

He was born in Millbury, Massachusetts, United States. Fatool first played professionally in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, which he followed with time in Joe Haymes's band in 1937 and Don Beston's in Dallas soon after. In 1939, he played with Bobby Hackett briefly, and then became a member of the

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 conc ...

Orchestra. He became one of the most visible drummers of the 1940s, playing with Artie Shaw (1940–41), Alvino Rey (1942–43), Claude Thornhill, Les Brown, and Jan Savitt. In 1943, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and took work as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, recording profusely. Credits include

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 ...

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first re ...

(1946),

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

(1949, 1951), Jess Stacy,

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 ...

, Matty Matlock, John Scott Trotter and Glen Gray. He began an association with Bob Crosby, playing with him regularly between 1949 and 1951 and occasionally with Crosby's Bobcats into the 1970s. Between January 7, 1944 and April 23, 1958, Fatool played on sessions for the following Capitol Records artists: Andy Griffith, Andy Russell, Betty Hutton,

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad'' (1968), '' Batman'' (with ''Batgirl'' them ...

, Jeanne Gayle, Charles LaVere, Dave Barbour, Dave Matthews,

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

, Maggie Jackson, Ella Mae Morse,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

, Freddie Slack,

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 1 ...

, Jerry Colonna,

Jesse Price Jesse Dashiell Price (August 15, 1863 – May 14, 1939) was a Congressman for the 1st congressional district of Maryland who served two full terms and one partial term from 1914 to 1919. Price was born in Whitehaven, Maryland, and engage ...

, Jo Stafford,

Joe "Fingers" Carr Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallic ...

, Johnny Standley,

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

Marvin Ash Marvin E. Ashbaugh (October 4, 1914 – August 21, 1974) was an American jazz pianist. Early life He was born in Lamar, Colorado. His father, Roy Ashbaugh, was a barber. His mother's name was Nora (Tuttle) Ashbaugh. He grew up in Junction Cit ...

, Nat King Cole, Paul Weston,

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

, Pete Kelly, Ray Anthony, Ray Turner, Red Nichols, Robert Mitchum, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Andrews Sisters, The Dinning Sisters, The Pied Pipers,

The Starlighters The Starlighters were an American singing group of the mid 20th century. The group was formed in 1946, the members being Pauline Byrns, Vince Degen, Tony Paris, Howard Hudson, and future star Andy Williams, all alumni of Six Hits and a Miss. Wi ...

, The Capitol Jazzmen, and Wingy Manone. Fatool was an important member of Buddy Cole and his Trio which worked with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

from 1954-1960. In the 1950s and 1960s, Fatool found much work on the Dixieland jazz revival circuit, playing with Pete Fountain from 1962–1965 and the Dukes of Dixieland. His only session as a bandleader was as the head of a septet in 1987, leading Eddie Miller, Johnny Mince, Ernie Carson, and others. Fatool died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 85.

Partial discography

As leader

* ''Nick Fatool's Jazz Band'' (1987)

As sideman

* ''For You, for Me, Forever'', Artie Shaw (

Musicraft Musicraft Records was a record company and label established in 1937 in New York City. Catalogue Musicraft's catalog encompassed many different musical styles, including classical music, folk, jazz, Latin, popular vocal, and calypso. Artists ...

, 1946) * ''Sweet and Hot'',

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

(

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

, 1953) * ''Jam Session: Coast to Coast'',

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of J ...

(1953) * ''Never Before...Never Again'',

Joe Venuti Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie L ...

(1954) * ''A Musical Autobiography'',

(Decca, 1954) * ''Irving Berlin's White Christmas'',

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

(

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, 1954) * ''Coast Concert'', Bobby Hackett ( Capitol, 1955) * ''Pete Kelly's Blues'', Ray Heindorf (1955) * ''Mellow Guitar'', George Van Eps (1956) * '' Hoagy Sings Carmichael'', Hoagy Carmichael (

Pacific Jazz Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

, 1956) * ''Casa Loma in Hi-Fi'', Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (Capitol, 1956) * ''Dream Street'',

(Decca, 1957) * ''And They Called It Dixieland'', Matty Matlock (1958) * ''Ragtime Classics'',

Wally Rose Wally Rose (October 2, 1913, Oakland, California – January 12, 1997, Walnut Creek, California) was an American jazz and ragtime pianist. Career Rose was a mainstay of the jazz scene in San Francisco during the 1940s and 1950s. He was the pianis ...

(1959) * ''South Rampart Street Parade'', Pete Fountain (

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

, 1963) * ''Standing Room Only'', Pete Fountain (

, 1965) * ''That Man, Robert Mitchum, Sings'', Robert Mitchum (1967) * ''Portrait of Eddie'', Eddie Miller (1971) * ''California Doings'', Dick Cary (Famous Door, 1981) * ''California Session'', Bud Freeman (1982) * ''The Banjo Kings'' (1986) * ''The Genius of the Electric Guitar'', Charlie Christian (1987) * ''Starring Fred Astaire'', Fred Astaire (Columbia, 1989) * ''On the Trail'',

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final ...

(1990) * ''1939–1940'',

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

(

Chronological Classics The Chronological Classics series consists of 965 jazz compact discs compiled by Gilles Pétard in France. Classics Records is a record company and label founded by Pétard in Paris in c. 1989. The company also reissued recording by Rhythm & blues ...

, 1991) * ''1938–1939'', Ziggy Elman (Chronological Classics 1996)

References

External links

*
Nick Fatool recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. * *
Nick Fatool Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1984)
Nick Fatool: The Perfect Jazz Percussionist
by Hal Smith {{DEFAULTSORT:Fatool, Nick American jazz drummers Jazz musicians from Massachusetts 1915 births 2000 deaths People from Millbury, Massachusetts 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians