Alfred J. Gallodoro, (June 20, 1913 – October 4, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, who performed from the 1920s up until his death. He is notable for having played lead alto sax with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and bass clarinet for 12 years with the
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...
under
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
. Bandleader
Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peo ...
praised him as "the best sax player who ever lived."
Early years
Gallodoro was born to a
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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steelworker, but moved with his family to
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
when he was five years old. About the same time his father began teaching him clarinet on the "Albert Method". Devoting himself to practice, Gallodoro earned a spot with Romeo and His Juliets and made his first stage appearance at Birmingham's Lyric Theatre in 1926. The next summer he toured the
Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...
with Birmingham banjo player George Evans and decided to settle in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and worked in radio bands. In 1933 he briefly joined
Isham Jones
Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Career
Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jone ...
' big band, making one record session with it. In 1936 he was hired to play lead alto saxophone in
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...
's orchestra, among the most popular performing groups of the era. After that group disbanded in 1940 he was hired to play bass clarinet in the
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...
under
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
. Among his credits is the famed opening clarinet glissando from the 1945
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
film '' Rhapsody in Blue''. He claimed to have performed that particular piece over 10,000 times in his career, more than any other person.
Radio and Television
In 1947 Gallodoro's former bandleader invited him to join him as a live performer on New York's WJZ radio station. Gallodoro contributed countless saxophone solos to that station's programs over two decades and continued to do live radio work throughout his life. Known for effortlessly transitioning from classical to jazz idioms and for a clean and virtuosic style, Gallodoro was much in demand as a session recording artist. Composer Ferde Grofé tailored his ''Gallodoro’s Serenade for Saxophone and Piano'' for him in 1958, which he recorded in 2004 (Grofe and Gershwin: Symphonic Jazz). He performed on screen as a street musician in the 1974 film '' The Godfather, Part II.'' Al played the alto sax and clarinet with John Dertinger (John Anthony Orchestras) in private for hire gigs: weddings, engagement parties, and more during the 1970’s. Three piece, four piece, or five piece bands would entertain all who were there. Al also taught music at Nassau Community College in 1980 before moving upstate.
Teaching career
In 1981 Gallodoro moved to
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...
and began working as an instructor at
Hartwick College
Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the Seminary moved to expand into a ...
.Gallodoro profile at www.hartwick.edu His wife, Mary died in Oneonta in 1985. He continued to perform and record, often with pianist, manager and friend JoAnn Chmielowski. He issued several CDs of new and old recordings on his own Golden Rooster Records with the help of his producer and grandson, Kevin Wood. His final performance was on September 20, 2008 at the Corning Jazz and Harvest Festival in Corning, New York.
Discography
* ''an Al Gallodoro concert'' (c.1948) Manor Records album C-1 (9006-9008) 78rpm
* ''Alfred Gallodoro, Stuyvesant String Quartet–Brahms Quintet For Clarinet And Strings, Opus 115'' Concert Hall Society CHC 1004
* ''The Immortal Freddy Gardner And Al Gallodoro'' 1954 Columbia – CL 623 LP
* ''The Many Sides of Al Gallodoro'' (1998) Golden Rooster Records
* ''Out of Nowhere'' (1999) Basta Records
* ''Caffe Lena Live'' (2003) Golden Rooster Records
* ''Sarasota Saxes'' (2003) Golden Rooster Records
* ''Daybreak - Lyrical Jazz'' (2006) Golden Rooster Records/Chmusic Productions
* ''Infinite Gallodoro.'' (2006). Golden Rooster Records/Chmusic Productions
* ''Saxophone Contrasts, For your listening pleasure'' (2006) Golden Rooster Records/Chmusic Productions
* ''Grofe and Gershwin: Symphonic Jazz'' (2006) Harmonia Mundi
* ''A Moment in Time, Birmingham Live, 1969" (2008) Golden Rooster Records/Chmusic Productions
* ''Gershwin By Grofe'' (2010) Harmonia Mundi
* ''Gallodoro'' Al Gallodoro, unidentified assisting artists (ca. 1960) Merri 5901 (LP)
* ''Saxophone Contrasts'' Al Gallodoro and his orchestra (1951) Columbia CL 6188 (10" LP)