Artt Frank
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Artt Frank (March 9, 1933 – November 27, 2024) was an American jazz drummer specializing in the bebop, hard bop, and cool jazz styles. He is best known for having toured with trumpet player
Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...
during much of his career.


Life and career

Frank was born in Westbrook, Maine, and was one of seven children. He took up the drums in 1939 after hearing jazz musicians such as drummer
Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...
and saxophone player
Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...
on the radio, learning to play solely by ear. According to drummer
Stan Levey Adolph Stanley Levey known professionally as Stan Levey (April 5, 1926 – April 19, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. He was known for working with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the early development of bebop during the 1940s, and in ...
, Frank first arrived on the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
bebop scene in 1948. Musicians Frank played with during this time include Parker,
Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...
,
Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...
, and
Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...
. Frank served on the '' USS Des Moines'' during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, but he continued to listen to jazz recordings on the radio. He first heard a recording of trumpeter Chet Baker in 1953, and first met Baker later that year at Storyville, a jazz club in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Frank later moved to California and continued to pursue his career as a drummer. According to some accounts, he rediscovered Baker at a gas station in 1967, where the trumpet player was working after having lost his teeth and consequently his ability to play the instrument. Another account indicates Frank passed Donte's, a jazz club where Baker was playing, on the way to a gig. Frank worked extensively with Baker until he died in 1988, and two albums came out of live performances: ''Burnin' at Backstreet'' (1980) and ''Live at the Renaissance II'' (1984). Frank was known for playing "brushes at stick level and sticks at brush level," which suited Baker's playing style. Frank played with
Sal Nistico Salvatore Nistico (April 2, 1940 – March 3, 1991) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Associated for many years with Woody Herman's Herd, Nistico played in the group from 1962 to 1965, considered one of Herman's best bands, with ...
,
Lorne Lofsky Lorne Lofsky (born May 10, 1954) is a Canadian jazz guitarist. Considered a virtuoso guitarist, Lofsky is known for his collaborations with Oscar Peterson, Ed Bickert, and Kirk MacDonald. Early life and education Lofsky was born in Toronto i ...
, Chris Connors, Drew Salperto, and
Michael Formanek Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958) is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California, United States, and associated with the jazz scene in New York. Career In the 1980s, Formanek worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Hender ...
on these live albums with Baker. After Baker's death in 1988, Frank wrote and published a biography of Baker titled ''Chet Baker: The Missing Years'', which was notable for its "conversational narrative" and extensive knowledge of previously unknown details about Baker. The book focuses on Baker's comeback from 1967–1971 and the later years the two toured and recorded two live albums during the 1980s. Frank recorded several albums as joint leader with trumpet player Pat Morrissey, saxophone player Ken Barry, pianist Chris Clarke, and bassist
Phil Bowler Phillip Charles Bowler (born March 2, 1948, New York City) is an American jazz double-bassist and radio Host (radio), host. Career Bowler attended the University of Hartford, where he received a bachelor's degree in music in 1972. He played wit ...
starting in the 1990s. In the year 2000, he played a concert series at The Aldrich with this quintet. Frank was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2010. Frank died on November 27, 2024, at the age of 91.


Discography


As leader

* ''Looking for the Light: Tribute to Chet Baker'' (1992) * ''Waltz for
Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...
'' (MJA, 1997) * ''Souvenir'' (MJA, 1999) * ''That Trio Thing'' (MJA, 2003) * ''Artt Frank Presents Chris Clarke'' (MJA, 2015)


As sideman


With Chet Baker

* ''Burnin' at Backstreet'' (1991) * ''Live at the Renaissance II'' (1992)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Artt 1933 births 2024 deaths American jazz drummers Bebop drummers Hard bop drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Drummers from Maine