Joseph Lucian Roccisano (October 15, 1939 in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

– November 9, 1997) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist and arranger.

Career

Roccisano received his bachelor's degree in

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

from SUNY-Potsdam in 1963. In 1964 he played in the

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

orchestra under

Sam Donahue Samuel Koontz Donahue (March 18, 1918 – March 22, 1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, and musical arranger. He performed with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton. Biography Donahue ...

, then moved to Los Angeles, where he played with

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his ...

(1966–68),

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(1967-68),

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

Toshiko Akiyoshi is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, sh ...

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Don Menza Don Menza (born April 22, 1936) is an American jazz saxophonist. Career Menza was born in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, where he attended Grover Cleveland High School (Buffalo, New York), Grover Cleveland High School. After serving in the U.S. ...

, Bill Holman, and Don Rader. He assembled the 15-piece ensemble Rocbop in 1976 and played in

the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut is an American big band jazz ensemble, named after the 1977 album ''Juggernaut'' (Concord Jazz) by Frank Capp and Nat Pierce. The group was known equivalently as the Capp-Pierce Orchestra and the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut ...

in 1981. He later formed his own big band, the Joe Roccisano Orchestra, which released two albums during the 1990s. The musicians joining him in this band included

Bill Charlap William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap") is an American jazz pianist and educator. Early life and education Born in New York City, Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singe ...

, Bud Burridge, Jack Stuckey, Franck Amsallem, James E. Pugh, John Basile, Ken Hitchcock,

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, Matt Finders, Robert Millikan, Scott Lee, Terry Clarke,

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, and

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. Roccisano was an arranger for with Ellis, Bellson,

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

, and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

. He scored the tune "Green Earrings" on the 1978 Herman album ''Chick, Donald, Walter, and Woodrow'' and was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for the arrangement. He composed "Tenors of the Time", a tune recorded by

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and

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

Discography

As leader

* ''The Shape I'm In'' (Landmark, 1993) * '' Leave Your Mind Behind'' (Landmark, 1995) * ''Nonet'' (Double-Time, 1998)

As sideman

With

* ''Don't Stop Now'' (Bosco, 1984) * ''Louie Bellson and His Jazz Orchestra'' (MusicMasters, 1987) * ''Hot'' (MusicMasters, 1988) * ''East Side Suite'' (MusicMasters, 1989) * ''Airmail Special'' (MusicMasters, 1990) * ''Live from New York'' (Telarc, 1994) With

* ''Electric Bath'' (Columbia, 1967) * ''Live in 3 2-3/4 Time'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * ''Shock Treatment'' (Columbia, 1968) With others *

, ''Long Yellow Road'' (RCA, 1975) *

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons. As a songw ...

, ''Street Talk'' (Elektra, 1976) * The Capp-Pierce Orchestra, ''Juggernaut Strikes Again!'' (Concord Jazz, 1982) *

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

, ''Pastiche'' (Atlantic, 1978) *

Walter Murphy Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which topp ...

, ''Discosymphony'' (New York, 1979) * David Oliver, ''Rain Fire'' (Mercury, 1979) *

Harry Partch Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century com ...

, ''Delusion of the Fury'' (Innova/Sony, 1999) * Don Rader, ''Polluted Tears'' (DRM, 1973)

References

*"Joe Roccisano". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. *

Allmusic discography AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roccisano, Joe 1939 births 1997 deaths American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Landmark Records artists Muse Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut members Double-Time Records artists