Bill Catalano

William Catalano Jr. (July 9, 1934 – July 15, 2005) was an American jazz trumpet player who performed with Stan Kenton And His Orchestra in the late 1950s, appearing on at least 30 original recordings as well new compilations from Capitol, Omega, Playboy Records, and Verve. After returning to his hometown of San Francisco, he resumed playing the local scene as a side musician, bandleader, and musical contractor, hiring local musicians for numerous touring performers and shows. Alongside his performing career he was an educator for 41 years, teaching music to middle school and high school students in San Francisco. One of his best known private students was jazz trumpet player, Jon Faddis.

Early life Billy Catalano Jr. was born on July 9, 1934, in San Francisco, California.

Growing up part of a legendary musical family, Catalano was surrounded by extremely talented musicians. His uncles, Frankie, Johnny, and Leo Catalano, were multi-instrumentalists who could play any standard in any key. Along with his father, drummer Bill Catalano Sr., they would bring the young trumpet player to their gigs and challenge him to follow their lead in a constant trial by fire. By the age of 15, Catalano had already played hundreds of professional gigs, which ingrained a knowledge of the Great American Songbook that he would use in decades to follow.

After attending James Denman Middle School and Balboa High School in the late 1940s through early 1950s, Catalano attended and graduated from San Francisco State University. He was part of the first class that relocated the college's campus from its location at Buchanan and Haight streets to its current location near Lake Merced.

Trumpet playing and musical contracting In May 1957, Catalano joined Stan Kenton's band, playing in the trumpet section alongside Ed Leddy, Lee Katzman, Sam Noto, and Phil Gilbert.

As a youth, Catalano idolized Kenton and his trumpet players. Kenton had significant impact on Billy's life as a band leader and, later, teacher. "As a leader, Stan would really zero in on the young guys and lift them up constantly. For instance, he'd say to me, 'Billy, you're going to be my next Al Porcino. Now look at the back of that ballroom and just make noise!'" whom he met while teaching at Best Music in Oakland, California after his short tenure with Kenton.

Jon Faddis: "Well, Bill Catalano was very, very special, in that he exposed me to live jazz playing at a very young age. And at that time, this in the early sixties, you had to be 21 to go in a lot of the clubs. But, he would take me to rehearsal bands in San Francisco after my lesson. We would go over to San Francisco and they would have rehearsals, and they would play, you know, Billy Byers charts, and Frank Foster charts."

"He would just sit me in the section, I'd be sitting with my horn, and he'd say, 'Okay, now when this comes up, play these four bars.' And I'd just play the four bars and I'd play along just keep out of the way, but I was hearing these great players play in these big bands from an early age."

He returned in the late 1970s to his alma maters, Balboa and Denman, to direct the bands and rebuild the instrumental music program at both schools.

As part of media coverage for a donation of musical instruments to Denman by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area, Catalano was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The article became primarily focused on the "maestro of middle school": "Music doesn't come from the lips. Music comes from someplace else, someplace more truthful than most lips. 'Lips don't play anything,' said Bill Catalano, the maestro of middle school, laying down his baton to impart a great truth. 'You're the one that plays. Not the instrument, the lips, the mouth or the fingers. You.' He leaned forward and grabbed his gut. 'Play from here,' he said."

Retirement and cancer After four years of battling throat and lung cancer, he decided to retire from teaching in 2003. Despite the loss of a quarter of his lungs from surgery, Billy never stopped playing his trumpet daily. His dedication to music and playing his horn was evident up to two weeks before he passed on July 15, 2005.

Discography From Bill Catalano on Discogs Recording Label Year Stan Kenton - Rendezvous With Kenton Capitol Records 1958 Stan Kenton - Back To Balboa Capitol Records 1958 Virgil Gonsalves Big Band Plus Six* - Jazz At Monterey Omega Records 1959 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - The Stage Door Swings Capitol Records 1959 Two Shades Of Autumn - Various - The Playboy Jazz All-Stars, Volume 3 (3xLP, Comp) Playboy Records 1960 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - By Request - Volume I Creative World 1972 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - By Request - Volume VI Creative World 1973 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Kenton '56 - The Concepts Era Artistry Records 1983 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Return To Biloxi Magic 1989 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live in Biloxi Magic 1989 Stan Kenton - At The Rendezvous Vol I Status 1989 Stan Kenton - At The Rendezvous Vol II Status 1989 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - In A Mellow Mood Total Recording 1991 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live 1957-1959 Total Recording 1991 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume One Magic 1992 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume Two Magic 1992 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom Salt Lake City Utah 1957 Volume Three Magic 1992 Ann Richards With The Stan Kenton Orchestra* - I Hear Music - Recorded Live 1957-1958 Total Recording 1993 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Out Of Nowhere Four Star 1994 Stan Kenton - The Ballad Style Of Stan Kenton Capitol Jazz 1997 Kenton* - Kenton '58 Road Band! Astral Jazz 1997 Anita O'Day - The Complete Anita O'Day Verve/Clef Sessions Mosaic Records 1999 Kenton* - Odyssey 1951 -1968 Astral Jazz 2000 Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Verve Records 2003 Stan Kenton - 'Live' From Birdland Mr. Music 2008 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra With Ann Richards Plus The Four Freshmen - Road Shows Tantara 2013 Jerry Coker - Composes-Arranges-Plays Modern Music From Indiana University And The Bay Area 1955-1956 Fresh Sound Records 2016 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Artistry In Jazz Capitol Records Unknown Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Sings The Winners Verve Records Unknown