Jump to content

Richie Kamuca

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richie Kamuca
Background information
Birth nameRichard Kamuca
Born(1930-07-23)July 23, 1930
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 1977(1977-07-22) (aged 46)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz, West Coast jazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTenor saxophone
Years active1950s–1970s
LabelsAtlantic, Impulse!, Contemporary, Pacific Jazz
Formerly ofBill Perkins, Art Pepper, Bill Holman, Conte Candoli, Shelly Manne
Ritchie Kamuca with Shelly Manne

Richard "Richie" Kamuca[1] (July 23, 1930 – July 22, 1977)[2] was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Musical career

[edit]

Kamuca was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States,[2] and, like many players associated with West Coast jazz, grew up in the East before moving West around the time that bebop changed the prevailing style of jazz. His early playing, in what is generally considered the Lester Young style, was done on tour with the big bands of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman,[2] where he became a member of the later line-ups of Herman's Four Brothers saxophone section with Al Cohn and Bill Perkins.[3]

Kamuca stayed on the West Coast, playing with the smaller groups of Chet Baker, Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, and others.[2] He was one of the Lighthouse All-Stars in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with Perkins, Art Pepper, Jimmy Rowles, Cy Touff and many others in those years, as well as leading recording sessions in his own right.[2]

Kamuca was a member of the group Shelly Manne and His Men from 1959 through 1962, when he returned East and settled in New York.[2] Here he worked with Gerry Mulligan, Gary McFarland, and Roy Eldridge, before returning to the West Coast in 1972, where he recorded in the studios and performed with local groups.

Less well known to the general public than saxophonists like Stan Getz, who played in a similar Lester Young-derived style, Kamuca died of cancer, in Los Angeles, California, just before his 47th birthday.[4]

Selected discography

[edit]

As leader/co-leader

[edit]
Year recorded Title Label Year released Personnel/Notes
1955 The Brothers! – with Al Cohn and Bill Perkins RCA Victor 1956 Septet, with Cohn, Kamuca, Perkins (tenor sax), Hank Jones (piano), Barry Galbraith (guitar), John Beal (bass), Chuck Flores (drums)[5]
1956 Tenors Head-On – with Bill Perkins Liberty 1957 Quintet, with Kamuca, Perkins (tenor sax), Pete Jolly (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Stan Levey (drums)[6]
1957 Richie Kamuca Quartet Mode 1957 Quartet, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Stan Levey (drums)[6]
1957 Jazz Erotica – with Bill Holman HiFi 1957 Octet, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Holman (baritone sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Conte Candoli, Ed Leddy (trumpet), Vince Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums); reissued as West Coast Jazz in Hifi (Contemporary, 1959)[7]
1965–66 Comin' Home Baby – with Roy Eldridge Pumpkin Productions 1978 Quintet, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Eldridge (trumpet), Dick Katz (piano), Don Moore or Tommy Potter (bass), Eddie Locke (drums)[8]
1970 Back to the Ballroom: Live at Donte's – 1970 – with Buddy Tate SS Jazz 2009 Quintet, with Kamuca, Tate (tenor sax), Mundell Lowe (guitar), Monty Budwig (bass), Chuck Flores (drums)[6]
1974 Live at Donte's – with Lee Konitz Cellar Door 2010 Quintet, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Konitz (alto sax), Dolo Coker (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Jake Hanna (drums)[6]
1976 Richard Kamuca Quartet 1976 Jazzz 1976 Quartet, with Kamuca (tenor sax, vocal), Mundell Lowe (guitar), Monty Budwig (bass), Nick Ceroli (drums); reissued as Richie (Concord Jazz, 1977)[6]
1977 Drop Me Off in Harlem Concord Jazz 1977 Duo, with Kamuca (tenor sax, vocal), Dave Frishberg (piano); trio, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass)[6]
1977 Richie Kamuca's Charlie Concord Jazz 1979 Quintet, with Kamuca (tenor sax), Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Jimmy Rowles (piano), Ray Brown (bass), Donald Bailey (drums)[6]

As sideman

[edit]

With Manny Albam

  • The Jazz Greats of Our Time, Vol. 2 (Coral 1957)

With Chet Baker and Bud Shank

With Chet Baker and Art Pepper

  • The Route (Pacific Jazz 1956)

With Herb Ellis and Jimmy Giuffre

With Maynard Ferguson

  • Live at Peacock Lane 1956–1957 (Live in Los Angeles, with Kamuca in the band; Fresh Sound CD apparently unreleased on LP in lieu of Birdland recordings of 1957.)

With Terry Gibbs

  • The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band – reissued as Dream Band, Vol. 4: Main Stem (Contemporary, 1961)
  • Explosion! (Verve 1961, Contemporary, 1987 as Dream Band vol 5)

With Woody Herman

  • Big New Herd At The Monterey Jazz Festival (Atlantic, 1959)

With Stan Kenton

With Gary McFarland

With Herbie Mann

With Shelly Manne

With the Modern Jazz Quartet

With Mark Murphy

With Anita O'Day

With Shorty Rogers

With Frank Rosolino

  • Frank Rosolino Quintet (Mode 1957)

With Zoot Sims

With Cy Touff

  • His Octet & Quintet (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Richie Kamuca Discography Project". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 236/7. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  3. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Richie Kamuca Biography by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Richie Kamuca - tenor saxophone - (1930 - 1977)". Musicians.allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Al Cohn Discography". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Richie Kamuca Discography". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  7. ^ Dryden, Ken. "Jazz Erotica". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  8. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Comin' Home Baby". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Richie Kamuca (1930–1977)". imdb.com. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Richie_Kamuca&oldid=1274412992"