Al Porcino (May 14, 1925 – December 31, 2013) was a well-respected American lead trumpeter able to hit high notes during his prime with a strong tone and has the distinction of having played first trumpet in nearly every major big band of the '40s, 50s, '60s and '70s
Porcino was born in New York, United States and grew up in Brooklyn and Weehawken, New Jersey. He originally wanted to follow in the footsteps of his idols Shelly Manne and Tiny Kahr and become a drummer, but his father’s job in the post Office didn’t pay enough to buy him any. So he started on a $12 trumpet which he played in the Wurlitzer Music High School marching band. Porcino stated in an interview with Marc Myers in 2011 that he was colorblind, so although he was drafted, he was never inducted into the military hence in 1943 he began playing with Louis Prima at the age of 18.
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| Porcino, Charles Collins & Louis Prima '43 |
After Prima, Porcino played with the big bands of Georgie Auld, Louis Prima, Jerry Wald, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Chubby Jackson. He is probably best-known for his association with Woody Herman (1946, 1949-1950, and 1954), but he also played with Stan Kenton on two occasions (1947-1948 and 1954-1955). In addition, in the '50s, Porcino worked with Pete Rugolo, Elliot Lawrence, and Charlie Barnet, among others. In 1951, he was the first white musician to play in Count Basie's orchestra.
Here’s “Day In Day Out” from above CD.
Following his move to Los Angeles in 1957, he co-led a band with Med Flory and played lead with the Terry Gibbs Dream Band during 1959 - 1962. He was frequently employed for the sound tracks of motion pictures and toured with singers including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Judy Garland. He also recorded with the Bill Holman band and with Count Basie. Most significantly he was with Buddy Rich (1968), the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra (1969-1970), and back with Herman (1972). He led his own big band in the mid-'70s who recorded behind Mel Torme, in addition to their own work.
In 1977, after a tour of Europe the Mel Lewis / Thad Jones Orchestra, he lived in Germany and made Munich his adopted home. His know-how, steeled by decades of practice and experience, his uncompromising swing, his tastefull trumpet style, his incorruptible timing and, last but not least, the collection of his 100 best big band arrangements had a significant influence on the German jazz scene. So it happened that almost every big band musician in Germany was directly or indirectly his student.
Porcino led an orchestra date for Jazz Mark in New York (1986) and his big band accompanied Al Cohn on one of the tenor's final recordings (1987). Although Porcino rarely soloed throughout the years, his sound and wide range added excitement to many big bands. Porcino led a big which performed regularly until shortly before his death after suffering a fall at his home in Munich on December 31, 2013. He was 88.
(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic Arts journal & alporcino.com)