Early Years

When I was very young, I did a lot of television. A famous swing era bass player, Chubby Jackson, had a show called “The Little Rascals.” He featured a big band on that show and played music while also showing the Little Rascals TV episodes, if you remember those. I was 11 years old when I appeared on there with a quintet.

Chubby had a son, Duffy, who became a great drummer and played with Count Basie, etc., and we started a band together and appeared on the Garry Moore “I’ve Got A Secret Show”.

Later When I was 13 years Old I appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. A lot of Celebrities came through that show like Frank Sinatra, Gladys Knight , Ann Margaret , Teresa Brewer etc. My dad was making a trumpet mouthpiece for Maynard Ferguson at the time and he saw the show I did and asked my dad if he could take out on the road as his protege which my dad politely turned him down.

Also my parents had a jazz club at this time and got to play with some of the greatest jazz musicians at 13 years old my college. Tommy Flanagan, Bobby Timmons , Booker Ervin, Ray Bryant , Sonny Clarke , Horace Parlin , Osie Johnson etc. This picture has Bobby Timmons on piano and Booker Ervin on my right.

In 1960 when i was 12 years old a friend of my dads Russ Martino in front conducting the band asked him if he would allow me to join his high school jazz band which was in a different town than I lived and play lead trumpet and all the jazz. I never played in a jazz big band before let alone lead trumpet but my dad said o.k. and drove me to the rehearsals and we ended up winning a spot as one of the first amateur bands to do the Atlantic City Jazz Festival performing on the same bill as Dinah Washington , Gerry Mulligan , Oscar Peterson Trio and Art Blakey who had Wayne Shorter with him at the time. Picture below of the band and wonderful tenor saxophonist and dear friend Rod Blumenau taking a solo here. Here is a track from that big band with me playing lead trumpet and jazz.

I Found A New Baby

Also during that period in 1964 we did a Christmas album when a quintet was formed. Pianist Stu Hemingway a student of Bill Evans at the time organized the session with my friend and great saxophone player Rod Blumenau second from the front and trombonist Dave Barnaby leading the sled here. My dad always told me from an early age if you are going to play trumpet you have to the lead and i guess i took him seriously as you can see from the photo !! A piece of trivia we recorded this at Nola Penthouse in NYC one of the finest studios in NY and 22 years later I did my Christmas Album in the same studio.

Greensleeves

When I was about 16 years old I got a local gig at an Italian restaurant “Defemios” in Yonkers NY the owner Al Defemio was a drummer and I actually turned it into an official jazz club. I brought in some really great players from NY. This blues track with me playing tenor saxophone I had Norman Simmons on piano and Jamil Nasser on bass.

Blues

White Christmas

A Little Later Before I moved to Manhattan I got another gig in a restaurant called The White Elephant in Rye N.Y. I brought in some great players like Duke Jorden , Bill Crow and Don Friedman. I had matured myself and was getting into Clifford Brown and Miles Davis. Here is a track from the gig.

Oleo

Also may dad was a great musician , conductor and arranger for many bands including the ground breaking Claude Thornhill band where he arranged with Gil Evans. He did the arrangement on “Autumn Nocturne” which was on the flip side of the Claudes theme song Snowfall.

Above Is The Claude Thornhill Orchestra Arrangement By My Dad Frank Zottola.

Early Years

Glenn Zottola’s Early Years

My First Jazz Quintet