Name Arthur Rollini | ||
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Books Thirty Years with the Big Bands | ||
Arthur Francis Rollini (born February 13, 1912 in New York City; † December 30, 1993 in Florida) was an American jazz musician (tenor saxophone and clarinet). His nickname was "Schneeze".
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Early life
Rollini came from an Italian descent musical family and grew up in Larchmont, New York. Multi-instrumentalist Adrian Rollini was his older brother.
Career
In 1929 he played in England for Fred Elizalde and worked for the California Ramblers and Paul Whiteman.
From 1934 to 1939 he was a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The highlight of that period was a performance at Carnegie Hall in 1938. He worked with Richard Himber and from 1941-1942 with Will Bradley. From 1943 to 1958 he worked as a studio musician for the American Broadcasting Company.
His work can be found on recordings with the bands of Wingy Manone, Adrian Rollini (1933–34), Benny Goodman, Joe Venuti (1935), Lionel Hampton (1937), Harry James (1938), Louis Armstrong (1945) and Brad Gowans (1946). In 1939, he starred in an Allstar band of Goodman, Bunny Berigan and Jack Teagarden with ("Blue Lu").
In 1987, he published his autobiography Thirty Years With the Big Bands.
Personal life
Rollini met Ena Kelsall, daughter of actor and entertainer Greg Kelsey, in 1932. They married on November 25, 1935. They had a daughter Adrienne in 1938 and a son Arthur Jnr. in 1941.