Conte Candoli
Trumpet
About
Conte Candoli was a West Coast jazz trumpeter whose five-decade career spanned big bands, cool jazz combos, and two decades of nightly national television. He joined Woody Herman's First Herd at sixteen, later playing with Stan Kenton, Chubby Jackson, and Dizzy Gillespie before settling in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s. There he became a fixture of the West Coast scene as a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and a prolific session musician, recording with Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, and Shelly Manne. He performed in Supersax, the ensemble dedicated to harmonizing Charlie Parker's solos. From 1972 to 1992 he served as trumpet section leader in Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show Band, bringing his playing into millions of American households nightly. He and his brother Pete were jointly inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997.
Trivia
When sixteen-year-old Conte expressed concern about not being able to read music after joining Woody Herman's band, Herman told him, "I know that, kid, but I could care less. I want you with the band and you'll learn how to read in a few weeks." He appeared on approximately 770 recorded tracks across 123 albums. Of his Tonight Show years, he said the job "made me comfortable, so when I go out and play jazz, I'm in a good frame of mind. It gives me a sense of security, and that feels good."
Early Life
Born Secondo Candoli on July 12, 1927, in Mishawaka, Indiana, he grew up in a household filled with music — his father, an Italian immigrant factory worker, played brass and maintained instruments at home. His older brother Pete, born in 1923, became his primary musical model, having already established himself as a professional trumpeter with Tommy Dorsey and Les Brown. Conte began trumpet studies around age twelve, initially influenced by Harry James and Roy Eldridge before absorbing the bebop innovations of Dizzy Gillespie. In the summer of 1943, at just sixteen, Pete recommended him for a spot in Woody Herman's First Herd. Despite being unable to read music, he so impressed Herman with his solo on "Woodchoppers' Ball" that the bandleader hired him on the spot.
Conte Candoli Solos
1955
Trumpet solo - Bernie's Tune - 1955
4/4 swing in D minor at 238 BPM
Trumpet solo - I'll Remember April - 1955
4/4 latin in G major at 226 BPM
Trumpet solo - Neil's Blues - 1955
4/4 swing in F major at 141 BPM
Trumpet solo - The Champ - 1955
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 281 BPM
Trumpet solo - Chooch - 1955
4/4 latin in E♭ major at 193 BPM
Trumpet solo - Whippet - 1955
4/4 latin in A♭ major at 141 BPM
Trumpet solo - Milt's Tune - 1955
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 235 BPM