{"id":5356,"date":"2014-01-03T22:44:50","date_gmt":"2014-01-04T06:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/?p=5356"},"modified":"2014-01-04T23:01:22","modified_gmt":"2014-01-05T07:01:22","slug":"farewell-al-porcino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/2014\/01\/farewell-al-porcino\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell, Al Porcino"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Porcino<\/a>Al Porcino, a powerful lead trumpeter for several big bands, died on New Years Eve. He was 88. His wife said that he succumbed to complications following a fall in his house in Munich. Porcino had lived in Germany since the late 1970s, frequently augmenting American bands touring in Europe, as well as leading his own large ensemble. <\/p>\n

After debuting in 1943 with Louis Prima when he was 18, Porcino played with swing bands led by Tommy Dorsey, Georgie Auld and Gene Krupa. He made the transition into the bebop era with Woody Herman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s First Herd and went on to work with Stan Kenton and Chubby Jackson. Porcino rejoined Herman and Kenton in the 1950s. Following his move to Los Angeles in 1957, he co-led a band with Med Flory and played lead with\"Porcino<\/a> Terry Gibbs. He was frequently employed for the sound tracks of motion pictures and toured with singers including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Mel Torm\u00c3\u00a9 and Judy Garland. He also recorded with the Bill Holman band and with Count Basie. <\/p>\n

In the late \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc60s and early \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc70s, Porcino had extensive stints with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis. From Danish television, we see and hear him playing lead in Jones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Central Park North.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Solos are by Jones, flugelhorn; Snooky Young, trumpet; Jerome Richardson, soprano sax; Lewis, drums. <\/p>\n

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