Tutti's Trumpets and Tutti's Trombones: remembered with great affection

The big-band arranger and trumpeter Tutti Camarata died in Burbank, California on 13th April 2005; he was 91.

Camarata was born on 11th May 1913 at Glen Ridge, New Jersey, to parents of Sicilian origin. He studied the violin from the age of 11 and the trumpet from 14, winning a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, then studied composition at Columbia University. He joined Charlie Barnet's band, aged 21, as trumpeter and staff arranger, later going on to work as arranger for Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman, Jimmy Dorsey (where he was instrumental in some major hits), the Casa Loma Orchestra and Benny Goodman.

After war service in the US Army Air Force, Camarata arranged and conducted a series of recording sessions for Billie Holiday including tunes such as Loverman, That Ole Devil Called Love and Don't Explain. In 1945 went to London to work and amongst other things set up London Records, an American Decca subsidiary devoted to British artists. This new label had considerable success with artists such as Vera Lynn, Ted Heath and Mantovani and went on to be the label of, amongst others, the Rolling Stones.

Back in the USA, Camarata set up Decca's resident big band The Commanders, and during the 1950s was musical director for television specials by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Vic Damone.

From 1958 Camarata was musical director of Disneyland Records which he co-founded, producing about 300 discs in 16 years. His "easy listening" albums, "Tutti's Trumpets" and "Tutti's Trombones", are remembered with great affection by many brass players. "Tutti's Trumpets" , first issued in 1957, featured players among the top Hollywood recording stars at that time: Pete Condoli, Conrad Gozzo, ‘Shorty’ Sherock, Mannie Klein, Joe Triscari, and Uan Rasey. The disc includes the famous “Trumpeter’s Prayer” which was written for and played by Conrad Gozzo. It is still available now, with the two "Tutti's Trumpets" and "Tutti's Trombones" LPs combined into one CD.

Camarata continued to work on classical recordings into the mid-1990s, and to run his own recording studio, Sunset Sounds, eventually turning over its control to his son, Paul, who still heads the studio today. Dorene, his wife of 67 years, died in 2004.

More Tutti Camarata obituaries:
New York Times - requires free registration
Daily Telegraph (London)
Memory Lane

Update 27th September - added CD cover