Tony Campise | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Anthony Sebastian Campise |
| Born | (1943-01-22)January 22, 1943 Houston, Texas |
| Origin | Houston, Texas |
| Died | March 7, 2010(2010-03-07) (aged 67) Austin, Texas |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Freelance jazz artist |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophones, flutes,clarinets, oboe (Multireedist) |
| Years active | 1965–2009 |
| Formerly of | Stan Kenton Orchestra,Danish Radio Big Band |
Anthony Sebastian Campise (January 22, 1943 – March 7, 2010)[1] was an Americanjazz musician. He primarily played tenor saxophone and flute though he was amultireedist who also usedclarinet andoboe. He was known for his exceptional technique and fluid style on all reed instruments; Campise is most recognized for his association with theStan Kenton Orchestra in the mid-1970s.
Campise was born and raised inHouston, Texas and early on had studied with Hal Tennyson at the age of 13 onalto sax andclarinet. He also studied with the famedWoody Herman jazz sidemanJerry Coker learning improvisation when he was 18, Campise also studied briefly withLee Konitz. He studied flute and oboe extensively with Byron and Barbara Hester in the 1960s; most notably he studied flute withJulius Baker in New York during the late 1960s in hopes of becoming aclassical flutist.
His formal musical education came in his college years while attendingSam Houston State University, theUniversity of Houston,Houston Baptist College, andMonterey Peninsula College during the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2]
Campise's saxophone style was eloquent, warm, and personal on ballads while muscular on up tempo jazz pieces (and sometimes quite frenetic);[3] he was a devotee of the "Texas Tenor" jazz styles ofArnett Cobb andIllinois Jacquet.[4][5] The more modern andavant-garde influence he demonstrates on the recordings withStan Kenton show how influenced he was by saxophonistEric Dolphy.[6] He was a native ofHouston, Texas and developed a musical style and career there[7] but eventually settled toAustin, Texas in 1984.
The influences Campise most closely attributed his own style to are jazz artistsCharlie Parker,John Coltrane,Lennie Tristano, andEric Dolphy.[2]
His first notable work as a saxophonist was inHouston working withDon Cannon (1962–65), Paul Schmitt (1967–71), the Gulf Coast Jazz Giants (1970–73) and working with the Houston Musical Theatre as awoodwind doubler for three seasons.[2]
In early 1974Stan Kenton's lead alto player John Park and altoist Jimmy Ford (who was fromHouston and had been withMaynard Ferguson's band) recommended Tony Campise toStan Kenton to take over for Park.[8] Starting in early 1974 Campise started on the road with theStan Kenton Orchestra in the lead alto saxophone chair and recorded as a featured soloist the on LPsStan Kenton Plays Chicago (1974), andFire, Fury & Fun (1975).[9] As noted by Stan Kenton, Campise was very popular with the public as a featured soloist during that time. Kenton himself is also quoted, "...Campise has such tremendous technique he can't help but use it. He would take a lot of wild chances and scare guys to death, the things he would get going on that horn."[3]Kenton bandmateDick Shearer probably best sums up Tony Campise's prowess as a world-class musician and jazz soloist, "Campise probably knew more about saxophone than anyone I've ever heard in my life. Technically he knew how to do everything, and he could change styles: if he wanted to sound likeJohnny Hodges orLee Konitz...he could do that very easily."[3]
Tony Campise performed in the jazz clubs in and around6th Street in Austin, and also backed artists such asFrank Sinatra,The Manhattan Transfer, andSarah Vaughan starting in 1984 where he finally settled. He recorded five albums in the 1990s; his 1991 albumOnce in a Blue Moon was nominated for aGrammy in the jazz category. During this time he was a featured artist at venues such as theNewport Jazz Festival[10]
Campise died after suffering abrain hemorrhage. He had never fully recovered from an October 2009 fall outside aCorpus Christi, Texas hotel, when he hit the back of his head.[1] The urn containing his remains is currently displayed in a prominent glass case at the top of the stage pillar inAustin's Elephant Room jazz club, where he frequently performed as a musician. Above the urn is painted in large black letters on white background: "THE REMAINS OF TONY CAMPISE", a play on one of his common self-introductions: "...and I am the remains of Tony Campise".[11]
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