[Dixielandjazz] Tony Parenti

[Steve Barbone]

Dan Hardie - darnhard at ozemail.com.au wrote: (polite snip)
> Incidentally, was clarinettist Tony Parenti a Cajun? I always thought his tone
> on record  leant towards the European Italian School.

I don't think he was a Cajun. He was born in New Orleans a year before Louis
Armstrong. Met him in the 1950s. He made a record back then with a pal of
mine, trumpeter Jack Fine (who now lives in Gretna LA) Parenti told me his
father had been a musician in the Italian Army before coming to the USA. No
doubt that, and some cross pollination with Scaglione and Cordilla accounts
for some of the "Italian School" you hear in Parenti's playing.

Parenti even played with Dizzy Gillespie. Funny story about that band. It
was at the Metropole Cafe in NYC and the front line of the regular band was
Charlie Shavers, Big Chief Russell Moore and Parenti. Shavers got a high
paying gig offer one night so he sent in a sub, Dizzy. By all accounts, both
Moore and Parenti got a huge kick out of playing with Dizzy and Dizzy had an
absolute blast playing "Dixieland" with them.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone