Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of the Wrecking Crew.[1]

Frank Capp
Birth nameFrancis Cappuccio
Born(1931-08-20)August 20, 1931
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 2017(2017-09-12) (aged 86)
Studio City, California, U.S.
GenresJazz, rock
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Drums, percussion, vibraphone

Biography

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Capp was born Francis Cappuccio[2] in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.[3] He began playing with Stan Kenton in early 1952 and remained with Kenton until the end of that year.[3] He then joined Neal Hefti's group.[3] He often accompanied Peggy Lee on her road dates and subsequently went to Los Angeles where he joined Billy May,[3] and recorded with The Wrecking Crew. He played with Ella Fitzgerald, Harry James, Charlie Barnet, Stan Getz, Art Pepper, and Dave Pell.[3] He recorded often with André Previn's trio (1957–1964), and also made records with Benny Goodman (1958), Terry Gibbs, and Turk Murphy.[3]

Capp worked steadily on television shows and in the film studios in the 1960s. He spent more than 13 years as drummer for the David Rose Orchestra on The Red Skelton Show.[4] Starting in the 1970s, he recorded extensively in a variety of settings for Concord. Together with Nat Pierce he founded the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut big band in 1975.[5]

In his later years, he resided with his partner Lori Singman in Studio City, California, and performed every Tuesday at Las Hadas Restaurant in Northridge, California, accompanied by his fellow jazz colleagues.[6] In 2016, Capp wrote and published his autobiography Drumming Up Business: My Life in Music.[7]

Frank Capp died in September 2017 in Studio City, at the age of 86.[1]

Selected discography

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As leader

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With Nat Pierce

  • Frank Capp & Nat Pierce: Juggernaut (Concord Jazz, 1976)
  • The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: Live at the Century Plaza with Joe Williams (Concord Jazz, 1978)
  • The Frank Capp-Nat Pierce Orchestra: Juggernaut Strikes Again! with Ernie Andrews (Concord Jazz, 1982)
  • The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: Live at the Alley Cat with Ernestine Anderson (Concord Jazz, 1987)

With The Frank Capp Juggernaut

  • In a Hefti Bag (Concord Jazz, 1995)
  • Play It Again Sam (Concord Jazz, 1997)

As sideman

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With The Beach Boys

With Michael Bublé

With Cher

With Stan Kenton

With André Previn

With Bud Shank

With Frank Sinatra

With Sonny & Cher

With others

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Frank W. Capp's Obituary". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. ^ Williamson, Chet. "Frank Capp - Biography". Jazz History Database. Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 409. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ "Frank Capp". NAMM Oral History.
  5. ^ Thompson, Woody (1994). "Frank Capp: A Biography". No. November. Modern Drummer Magazine.
  6. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Frank Capp Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. ^ Capp, Frankie (2016). Drumming Up Business: My Life in Music. Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1478780083.

References

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