Phil Urso
Phil Urso (2 October 1925, Jersey City, New Jersey — 7 April 2008, Denver, Colorado) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer known for his association with trumpeter Chet Baker. Urso learned clarinet as a child and switched to tenor sax while in high school. He served in the Navy during World War II and then moved to New York City in 1947. There he played with Elliot Lawrence (1948–50), Woody Herman (1950-51), Terry Gibbs, Miles Davis (1952), Oscar Pettiford (1953), Jimmy Dorsey, and Bob Brookmeyer (1954). In 1955, he first began working with Chet Baker, and was a prominent contributor to Baker's Pacific Jazz releases in 1956. Urso and Baker would collaborate sporadically for some 30 years. Urso worked with Claude Thornhill late in the 1950s, but receded from national attention in later decades. He moved to Denver and continued performing locally into the 2000s. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 2, 1925 (Jersey City), Died April 7, 2008 (Denver)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1950 - 1957
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 76449 | 6/7/1950 | Once in a while | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76450 | 6/7/1950 | Star dust | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76451 | 6/7/1950 | I've got a crush on you | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76452 | 6/7/1950 | I'm in the mood for love | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76453 | 6/7/1950 | Laura | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76454 | 6/7/1950 | Deep purple | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76455 | 6/7/1950 | East of the sun | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 76456 | 6/7/1950 | I can't get started | Elliot Lawrence Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 83154 | 7/11/1952 | T and S, part 1 | Terry Gibbs Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 83155 | 7/11/1952 | You don't know what love is-1 | Terry Gibbs Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 83156 | 7/11/1952 | T and S, part 2 (Three little words) | Terry Gibbs Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 83157 | 7/11/1952 | Flying home | Terry Gibbs Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 83458 | 9/30/1952 | T and s Jr. | Terry Gibbs Sextet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 84709 | 6/12/1953 | Big boat whistle | Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 84710 | 6/12/1953 | Cecilia | Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 84711 | 6/12/1953 | Eh làbas | Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 84712 | 6/12/1953 | Margie | Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
Decca | 101499 | 1/29/1957 | When did you leave heaven | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101500 | 1/29/1957 | Fools rush in | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101501 | 1/29/1957 | A sinner kissed an angel | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101502 | 1/29/1957 | I married an angel | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101503 | 1/29/1957 | You're a heavenly thing | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101504 | 1/29/1957 | Angel child | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101505 | 1/30/1957 | Angel | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101506 | 1/30/1957 | Angela mia | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101507 | 1/30/1957 | The prisoner's song | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101508 | 1/30/1957 | Goodnight angel | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101509 | 1/30/1957 | I'll string along with you | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone | |||
Decca | 101510 | 1/30/1957 | And the angels sing | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Urso, Phil," accessed November 3, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210394.
Urso, Phil. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210394.
"Urso, Phil." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Phil Urso
Discogs: Phil Urso
Allmusic: Phil Urso
Grove: Phil Urso
IMDb: Phil Urso
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Urso, Phil - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80097116
Wikidata: Phil Urso - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q354847
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/120071315
MusicBrainz: Phil Urso - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/385a094f-f4c5-4d61-bc69-23df4197aeb7
ISNI: 0000 0001 1557 6051 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000115576051
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