Frank Isola
Frank Isola (February 20, 1925 – December 12, 2004 in Detroit, Michigan) was an American jazz drummer. Isola was born and raised in Detroit and was heavily influenced by Gene Krupa. He played in the U.S. military during World War II (1943–45), and then studied and performed in California with Bobby Sherwood and Earle Spencer. He then moved to New York City, where he played with Johnny Bothwell and Elliot Lawrence in 1947. Following this he played with Stan Getz (1951–53) and Gerry Mulligan (1953–54), as well as with Mose Allison, Eddie Bert, Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Raney, Johnny Williams and Tony Fruscella. In a 2010 JazzWax interview by Marc Myers with Mose Allison quoted in the 2016 liner notes for the CD reissue of the Stan Getz The Soft Swing album by Phono, Allison credits Isola with introducing him to Getz in 1956:
By the late 1950s Isola returned to Detroit and kept working periodically with local bands or in jam sessions but well out of the spotlight. Isola was also active in the Cass Corridor area of Detroit in the 1970s playing jazz standards with pianist Bobby McDonald and others at Cobb's Corner Bar. He worked as a drummer briefly at Captain Hornblower's in Key West, Florida, in the late 1980s with pianist Johnny Williams. In 1993 he was playing weekly at Tom's Steamer's Bar in Grosse Pointe MI. In 1994 and 1995 Isola played at The Windsor (Ontario) Jazz Festival, backing Franz Jackson and Marcus Belgrave. The 1994 concert was released on Parkwood Records as Live at Windsor Jazz Festival III with Jackson and Belgrave as co-leaders. |
= 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Signature | SRC 319 | 10-in. | 1946 | [Unknown title(s)] | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 320 | 10-in. | 1946 | Ain't nowhere-1 | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 321 | 10-in. | 1946 | I'll close my eyes | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 322 | 10-in. | 1946 | I won't promise | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 342 | 10-in. | 1947 | Gonna get a pin up girl | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 343 | 10-in. | 1947 | Dog patch boogie | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Signature | SRC 344 | 10-in. | 1947 | Everything I have is yours | Johnny Bothwell Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Isola, Frank," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/322658.
Isola, Frank. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/322658.
"Isola, Frank." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Isola, Frank - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92016184
Wikidata: Frank Isola - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q359783
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/51875521
MusicBrainz: Frank Isola - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f67c6953-bca4-409a-bc3c-912484bd72ae
ISNI: 0000 0000 5514 474X - http://www.isni.org/isni/000000005514474X
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