CHARLIE VENTURA PLAYS FOR THE PEOPLE - Craftsmen C 8039

Charlie Ventura (Venturo) was born in 1916, one of 13 children from a musical family. He went on to become a jazz legend and was named "Number One Tenor Saxophonist" by DownBeat Magazine in 1945. After graduating from South Philadelphia High School in 1935 he spent much of his spare time jamming with jazz men at various Philadelphia clubs. In 1942 Charlie was working at the Philadelphia Navel Yard when he received a call to join the Gene Krupa band. Soon he was on the road as a featured soloist, along with trumpet star, Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O'Day. Ventura was one of the first jazz musicians to make the transition from swing to be-bop. In 1946, he formed his own "Bop For The People" band, playing a commercially-oriented form of be-bop. Continuing to play with The Gene Krupa Trio, he cut Dark Eyes, which led to over a dozen released albums, including Charlie Ventura With Special Guest Charlie Parker(1949), Bop For The People(1949-53) and Charlie Ventura And His Orchestra(1954-55).

Many fans will remember the succession of great jazz groups, fronted by Charlie, that appeared at The Open House nightclub he owned in Lindenwold, New jersey. Playing Las Vegas with Jackie Gleason, and Atlantic City, New York and Philadelphia, Charlie Ventura was the consummate jazzman. "Jazz is maturing and maturity carries responsibilities. I feel that I'm supposed to make people laugh, make them cry, make them day dream and give them some excitement," Charlie explained. His lifetime of musical achievement ended in January, 1992, but his legacy to the world of jazz lives on.



This album was released on the low budget Craftsmen Label in 1960 and features Charlie on alto, tenor, baritone and bass saxophones. The other musicians are uncredited.

1. Bill Bailey
2. Dark Eyes
3. Exactly Like You
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. I've Got You Under My Skin
7. Stardust
8. Sweet Lorraine
9. When the Saints Go Marching   
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