Do you know who Adrian Rollini was?

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:09 PM

an all but forgotten multi instrumentalist that came up in the early days of jazz w/ Bix, Eddie Lang etc. and played piano, drums, vibes, chimes, etc equally well and according to his brother, tenor saxophonist Arthur, supposedly mastered the ultra cumbersome/difficult to play bass sax in just weeks.
he was a child prodigy and gave a 15 minute recital @ the Waldorf Astoria in NY @ 4 yrs of age and was equally at home playing classical or jazz.

my first exposure to jazz in high school in the 70s was Lang/Venuti and Django/Grappelli, but I gravitated more towards Eddie and Joe and Rollini was on many of their recordings in the 20s. he was a fascinating character who met a mysterious death @ 52, some say as a result of mercury poisoning in a hospital following an auto accident, another report says a mob hit as a result of debt. he had retired from performing in the early 50s and was running hotels in Florida.
I found his last record years ago in my record store hunting days, a 12" on Mercury leading his own trio and it's a superb recording. no personnel listed but I believe it's Frank Victor on guitar, a member of his working trio.

I don't expect this post to get much attention but he deserves more recognition imo, I'll post a few videos to give you an idea....

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:13 PM

the first few video shorts are from circa '48 w/his trio w/ Allen Hanlon on guitar [I believe our own Stringswinger studied w/ Hanlon] his 4 mallet technique was very modern/innovative for the time and has drawn praise from vibes players through the years.
ps for guitar gear heads like me, that's an ultra rare asymetrical headstock Epiphone Deluxe in blonde, when was the last time you saw one of those??

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:13 PM

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:15 PM

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:18 PM

w/ Frank Victor, guitar

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 01:24 PM

on bass sax

**Irishmuso** · 09-07-2023, 04:27 PM

And of course the great, perhaps only, virtuoso of the 'hot fountain pen'

It's true!

**wintermoon** · 09-07-2023, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by Irishmuso

And of course the great, perhaps only, virtuoso of the 'hot fountain pen'

It's true!

don't forget the goofus!

**sgcim** · 09-07-2023, 05:15 PM

Fascinating dude! His name was always mentioned in the resume`s of guitarists back then.
His band was one of those groups that always offered a gig for guitarists needing gigs in between hipper jobs. I think Dick Garcia played with him for a while, as well as other boppers on the East Coast.

Gary Burton was always touted as the first four mallet player, but there were obviously other guys who had mastered that technique.

I found a great guitar player who only made one album named Dempsey Wright who had Bill Holman write the arrangements, and West Coast guys like Richie Kamuka, Stan Levy and Victor Feldman on the LP.

I remember seeing it in the Jazz Record Center for over $100! It was made in 1958, and he only made one other record in 1974 that's impossible to find.

He did some good sideman work in Harry Babasin's Jazz Pickers group, which also featured another excellent player named Don Overberg, and the tragic Bill Dillard, who died when he was 21 in a fire started when he fell asleep smoking a cigarette in bed.

Wright played with Harry James great band in the 60s, but other than that one record in 1974, Strings Euphoria, there's nothing on him from him until his death in 2001 in Arizona.

**wintermoon** · 09-08-2023, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by sgcim

Fascinating dude! His name was always mentioned in the resume`s of guitarists back then.
His band was one of those groups that always offered a gig for guitarists needing gigs in between hipper jobs. I think Dick Garcia played with him for a while, as well as other boppers on the East Coast.

Gary Burton was always touted as the first four mallet player, but there were obviously other guys who had mastered that technique.

I found a great guitar player who only made one album named Dempsey Wright who had Bill Holman write the arrangements, and West Coast guys like Richie Kamuka, Stan Levy and Victor Feldman on the LP.

I remember seeing it in the Jazz Record Center for over $100! It was made in 1958, and he only made one other record in 1974 that's impossible to find.

He did some good sideman work in Harry Babasin's Jazz Pickers group, which also featured another excellent player named Don Overberg, and the tragic Bill Dillard, who died when he was 21 in a fire started when he fell asleep smoking a cigarette in bed.

Wright played with Harry James great band in the 60s, but other than that one record in 1974, Strings Euphoria, there's nothing on him from him until his death in 2001 in Arizona.

I know that Wright album but don't have it, just the Jazzpickers lps he appears on. I see it's been reissued on cd and lp though.
A few Babasin/ Wright videos...

**sgcim** · 09-10-2023, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by wintermoon

I know that Wright album but don't have it, just the Jazzpickers lps he appears on. I see it's been reissued on cd and lp though.
A few Babasin/ Wright videos...

Yeah, I checked out all those Jazzpickers albums he was on, and enjoyed his playing, and the arrangements featuring guitar and cello.
They differed from the Chico Hamilton group in the way that Babasin mainly played pizzicato, and Fred Katz mainly played arco.
I like the blend between guitar and pizz cello more than the arco cello, because the pizz isn't as overpowering as the arco was.

Dempsey put out one more album called "String Euphoria" before he disappeared for good, but that album hasn't been reissued on CD, and I doubt it ever will.
The Birds are slaughtering NE already, and it's still in the first quarter! It looks like it's gonna be another one of those years...