Conrad Joseph Gozzo was an American trumpet player.
16 Facts About Conrad Gozzo
1.
2.
Conrad Gozzo was a member of the NBC Hollywood staff orchestra at the time of his death.
3.
Conrad Gozzo's father played trumpet, and Gozzo began learning the instrument around the age of 5.
4.
Conrad Gozzo played in his junior and senior high school bands, but left school in 1938 or 1939 at the recommendation of Isham Jones to join bandleader and clarinetist Tommy Reynolds in Boston, Massachusetts.
5.
Conrad Gozzo was quickly noted for his exceptional technical ability and style.
6.
Conrad Gozzo played under Reynolds for nine months, leaving to play with Red Norvo in November 1939; he played under Norvo until February 1941, but with a brief interlude playing with trumpeter Johnnie Davis.
7.
Conrad Gozzo had a brief tenure with the orchestra of Bob Chester, with whom he first recorded; then performed and recorded with Claude Thornhill's band.
8.
Conrad Gozzo briefly worked with Benny Goodman, then enlisted in the US Navy in mid-November 1942, where clarinetist Artie Shaw had formed a band, the Rangers No 501.
9.
Conrad Gozzo briefly rejoined Goodman along with fellow trumpet players from Shaw's band.
10.
Conrad Gozzo played first trumpet on all of the recordings of composer Henry Mancini.
11.
Conrad Gozzo performed on many major live television shows broadcast on the NBC network, including the Dinah Shore Show.
12.
Conrad Gozzo performed on motion picture soundtracks including The Glenn Miller Story, The Benny Goodman Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Call Me Madam, Ben-Hur and Cleopatra.
13.
Conrad Gozzo played on the Ella Fitzgerald two-record set on Verve, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook.
14.
Conrad Gozzo's nicknames were "Goz" and "Gopher", due to his resemblance to a gopher when viewed from the front while he was playing.
15.
Conrad Gozzo was considered by his colleagues as being an exceptionally strong trumpeter with a well-developed range and tonal quality.
16.
Conrad Gozzo died on October 8,1964, of liver disease at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.