Orlando DiGirolamo was an American jazz accordionist, pianist, composer, and teacher.
14 Facts About Orlando DiGirolamo
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Orlando DiGirolamo is sometimes credited as "Lanny DiJay" on jazz recordings.
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Orlando DiGirolamo's parents emigrated to the United States from the Abruzzo region of Italy, and settled in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, where Orlando DiGirolamo was born in 1924.
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Orlando DiGirolamo was writing original compositions by age 10, and joined the local orchestra at 14.
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Orlando DiGirolamo participated in the invasion at Normandy, fought at the Battle of the Bulge, earned five Battle Stars, and was awarded the Bronze Star for helping to save a companion platoon from enemy capture.
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Orlando DiGirolamo was a member of the Army jazz band, The Four Sharps.
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When Orlando DiGirolamo returned from Europe, he moved to New York City to attend New York University.
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In 1951, Orlando DiGirolamo transferred to the Juilliard School, and later to Columbia University, where he went on to receive a Master's degree, and a Doctorate in Musical Improvisation.
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Orlando DiGirolamo remained in France until 1946, performing live, and recording for the recently liberated Radio Monte Carlo.
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Orlando DiGirolamo performed throughout New York City, including gigs at historic venues The Hickory House, The Town Hall, Birdland, and The Blue Note.
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Orlando DiGirolamo was "fervently determined to show that the accordion needn't be a merely imitative instrument," and developed a unique style of playing.
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Orlando DiGirolamo was immortalized by American writer and jazz critic Harvey Pekar, in an illustrated piece on Teo Macero published in the Village Voice in 1994.
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Orlando DiGirolamo was the Band Director at Elmwood Park Memorial High School in the 1960s through 1977, and wrote the music for the school's alma mater.
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Orlando DiGirolamo died in an auto accident in New Jersey in 1998.