Frank Catalano

A versatile modern mainstream tenor-saxophonist, Frank Catalano has been a valuable and busy musician in the Chicago area throughout his career. He started out early, beginning on the saxophone when he was ten. When he was 17, he sat in with organist Charles Earland’s band at Andy’s Jazz Club, filling in for an absent saxophonist at the last moment. It was at that point in time that he became a professional musician. The following year Catalano toured with Santana. At 19, he signed with the Delmark label, recording Cut It Out with trumpeter Ira Sullivan as a sideman. Since then, Catalano (who studied at DePaul University) has worked with the late Barrett Deems’ big band, Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, Johnny “Hammond” Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Randy Brecker, Von Freeman (with whom he recorded in 2000), Arturo Sandoval, Tony Bennett, Tito Puente, David Sanborn, Betty Carter, John Medeski and DJ Logic plus his own quartet. In addition to being a session musician and working with John Burnett’s Orchestra and Lenny King’s Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Catalano is the Artist In Residence at College Of Lake County and has led several additional albums for Delmark. A powerful saxophonist who is becoming more significant each year, Frank Catalano has the potential to be a giant of Chicago jazz for many decades to come. And he is only 29.