NICHOLAS DENUCCI, 94, on Sept. 9 in Keene, New Hampshire. In his 20s, Nick DeNucci was the pianist for Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra where he was a bandmate of Bobby Hackett and Herb Ellis.
He claimed that in those days the band charts were written in pencil so changes could be made easily. In the 1950s, he was the featured pianist for the 36 hotels in the Sheraton chain. He gave drummer Joe Morello his first professional job and was Judy Garland’s accompanist when she worked the summer theater circuit. “You don’t just play the notes,” he was quoted as saying. “You play the song,” of which he had nearly 3,000 memorized.
Trumpeter James O’Donnell: The Motor City Jazz Maestro
Brian Sheridan
