Al Viola

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Alfred Viola


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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name =
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Born = birth date|1919|6|16|mf=y
Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Died = death date and age|2007|2|21|1919|6|16|mf=y
Studio City, Los Angeles, United States
Origin =
Instrument = Guitar
Genre = Jazz
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1940s–1980s
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Associated_acts = Frank Sinatra, Frankie Ortega, Carl Tandberg, Bobby Troup, Ray Anthony, Harry James, Buddy Collette, Stan Kenton, Gerald Wilson, Terry Gibbs
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Alfred Viola (June 16, 1919 – February 21, 2007) was an American jazz guitarist who worked with Frank Sinatra for 25 years and also played the mandolin on the soundtrack of the movie "The Godfather".cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Al Viola, Guitarist Who Worked With Frank Sinatra for 25 Years, Dies at 87. |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/nyregion/25viola.html?scp=1&sq=%22Al+Viola%22&st=nyt |quote=Al Viola, a guitarist who worked with Frank Sinatra for 25 years and also played the mandolin on the 'Godfather' soundtrack, died on Wednesday at his home in Studio City. He was 87. |publisher=Associated Press in The New York Times |date=February 25, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-24 ]

Biography

Viola grew up in an Italian family in Brooklyn, and learned to play guitar as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army during World War II from 1942 to 1945, and played in a jazz band there. After he was discharged in 1946, he and Page Cavanaugh, whom he had met while serving, joined bassist Lloyd Pratt in a trio. The ensemble recorded for several films, including "A Song Is Born", and played with Frank Sinatra for a few dates in 1946 and 1947. Viola continued to work with Sinatra regularly, accompanying him on several hundreds of studio recordings and concert dates between 1956 and 1980.

Viola found much work as a session musician in Los Angeles, performing for film, television, and commercial spot. His mandolin playing can be heard in the soundtrack to "The Godfather"; other credits include "West Side Story" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". He continued playing jazz as well, playing with Bobby Troup, Ray Anthony, Harry James, Buddy Collette, Stan Kenton, Gerald Wilson, and Terry Gibbs; alongside this, he worked as a session musician on over 500 albums, including releases by Jimmy Witherspoon, Helen Humes, June Christy, Natalie Cole, Neil Diamond, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Steve Lawrence, Julie London, Anita O'Day, Linda Ronstadt and Joe Williams.

Viola and Cavanaugh reunited in the 1980s with Phil Mallory, continuing to play regularly in the Los Angeles area until the late 1990s. In 2005, he collaborated with Judy Chamberlain on a "Jazz Salute to Frank Sinatra" in Hollywood.

Viola died of cancer in 2007 at age 88. In his "New York Times" obituary, Chamberlain is quoted as saying, "he was a chameleon and could play in any style — that was his great talent." She added, "he was a flawless player. You could barely see his hands move, he was so smooth and quick with his fingers."

olo discography

* "Solo Guitar" (Mode, 1957)
* "Guitar Lament" (World Pacific, 1961)
* "Guitars" (Liberty)
* "Guitars Volume 2" (Liberty)
* "Imagination" (Liberty)
* "Alone Again" (Legend, 1973)
* "Salutations For Frank Sinatra" (Legend, 1974)
* "Mellow As A Cello" (Starline, 1994)
* "The Memory Of All That: The Chairman's Board Salutes Sinatra" (Avanti, 1998)
* "Stringin'The Blues" (Jazzology, recorded at the jazz festival in Ascona 2002)

References

External links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifuxq85ldfe~T1 Al Viola] at Allmusic