Carl Fontana Bringing His Big-Band Talent To Whitworth

Carl Fontana decided he’d had enough of the road one day in 1958 and got off the bus in Las Vegas, Nev.

“I was playing with Al Belleto on the road and we were at the old Stardust,” the noted trombonist said earlier this week in an interview in Las Vegas. “There were lots of show bands here, and I was tired of the road. I decided this was as good a place as any to stay.”

Fontana, who will appear with the Whitworth College Jazz Band Saturday night, had graduated from college into the last, great days of the big-band era. Before settling into Las Vegas, where he hoped to lead a normal life, he had played in the bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Louis Bellson, Lionel Hampton and Hal McIntyre.

He’s played in some exceptional ensembles, too, including the Kai Winding Septet and the World’s Greatest Jazz Band.

When he played the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho a few years ago, he proved he remains one of the most lyrical trombone players.

Dan Keberle, associate professor of music and director of jazz studies at Whitworth, says Fontana’s playing transcends technique.

“Carl Fontana is my favorite jazz trombonist because he not only possesses all the technical talent and ability, but he’s also the most melodic and musical trombonist around,” Keberle said.

These days, the Las Vegas show bands are mostly history, and Fontana plays the occasional small-group date and regularly backs Frank Sinatra Jr. when he plays Vegas.

Fontana also makes a practice of playing college dates, where he leads clinics and gives young students a taste of the past.

“This is a paradox, he said. “When I was going to college, they didn’t have these (student) stage bands, but there were 150 or 200 road bands to go out on the road with. Now, every college has a stage band and there are no road bands.”

Even the show bands are gone.

“In Las Vegas, there used to be a show band in every hotel. Now, there’s just one, and I think the people are missing out,” he said.

“Management seems to think they can do as well without live music - it’s all taped - but I think people know the difference.”

“It gives them a chance to play a part (in a larger ensemble), and to solo,” he said. “1And its good for jazz, because the other students and the parents come out to hear the bands.Saturday, Fontana will play a

selection of standards with the Whitworth group, including “Body and Soul, “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and the bebop classic “Cherokee.”

The Whitworth College Jazz Band is led by Keberle, who spent the spring semester in South Africa teaching jazz studies on a Fulbright Scholarship. He was recently named director of the Spokane Jazz Orchestra.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CARL FONTANA WITH THE WHITWORTH JAZZ BAND Location and time: Whitworth College Cowles Auditorium, Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $8 general admission