Tony Inzalaco has had a great life. He has been able to spend his life doing what he passionately loves , playing Jazz music. He was born in Passaic New Jersey to loving parents, Antonio and Lucy, who made many sacrifices in order that he might develop his gift and pursue his dream. When he was very young his parents realized that Tony had great energy and was always tapping out rhythms with his hands and feet. So they decided to channel his energy in a positive way. For his 8th birthday they bought him a pair of drum sticks and a practice pad, and shortly thereafter, he began taking drum lessons at a music store in a neighboring town. At the age of ten he and his father joined the " Saint Anthony's Fife and Drum Corps " in Paterson, New Jersey where he learned to play the basic drum rudiments. About a year later he found an excellent teacher ( Charles Mutter ) who was the principal percussionist in the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Mutter taught him how to read music and refine his rudiments and at certain times would let Tony sit with him during orchestra rehearsals so he could experience what it was like to play in a Symphony Orchestra. Tony was twelve years old when he heard two records that changed his life; the first was " Mahogany Hall Stomp " by Louis Armstrong; the second was " Disc Jockey Jump " by Gene Krupa. At that point he fell in love with jazz music and has pursued this love up til the present day. While still in the seventh grade he was recruited to play drums in the Clifton High School marching band and later, when in High School he was chosen for the New Jersey All- State Band and All- State Orchestra in his junior and senior year. During this period he was also playing in a six piece jazz band that played for dances and parties at the local Elk"s and Moose clubs. Seven months after graduating from High school Tony enrolled at "The Manhattan School of Music " in New York, from which he earned a B.A. in Percussion and an M.A. in Music Ed. While attending the school he began playing in many of the New York clubs In his final year at school he was assigned to practice teach at a Junior High for his graduate degree. The band instructor that Tony was assigned to, who was a trumpet player, realized that Tony was the drummer he had seen that weekend , playing in Birdland. He was very excited and told the class about it before he introduced me to the students. In that same time frame Tony had already been working with many of the great jazz musicians in New York and New Jersey; these included Billy Taylor, Ben Webster, Roger Kellaway, Charlie Shavers, Marian Mc Partland, Slam Stewart, Duke Jordan, Roland Hanna, Johnny Smith, Jim Hall, Al Haig, Art Farmer, Sal Salvador, Pee Wee Russell, Johnny Coles, Jaki Byard, Jimmy Rushing, and Zoot Sims.
Performances of Special Interest
1. Performed at the Guggenheim Museum, New York with Paul Price and the Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble.
2. Has played in Carnegie Hall with Maynard Ferguson.
3. Has played in the Apollo Theater several times with Maynard Ferguson.
4. Has played at the New York World's Fair (1964) with Maynard Ferguson.
5. Has played at Jackie Robinson's estate (NY) with Maynard Ferguson.
6. Has played at the 1972 Summer Olympics (Munich) All-star jazz group.
7. Has played most of the major jazz clubs in NY hundreds of times between 1958 and 1968) Birdland, ( Maynard Ferguson, Sal Salvadore, Johnny Smith ) Half-Note, ( Duke Pearson - Donald Byrd Big Band, Art Farmer Quartet ) Village Vanguard, (Chris Conner) Village Gate, (Maynard Ferguson Sextet) Metropole Café, (Maynard Ferguson Orch ) The Prelude, (Billy Taylor ) Basin Street East, (Maynard Ferguson Orch ) The Open Door ( Duke Jordan, Slam Stewart, ) The Cork and Bib, (Chet Baker, Maynard Ferguson Orch.) Tony can be viewed on a DVD with the Ben Webster, Oscar Peterson quartet.
Television broadcasts with:
1. Charles Asnavour
2. Maynard Ferguson
3. Chris Connor
4. Clark Terry
5. Caterina Valente
6. Nancy Wilson
7. Shirley Bassey
8. Nana Mouscouri
9. "Toots" Thielemans
10. Oscar Peterson/ Ben Webster
Tony has also played in most of the world's premier jazz festivals in the U.S. and Europe, with Maynard Ferguson, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Johnny
Griffin, Dakota Staton, Jimmy Woode, Benny Bailey, Nathan Davis, Leo Wright . He also played percussion on two of Kenny Clarke's recordings and
did clinics with Kenny for the Zildjian Co. He also has the distinction of being one of a handful of drummers to have worked for Buddy Rich. Tony is
also listed in two Jazz Encyclopedias, " The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz"
and "Jazz in the Seventies". As you can see by his credits, Tony has been a part of the history of this great and purely American Art Form, " Jazz".
Published Works
Tony has been a member of GEMA (a European equivalent of ASCAP)as a composer since 1969. In 2005 he established a publishing company, Tea Eye Music, in order to protect his original compositions and joined ASCAP as a composer and music publisher. He also joined GEMA as time. He has produced two CD's of his own music, for and with, his quintet ( Real Life- Real Live volume one and two ). He also produced a CD for his wife Vicki an extraordinary musician, pianist and singer ( It's About Time ). Tony's compositions registered with ASCAP and GEMA are as follows; Terra Samba, Atlantis, Beyond, One Step Closer, The Beacon, Having Heard Heard, Blues for Klook, Moon Spider, Search for the Lost Continent, Put Up or Shut Up, Thank You Griff, Shadow Boxing Baby, A Samba for Mamma, A Father's Love, You'll Know Just How I Feel, Not Just another Pretty Face, Wrinkles, Dex's Dilema, A Ballad for Benny, Veronica's Walk, Quadruple Bypass, The Cloud Dancers, Check Please, If You're Hot You're Hot If You're Not You're Not, Not Your Mother's Samba, Praise You Jesus. Tony also has numerous Scat Singing Improvisations on Major and Minor Blues and Rhythm Changes registered with ASCAP.
Performance Experience
1958-1968 Free Lance Jazz Drummer, New York Performed with Billy Taylor, Johnny Smith, Jim Hall, Chris Connor, Roger Kellaway, Morgana King, Ben Webster, Lee Konitz, Earl Warren, Al Haig, Art Farmer, Mike Abene, John Bunch, Jaki Bayard, Chick Correa, Hal Galper, Roland Hanna, Duke Jordan, Marian Mc Partland
Morris Nanton, Walter Norris, Chet Baker, Donald Byrd, Duke Pearson, Johnny Coles, Maynard Ferguson, Carmell Jones, Renault Jones, Chuck Mangione, Jimmy Mc Partland, Jimmy Owens, Charlie Shavers, Joe Farrell, Sal Nistico, Arnett Cobb, Sam Rivers, Seldon Powell, Zoot Sims, Lew Tabackin, Harold Vick, Phil Woods, Ronnie Cuber, Gil Melle, Bob Cranshaw, Buddy Catlet, Richard Davis, Eddie Gomez, Wendell Marshall, Ron McClure, Jimmy Rowser, Slam Stewart, Steve Swallow, Whitey Mitchell, Terri Thornton, Shiela Jordan, Jackie Paris, Irene Reid, Jimmy Rushing, Sal Salvador, Attila Zoller, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Charles, Garnet Brown, Tom McIntosh, Grachan Moncur, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Daniels, Buddy Rich, Matt Mathews, Butch Cornell, Larry Young Jr., Bu Pleasant, Hubert Laws, Benny Powell, Randy Brecker, Luis Gasca, Richard Williams, Frank Foster, Gene Taylor, Aaron Bell, Patty Bown.
1962- 1966 Drummer for the Maynard Ferguson Orch. and Sextet.
1966- 1967 Personal Drummer for Bobby Darin
1968- 1970 Staff Drummer for West German Radio and T.V. Broadcasting Network, Cologne, West Germany. International Jazz Orch. Kurt Edalhagen, Director
1970- 1971 House Recording Drummer for Polydor Records Cologne, W. Germany
1972- 1978 Free Lance Jazz Drummer in Europe Benny Bailey, Harry "Sweets Edison, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Carmell Jones, Dizzy Reese, Idrees Sulieman, Clark Terry, Don Byas, George Coleman, Nathan Davis, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster, George Coleman, Herb Geller, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods, Leo Wright, Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab, Francy Boland, Dollar Brand, Joe Albany, Kenny Drew, Friedrich Gulda, Horace Parlan, Fritz Pauer, Oscar Peterson, Cedar Walton, Tete
Montoliu, Mal Waldron, Ron Carter, Clint Houston, Reggie Johnson, Sam Jones, Wilbur Little, Niels H.O. Pedersen, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Dakota Staton, Nancy Wilson, Barney Kessel, Urbie Green, Slide Hampton, Frank Rosolino, Tony Scott, Kenny Clarke, Toots, Thielmans, Sabu Martinez, Dusko Gojkovic, Dave Pike, Rolf Ericson.
1978-Present Free Lance Jazz Drummer: New York, Boston, Los Angeles. Performances with Al Cohn, Donald Byrd, Tal Farlow, Art Farmer, Sam Jones, Cedar Walton, Dakota Staton, Scott Hamilton, Ruby Braff, Johnny Griffin, Gene Bertoncini, Jimmy Cleveland, Rolf Ericson, Don Menza, Billy Mitchell, Joe Romano, LaMont Johnson, Frank de la Rosa, Larry Gales, John Heard, Andy McGhee, Red Calender.
Tony has performed for the last 10 years in the southern California area with his own quintet which plays music that he has composed . Throughout this period Tony was an endorsee for the Zildjian cymbal company, the Slingerland drum company and Latin Percussion company. In 1986 Tony, Mel Lewis and Elvin Jones were instrumental in helping Armand Zildjian develop a new line of "K" Zildjians by each bringing two of their cymbals to the company to analyze and use for prototypes for the new line of K Zildjian cymbals.
Performances of Special Interest
1. Performed at the Guggenheim Museum, New York with Paul Price and the Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble.
2. Has played in Carnegie Hall with Maynard Ferguson.
3. Has played in the Apollo Theater several times with Maynard Ferguson.
4. Has played at the New York World's Fair (1964) with Maynard Ferguson.
5. Has played at Jackie Robinson's estate (NY) with Maynard Ferguson.
6. Has played at the 1972 Summer Olympics (Munich) All-star jazz group.
7. Has played most of the major jazz clubs in NY hundreds of times between 1958 and 1968) Birdland, ( Maynard Ferguson, Sal Salvadore, Johnny Smith ) Half-Note, ( Duke Pearson - Donald Byrd Big Band, Art Farmer Quartet ) Village Vanguard, (Chris Conner) Village Gate, (Maynard Ferguson Sextet) Metropole Café, (Maynard Ferguson Orch ) The Prelude, (Billy Taylor ) Basin Street East, (Maynard Ferguson Orch ) The Open Door ( Duke Jordan, Slam Stewart, ) The Cork and Bib, (Chet Baker, Maynard Ferguson Orch.) Tony can be viewed on a DVD with the Ben Webster, Oscar Peterson quartet.
Television broadcasts with:
1. Charles Asnavour
2. Maynard Ferguson
3. Chris Connor
4. Clark Terry
5. Caterina Valente
6. Nancy Wilson
7. Shirley Bassey
8. Nana Mouscouri
9. "Toots" Thielemans
10. Oscar Peterson/ Ben Webster
Tony has also played in most of the world's premier jazz festivals in the U.S. and Europe, with Maynard Ferguson, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Johnny
Griffin, Dakota Staton, Jimmy Woode, Benny Bailey, Nathan Davis, Leo Wright . He also played percussion on two of Kenny Clarke's recordings and
did clinics with Kenny for the Zildjian Co. He also has the distinction of being one of a handful of drummers to have worked for Buddy Rich. Tony is
also listed in two Jazz Encyclopedias, " The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz"
and "Jazz in the Seventies". As you can see by his credits, Tony has been a part of the history of this great and purely American Art Form, " Jazz".
Published Works
Tony has been a member of GEMA (a European equivalent of ASCAP)as a composer since 1969. In 2005 he established a publishing company, Tea Eye Music, in order to protect his original compositions and joined ASCAP as a composer and music publisher. He also joined GEMA as time. He has produced two CD's of his own music, for and with, his quintet ( Real Life- Real Live volume one and two ). He also produced a CD for his wife Vicki an extraordinary musician, pianist and singer ( It's About Time ). Tony's compositions registered with ASCAP and GEMA are as follows; Terra Samba, Atlantis, Beyond, One Step Closer, The Beacon, Having Heard Heard, Blues for Klook, Moon Spider, Search for the Lost Continent, Put Up or Shut Up, Thank You Griff, Shadow Boxing Baby, A Samba for Mamma, A Father's Love, You'll Know Just How I Feel, Not Just another Pretty Face, Wrinkles, Dex's Dilema, A Ballad for Benny, Veronica's Walk, Quadruple Bypass, The Cloud Dancers, Check Please, If You're Hot You're Hot If You're Not You're Not, Not Your Mother's Samba, Praise You Jesus. Tony also has numerous Scat Singing Improvisations on Major and Minor Blues and Rhythm Changes registered with ASCAP.
Performance Experience
1958-1968 Free Lance Jazz Drummer, New York Performed with Billy Taylor, Johnny Smith, Jim Hall, Chris Connor, Roger Kellaway, Morgana King, Ben Webster, Lee Konitz, Earl Warren, Al Haig, Art Farmer, Mike Abene, John Bunch, Jaki Bayard, Chick Correa, Hal Galper, Roland Hanna, Duke Jordan, Marian Mc Partland
Morris Nanton, Walter Norris, Chet Baker, Donald Byrd, Duke Pearson, Johnny Coles, Maynard Ferguson, Carmell Jones, Renault Jones, Chuck Mangione, Jimmy Mc Partland, Jimmy Owens, Charlie Shavers, Joe Farrell, Sal Nistico, Arnett Cobb, Sam Rivers, Seldon Powell, Zoot Sims, Lew Tabackin, Harold Vick, Phil Woods, Ronnie Cuber, Gil Melle, Bob Cranshaw, Buddy Catlet, Richard Davis, Eddie Gomez, Wendell Marshall, Ron McClure, Jimmy Rowser, Slam Stewart, Steve Swallow, Whitey Mitchell, Terri Thornton, Shiela Jordan, Jackie Paris, Irene Reid, Jimmy Rushing, Sal Salvador, Attila Zoller, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Charles, Garnet Brown, Tom McIntosh, Grachan Moncur, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Daniels, Buddy Rich, Matt Mathews, Butch Cornell, Larry Young Jr., Bu Pleasant, Hubert Laws, Benny Powell, Randy Brecker, Luis Gasca, Richard Williams, Frank Foster, Gene Taylor, Aaron Bell, Patty Bown.
1962- 1966 Drummer for the Maynard Ferguson Orch. and Sextet.
1966- 1967 Personal Drummer for Bobby Darin
1968- 1970 Staff Drummer for West German Radio and T.V. Broadcasting Network, Cologne, West Germany. International Jazz Orch. Kurt Edalhagen, Director
1970- 1971 House Recording Drummer for Polydor Records Cologne, W. Germany
1972- 1978 Free Lance Jazz Drummer in Europe Benny Bailey, Harry "Sweets Edison, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Carmell Jones, Dizzy Reese, Idrees Sulieman, Clark Terry, Don Byas, George Coleman, Nathan Davis, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster, George Coleman, Herb Geller, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods, Leo Wright, Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab, Francy Boland, Dollar Brand, Joe Albany, Kenny Drew, Friedrich Gulda, Horace Parlan, Fritz Pauer, Oscar Peterson, Cedar Walton, Tete
Montoliu, Mal Waldron, Ron Carter, Clint Houston, Reggie Johnson, Sam Jones, Wilbur Little, Niels H.O. Pedersen, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Dakota Staton, Nancy Wilson, Barney Kessel, Urbie Green, Slide Hampton, Frank Rosolino, Tony Scott, Kenny Clarke, Toots, Thielmans, Sabu Martinez, Dusko Gojkovic, Dave Pike, Rolf Ericson.
1978-Present Free Lance Jazz Drummer: New York, Boston, Los Angeles. Performances with Al Cohn, Donald Byrd, Tal Farlow, Art Farmer, Sam Jones, Cedar Walton, Dakota Staton, Scott Hamilton, Ruby Braff, Johnny Griffin, Gene Bertoncini, Jimmy Cleveland, Rolf Ericson, Don Menza, Billy Mitchell, Joe Romano, LaMont Johnson, Frank de la Rosa, Larry Gales, John Heard, Andy McGhee, Red Calender.
Tony has performed for the last 10 years in the southern California area with his own quintet which plays music that he has composed . Throughout this period Tony was an endorsee for the Zildjian cymbal company, the Slingerland drum company and Latin Percussion company. In 1986 Tony, Mel Lewis and Elvin Jones were instrumental in helping Armand Zildjian develop a new line of "K" Zildjians by each bringing two of their cymbals to the company to analyze and use for prototypes for the new line of K Zildjian cymbals.
