Richie Kamuca, born July 23, 1930 and died July 22, 1977 in Philadelphia. Kamuca, like many West Coast players, grew up in the East and moved west when bebop became the dominant style of jazz. His first playing was in the Lester Young style. He played on tour with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. Kamuca also joined the line-ups of Herman’s Four Brothers saxophone section, which included Al Cohn, Bill Perkins, and Bill Perkins. Kamuca spent the rest of his life on the West Coast, playing with smaller groups like Chet Baker and Maynard Ferguson. In 1957 and 1958, he was one of the Lighthouse All-Stars. He recorded with Perkins and Art Pepper, Jimmy Rowles and Cy Touff, among others, and also led recording sessions. Kamuca was part of “Shelly Manne and His Men”, which he joined in 1959 and 1962 when he moved from New York. He worked in New York with Gerry Mulligan and Gary McFarland before moving to the West Coast in 1972. There, he recorded in the studios, and performed with local bands. Kamuca’s inventive and passionate playing was more well-known than other saxophonists like Stan Getz. Richie Kamuca, who was 47 years old, died from cancer in Los Angeles just before his 47th birthday. From Wikipedia
