Home » Jazz Musicians » Glenn " Big Lou" Tocci
Glenn " Big Lou" Tocci
Glenn ("Big Lou") Tocci has been playing guitar for over 35 yrs. growing up in Miami /Ft Laud FL he studied music at Miami Dade Jr. College and The University of Miami. In addition, he took private lessons under highly esteemed teachers such as Dr. Vincent Bredice, Jazz Guitar genius Joe Dioro, Mike Gillis & others.. He spent over 12 yrs performing on the road & locally as a duo, trio, quartet/quintet & up, playing the hotel/supper club & nightclub/ lounge circuit (everything from "dumps to palaces") , as well as writing & recording radio jingles for various south Florida ad agencies in the late 70' & mid 80's creating spots for everything from car dealers to beer commercials. Glenn also tried his hand at pop songwriting having had several tunes published, and demos cut in Nashville, Miami & Chicago. No hits "but that's life"...
In the late 70's he was doing some studio work at TK records & went on tour with TK Records recording artist George "Rock Your Baby" McRae. Glenn has also done several club dates over the years as a guitarist doing sideman work behind notable singers such as Jazz Vocalist Dana Paul, TV & recording artists such as John Davidson, Tony Martin, Jack Jones etc.. After taking a hiatus in the mid 80's-mid 90's to raise a family & then start a trucking related business , His music was restricted to serving in various Music Ministry's. Then in 2003 , Glenn & family moved to NE GA, where he started to "woodshed" & really work on his "chops" again & started playing local gigs as The "Northside Jazz Trio" playing swing tunes, standards, bossa, samba, bop, contemporary smooth jazz & even singing' a few tunes.
Now after 27 years "Big Lou" is reunited again with old south Florida pal Dave "Zibby" Zibman to form "The FlyCats" Trio & featuring "The DR" Kurtis Adams Phd. on some gigs blowin' some fine sax as a quartet .
Glenn regards himself as an "in the pocket player" influenced by Jazz greats such as Joe Pass, Jimmy Bruno, Pat Martino, George Benson, Howard Roberts, J. Diorio, & old friend, saxophone legend Nick Ayoub (listed in encyclopedia of Jazz, now gone home to be with the Lord). But at age 50, he felt it was time to play what he always wanted to, and loved to play... ''classic, straight ahead jazz...but never forgetting where the music comes from...GOD...
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Yuchtet’s Debut Album 'Earworm' Is A Modern Big Band Jazz Statement Worth Hearing

Source:
Chris Bush
Brooklyn-based composer, drummer, and bandleader Leo Yucht released earworm, the debut album from his jazz group YUCHTET. The six-track, 45-minute record is now available for streaming everywhere and on limited edition translucent blue swirl vinyl pressed by PMP in Nashville, TN. Blending influences from classic big band jazz to modern trap, earworm invites listeners on imaginative journeys across time and genre – evoking a jazzy, cool ride around New York City in Citi Bike Anthem" or a frantic cannon battle ...
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Elio Villafranca Big Band Tres Aguas At Dizzy's Club on March 7, 8, 9, 2025

Source:
Scott Thompson Public Relations
Elio Villafranca's latest outstanding project is entitled Tres Aguas. This exciting performance will be held at Dizzy's Club on March 7, 8, 9 with sets at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Commissioned by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Tres Aguas is an exhilarating celebration of rhythm and movement. Drawing from flamenco, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian, jazz, and New Orleans traditions, this suite brings together vibrant musical styles from across the Americas, the Afro-Diaspora, and Spain. Through the universal language of ...
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Glenn Miller: Holiday Season Radio Broadcasts

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
There's something about Glenn Miller's holiday broadcasts that seem timeless. Miller, of course, fronted two bands: His stateside orchestra from 1938 to early fall 1942 and then his Army Air Force Band from the late fall of 1942 to December 1944, when he perished over the English Channel flying from London to Paris. The latter band was more romantic and swinging, to keep nostalgia strong and spirits high. Both bands were oddly calming and comforting. Here's the stateside Glenn Miller ...
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Lou Donaldson (1926-2024)

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Lou Donaldson, a Charlie Parker-influenced alto saxophonist who played major roles in the invention of two major jazz movements and bridged the gap between jazz, soul and what he called swinging bebop," died on November 9. He was 98. In 1952, Lou led a Blue Note recording that became one of the earliest hard bop sessions. The date included trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Art Blakey. Seven months later he recorded with trumpeter Clifford ...
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Trumpeter/Producer Volker Goetze Teams With Accordion Legend Guy Klucevsek On Quartet Debut: Little Big Top

Source:
GoMedia PR
Echoes of the ballroom, barroom, bordello, circus, concert hall, and jazz club intermingle with folk traditions from around the world to create a new hybrid form. Step right up! Step right in… to Little Big Top, the charming debut album from a new quartet led by accordion legend Guy Klucevsek (kloo-SEH-vik) with visionary trumpeter Volker Goetze. This fine compendium of engaging Klucevsek creations that were written over two decades is produced by Goetze, arranged by Klucevsek, and is filled with ...
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New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra, Ken Schaphorst Big Band At Regattabar In Cambridge on November 6, 2024

Source:
Ann Braithwaite
The 17-member NEC Jazz Orchestra makes an off-campus appearance on Wednesday, November 6 at the Charles Hotel’s Regattabar (1 Bennett St., Cambridge). The orchestra is the opening act for the Ken Schaphorst Big Band, the 17-piece ensemble of acclaimed composer, performer and Jazz Studies Co-Chair Schaphorst. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $20-$30. For information visit regattabarjazz.com. The NEC Jazz Orchestra performance celebrates the 150th birthday of revered composer Charles Ives by performing Schaphorst’s new arrangements of some of ...
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Lou Gramm: His Journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Scott Gudell
Let's rewind to early spring 2024, just before the much anticipated Lou Gramm and his All-Star Band concert was about to begin. They were in Gramm's hometown of Rochester, New York preparing to present the very first show of his 2024 tour. The faithful had journeyed from the comfort of their homes to share a communal experience with a few thousand other dedicated fans of one of rock's elite singers whose resume stretches back decades. As for the musicians accompanying ...
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Glenn Miller: Chesterfield Broadcasts, 1940-42

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
If you want to know what America's home front felt like during World War II, listen to Glenn Miller. I know that's an odd thing to say, but that's what an old timer told me one afternoon when my parents had a party at our house. I had mentioned my interest in the big bands, and that's what he said. It wasn't until several years later, in the late 1960s, when I was buying RCA double albums of the major ...
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Danilo Pérez & Bohusl?n Big Band Collaborate On The New Album 'Lumen' - Releases October 25, 2024

Source:
Vivo Musique Internationale
Danilo Pérez and Swedish jazz orchestra, Bohuslan Big Band collaborate on the new album Lumen, where Pan-American rhythms meet the Nordic big band sound. The album, characterized by improvisation and playfulness, is evidence of music's power to unite cultures. Danilo Pérez and Swedish jazz orchestra, Bohusl?n Big Band collaborate on the new album Lumen, where Pan-American rhythms meet the Nordic big band sound. The album is characterized by improvisation and playfulness, is evidence of music's power to unite cultures. Lumen ...
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