Larry Nocella

Carmelo "Larry" Nocella is an Italian tenor saxophonist, born in Battipaglia (Salerno), on December 18, 1949. He started playing in a boarding school's band, in province of Salerno, where he lived 'til his seventeen years. In 1970 he moved to Milan, where he played mostly in dance bands; later we find him in Turin, where he met Kenny Clarke, that invited Nocella to play with him in Paris, at the "Chat qui Peche". In 1973 he returned to Milan, and began to frequent the Capolinea, one of the most famous jazz clubs of the time, playing with Tullio De Piscopo, Mario Rusca, Enrico Intra. In 1976 he recorded "Brother Man", for Carosello label, with Franco D'Andrea, Giancarlo Pillot and Julius Farmer. In Milan, Larry recorded his first album titled "No Secret" (1977), for Harmony label, arranged and produced by Vince Tempera and Angelo Arienti. in 1980 Larry Nocella plays at the Festival of Nimes with Chet Baker and in that same year he recorded another LP in his name, "Everything Happens To Me", for Red Record label. In the eighties, he also played with the group "AREA", recorded in "Tic & Tac", and Pino Daniele ("Live Sciò", "Ferry Boat" and "Bonne Soirée"). He also collaborates with Luigi Bonafede, Piero Leveratto, Massimo Urbani, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Luciano Milanese, Sergio Rigon, Lucio Terzano, Paolo Pellegatti, Giampiero Prina, Furio di Castri, Guido Manusardi, Gianni Cazzola, Pietro Tonolo, Attilio Zanchi and others. Larry Nocella died on May 8, 1989, in Turin.