The Accordion World Lost a Great Musician and Friend Frank Marocco: January 2, 1931 – March 3, 2012
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Reprinted from the 2012 American Accordionists’ Association Festival journal The Accordion World Lost a Great Musician and Friend Frank Marocco: January 2, 1931 – March 3, 2012 By Joan Grauman, AAA Historian It is with deep sadness that I It was during one of these tours that he met his wife, find myself writing in the past Anne, in South Bend, Indiana. “Anne moved with tense about someone with me wherever the music took me. When Anne was whom I worked so closely for expecting our first child, Cynthia, we decided to six years and who had settle down. We chose the Los Angeles area.” This become one of my dearest proved to be a good move for Frank as, by the early friends. It is also an honor for 1960s, he became one of Hollywood’s most prolific me to have the opportunity to and sought-after studio musicians. A list of Frank’s share my cherished memories movie, television, and numerous other credits can of this endearing man with be found on his website, www.frankmarocco.com. the accordion world, and to share the memories of others whose lives Frank When asked about the Marocco touched so deeply. I will begin with a highlights of his early career, brief biography of this world-renowned and very Frank would always say how much loved and respected musician, husband, much he enjoyed traveling all father, grandfather and friend. over the world with Bob Hope and visiting the servicemen. Frank Marocco was born on January 2, 1931 in He also enjoyed playing with Joliet, Illinois and grew up in the small town of the Les Brown Band at many Waukegan, near Chicago. The eldest of six children, venues, including on six Love he began to study the accordion at the age of seven. Boat cruises. Through the Frank described his first instructor, George Stefani, years, Frank’s studio work as being the one who inspired the young boy to not kept him busy with movie soundtracks, TV movies only learn the classics, but to also explore as much and series, as well as jingles for commercials. He is in the world of music as he could. Frank studied considered one of the most recorded musicians in piano and clarinet, along with music theory, the world. Frank also found time to record on harmony and conducting. He played clarinet in his multiple media, including vinyl records, tapes and high school band. He later studied accordion with CDs, compose and arrange both jazz and classical Andy Rizzo, a well-regarded teacher of many of the music, and to work with other composers such as finest players in the Chicago area. Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Michel LeGrand and John Williams. His love of people kept him playing At the age of 17, Frank won first place in a national private parties all over music contest. He performed his winning solo with the country, as well as the Chicago Pops Orchestra to a huge crowd at performing and giving Chicago’s Soldier’s Field. Frank said that the workshops at accordion comments from the judges of this contest were the c o n v e n t i o n s a n d words he needed to move toward the style of festivals. In jazz playing that he loved so much: jazz. The judges circles, Frank was told Frank that his “musicality” and creativity were considered one of the what set him apart from all of the others. It was also finest, not just as a jazz at this time that he decided to make music his career accordionist, but as a and he formed a trio which toured the Midwestern jazz musician. states. The trio played jazz and popular standards. 1 Frank received many awards through the years. Nominated eight years in a row for the Recording Academy's Most Valuable Player Award, he received the award in 1985 and 1986. F r a n k w a s inducted into the Accordion Hall of Fame in Vicenza, Italy, in 2000. In 2006, he received the AAA Lifetime Achievement Award dinner, Some 2011 FMAE participants pose for a photo with Frank, l to r: Lenny coveted Lifetime l to r: Faithe Deffner, Linda Soley Reed, AAA Feldmann, Karen Lee, Lynn Ewing, Amy Jo Sawyer, Dick Myking, Donna Massey, Gail Campanella, Frank, Joan Grauman, Stas Venglevski A c h i e v e m e n t President and Frank Marocco Award from the American Accordionists’ enjoyed sharing good times Association (AAA). The event brought friends and with accordionists from all colleagues from as far as Texas (Nick Ballarini, who over the US, Canada and Italy played during the dinner in Frank’s honor) and at these camps. His 80th California (Sylvia Prior and Sandy Martin). Frank birthday was celebrated at the spoke often of this award ceremony as it meant so 2011 FMAE with a five-hour much to him to see so many of his peers and close gala tribute that included a friends there honoring him for his lifelong efforts to f a m i l y s l i d e s h o w , showcase the accordion as an instrument whose p e r f o r m a n c e s a n d capabilities are extraordinary and limitless. presentations by some of the country’s finest accordionists In 2006, Frank approached my husband, Dan, and me and a performance by two Celebrating Frank‘s 80th at and asked us to direct an accordion orchestra camp terrific singers: his young FMAE granddaughters, Chelsea and Tory. In 2008, at age 78, shortly after surgery to replace his hip, Frank embarked on a European tour with his new agent, Elke Ahrenholz, co-owner of Victoria Accordions in Castelfidardo, Italy. This was a new beginning, as he was soon performing and giving Rehearsal at the FMAE workshops to sold-out audiences in China, Japan, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, for him. We chose Switzerland and Italy. He was an adjudicator at the the winter months I n t e r n a t i o n a l in Mesa, Arizona as Primus Ikaalinen a good time and A c c o r d i o n place for this Competition in popular four-day Finland in 2010. event, the Frank Frank’s reputation Anne & Frank Marocco enjoying an Marocco Accordion as a stellar jazz evening event at FMAE Event (FMAE), musician spread which has sold out annually. Frank loved quickly worldwide. conducting, composing and arranging, and he He p erformed Frank, Richard Galliano and Coba , Japan, 2009 2 overseas with other world-renowned accordionists family to each such as Coba from Japan, Richard Galliano from other. How do France, celebrated Italian bandoneon player, Daniele I write about so de Bonaventura and many others. many funny conversations After attending the 2010 and 2011 FMAE camps, (Frank had an Elke Ahrenholz asked Frank and the Graumans if she excellent sense could take the camp to Castelfidardo, Italy. She of humor)? Do received an enthusiastic, “YES!”, and the FMAE I share the many sweet phone calls of FMAE staff, l to r: Assistant Music Director, concern for us Stas Venglevski, Dan & Joan Grauman, Frank, when Maryland Bruce Lawrie was experiencing bad weather, or his frequent panic calls when he would have “issues” with his computer? 2011 FMAE-Europe orchestra performance, Castelfidardo, Italy Visits to Frank’s home and the time spent together in Mesa, at the Las Vegas Conventions, in Italy and European Edition took at our home, bring floods of cherished memories as place June 2-6, 2011. well. What I saw from spending time with Frank With accordionists was a tremendously appreciative person who lived from Italy, Germany, in the present, not in the past at all. He would Austria, US and totally “soak in” what was happening around him Canada, the event was a and thoroughly enjoy the moment. He loved resounding success. watching all of us play the accordion. It never mattered to him how well we played, just that we Frank entertains at the hotel in Shortly after returning tried hard. His beautiful beaming smile would say Castelfidardo to the US from Italy in it all. Frank also showed his appreciation for every late June, 2011, Frank began to suffer with little thing anyone did for him. He so appreciated symptoms from what was diagnosed months later as the work we did to prepare for the camp in Mesa metal poisoning from his 2008 hip replacement. each year. In early 2008, Frank learned that Dan Before his untimely death at the age of 81, on March and I were preparing to celebrate our 15th 3, 2012, and with yet undiagnosed symptoms, Frank anniversary. On the morning of our anniversary, performed beautifully in Italy, Lithuania, China and Frank and Anne called with best wishes. Then at the Las Vegas Accordion Convention in the fall of Frank said, “Check your computer. I just sent you 2011 and received standing ovations at each of those an anniversary gift.” There was an MP3 of Frank venues. playing an arrangement, that he created for me the previous day, of Jerome Kern’s, “All the Things A sweet, generous, soft-spoken gentleman to the very You Are.” It ended with Frank’s sweet voice end, Frank will be missed worldwide for years to saying, “Happy Anniversary, Joan and Dan.” The come. He leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Anne, same email also had an attachment containing the three daughters Cynthia, Venetia and Lisa and eight sheet music, beautifully engraved by Ron grandchildren.