Jack Costanzo

Recognized as a leading percussionist who favored bongos instead of the more common congas, Jack Costanzo mastered both instruments through self-instruction and traveled to Havana three times during the 1940s to absorb Afro-Cuban rhythms. His work with Stan Kenton began with tours and performances in 1947 and 1948, after which he joined Nat King Cole’s group from 1949 to 1953. Throughout the 1950s he continued occasional appearances with both musicians, staying alongside Kenton until 1957 even as he started leading his own band. That ensemble cut recordings in 1954 and 1957 before touring London in 1961. Additional 1950s engagements paired him with Peggy Lee, Pérez Prado, Harry James, Charlie Barnet, and Pete Rugolo. Costanzo maintained a lower profile through the later decades of the twentieth century yet resurfaced in the late 1990s. His return-to-form album Back from Havana appeared in 2001, followed by Scorching the Skins in 2002, both issued on Cubop Records. GNP/Crescendo released Chicken and Rice in 2006. Jack Costanzo died in August 2018 at the age of 98.