Danny Repole - Trombonist, Conductor
Danny is an Educator and a native New Yorker. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music majoring in Trombone, and Conducting. Danny also received both a BS and an MA degree in Music Education from Columbia University. Mr. Repole, as a trombonist, has performed with the NY Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, for five years, and many "name Big Bands", such as the Les & Larry Elgart Orchestra, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra. He has also performed and recorded the cast albums for several Broadway musicals including "The Sound of Music", "Cabaret", "Chicago", and "Superman". Mr. Repole was director of the US Air force Jazz Band in Europe during World War II, and is now an Associate Professor of Music at Kingsborough Community College.

Big Band Story - Guy Lombardo Band

(From a series called "Big Band Stories")

By Danny Repole

Copyright 2000 Danny Repole

A story about the writer's experiences while playing trombone for the Guiy Lombardo band.

When I joined the Guy Lombardo Band, in 1955, my mother and father said, "At last you joined a really good band!' This was after I had played with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Radio City Orchestra, and I had recorded a dozen albums with the Les and Larry Eigart Band; also recorded The Jazz Concero with the Sauter-Finnegan Band, with the Chicago Orchestra, Fritz Reiner conducting.

 

My first night working with the Guy Lombardo Band at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City was a panic! None of the music was numbered - just titles - so I made a huge fan out of about twenty or thirty tunes, with the tides showing. . Guy called out each tune. He didn’t wait before tapping off - so I scrambled all night long, grabbing the music just in time; while my parents were having great fun watching me.

 

Also, with the Lombardo Band, some nights when things didn't go well." I was shocked to see Carmen hit his brother Liebert (trumpet) over the head with his flute for playing a wrong note. The flute, worth several thousand dollars, was bent in half. Another night, when youngest brother Victor (baritone sax and soprano sax) played something wrong. Guy casually walked in front of him and punched him in the jaw while he was playing.