Santo Pecora

Santo Pecora (born Santo Joseph Pecoraro; March 21, 1902 – May 29, 1984)[1] was an American jazz trombonist known for his longtime association with the New Orleans jazz scene.

He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.[1] Pecora changed his name because his cousin, a drummer, was also named Santo Pecoraro.[2] The two sometimes performed in ensembles together.[2] Pecora began on French horn but settled on trombone as a teenager.[2] He played in orchestras accompanying silent films as well as with the bandleaders Johnny De Droit and Leon Roppolo.[2] He toured with singer Bee Palmer early in the 1920s,[2] then joined the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in the middle of the decade.[1]

He moved to Chicago late in the decade, playing both in jazz bands and in theater palaces, then became a big band sideman in the 1930s. He toured with Sharkey Bonano in the 1930s,[1] then played with Wingy Manone in California.[2] In the 1940s he returned to New Orleans, where he continued working with Bonano in addition to regular gigs on riverboats and at nightclubs.[1] He remained a staple of the local scene into the 1960s.

Pecora died on May 29, 1984, in his hometown, at age 82.[2]