Andy Fitzgerald

Andy Fitzgerald (1915—April 7, 2003) was an American jazz musician who played clarinet, flute, and saxophone. He played with several musicians including Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra, Gil Evans And His Orchestra, Jack Sterling And His Quintet, and Joe Mooney Quartet.

Andy Fitzgerald was born Andrew Francis Fitzgerald in 1915.

Fitzgerald started his professional musical career in the big band of Frank Dailey.

In the late 1930s/early 1940s, he worked in Bunny Berigan's orchestra with drummers Buddy Rich, Dave Tough, George Wettling, Johnny Blowers, and Jack Sperling; alto saxophonists and clarinetists Gus Bivona and Joe Dixon; vocalists Danny Richards, and Kathleen Lane; pianist Joe Bushkin; trombonist and arranger Ray Conniff; trombonist Sonny Lee; bassist Hank Wayland; trumpeters Carl Warwick, and Les Elgart; tenor saxophonists Georgie Auld and Don Lodice; and pianist and arranger Joe Lipman. With Berigan, he recorded "I Can't Get Started", among others.

In 1943, Fitzgerald played clarinet on saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra's recordings of "How Deep Is The Ocean?", "Voodte", and "Stumpy" alongside bassist Oscar Pettiford, drummer Shelly Manne, guitarist Al Casey, pianist Ellis Larkins, and trumpeter Bill Coleman.

From 1946 onwards, he worked in the quartet of pianist Joe Mooney and recorded the albums Souvenir Album (Decca Records, 1948) and On The Rocks (Decca Records, 1955) with bassist Gaetan Frega and guitarist Jack Hotop. After touring with Mooney's band, he played with the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra, where he was a member until it disbanded.

In the 1950s, he performed on Jack Sterling's radio show on CBS led by Elliot Lawrence with Tiny Kahn on drums, Mary Osborne on guitar, and Lawrence on piano.

When Sterling's show ended, Fitzgerald joined the Arthur Godfrey Show where he stayed until Godfrey's death in 1983.

While working with Godfrey, he continued to make recordings with many musicians. In 1956, he played clarinet on Kent Harian and Ted McNabb's album Echoes of Joy with Hal McKusick (alto saxophone); Joe Venuto (percussions); Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Eddie Wasserman (tenor saxophone); Sonny Russo (trombone); and Nick Travis (trumpet).

In 1958, he played clarinet on Claude Thornhill's album Claude on a Cloud alongside guitarist Barry Galbraith.

In 1960, Fitzgerald played bass flute, and clarinet on 7 of 10 tracks of Count Basie's album String Along with Basie (Roulette Records), arranged by George Williams and accompanied by Freddie Green (guitar); George Duvivier (bass); Jimmy Crawford(drums); Illinois Jacquet (tenor saxophone); and Herbie Mann and Frank Wess (flute).

Fitzgerald also made recordings with Elliot Lawrence, Jackie Gleason, and Hal Mooney. In 1962, he worked again with Joe Mooney on the album The Happiness of Joe Mooney, accompanied by Mundell Lowe Orchestra with bassist George Duvivier, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, flutist Jerry Dodgion, and vibraphonist Joe Venuto.

In 1960, Fitzgerald's clarinet was heard on trumpeter Jimmy McPartland and pianist Marian McPartland's album Play TV Themes on Design Records with bassist Ben Tucker, drummer Mousey Alexander, and mellophonist Dick Cary.

In 1963/64, he worked with the Gil Evans Orchestra on the album The Individualism of Gil Evans (Verve Records). In 1965, he made a recording with Joe Williams, and in 1968/69 with Marlene VerPlanck (album This Happy Feeling).

Between 1940 and 1969, Fitzgerald was involved in 43 recording sessions. In his later years, he worked as a theater musician and freelance musician.

Fitzgerald died in Paterson, New Jersey, on April 7, 2003, at age 88.