SAL MOSCA
Genres: Post Bop, Bop • United States

Salvatore Joseph Mosca was born in Mt. Vernon, New York, on April 27, 1927. The son of first generation Americans,  Sal and his sister Dolores grew up during the harsh years of the Great Depression. The genre of Jazz music that had been stylized by blacks in New Orleans was rapidly spreading to an area of New York City known as Harlem, a predominantly black community formed from the great northern migration caused by World War I. Sal and jazz were destined to meet in the late 1930s at the vaudeville shows, nightclubs, and band performances of the era. Even as a young man, Sal would hear the musical quality of a performance undistracted by the attendant drama. Sal would, in fact, become a major figure of the Free Jazz/Cool Jazz genre. Sal's family was not particularly musical. Neither of his parents played any instruments, although he recalls an uncle read more...