By Donald Van Deusen

Last Wednesday, December 2, was the "birthday" of Charlie Ventura, but none of the Philadelphia major (or minor, for that matter) media here seemed to notice or care. That’s something of "situation normal" for Philadelphia, which doesn’t pay that much attention to its present day jazz stars much less the shining lights of the past. Ventura didn’t even get his star on the "Walk of Fame" on Broad Street until just a few years ago.

Born on December 2, 1916 in Philadelphia, Ventura (Venturo) was the fourth of 13 children. He worked in his father’s hat factory as well as at the Navy Yard. He was a major jazz sax ( tenor and baritone) star during the 1940s and ‘50s, working at various points with Bill Harris, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, and, most notably, with Gene Krupa, as well as leading his own groups.

His recordings of "Stompin’ at the Savoy," "Body and Soul" and "Dark Eyes" with the Gene Krupa Trio are among the most heart-felt, spine-tingling sax solos ever recorded. He made pioneering bop vocal recordings with Buddy Stewart and then with Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. I recall seeing them at the Royal Roost and Birdland in about 1947 when Ms Cain, as cute as the proverbial button, looked down shyly when she finished singing their distinctive, now- famous renditions of "Euphoria" and "I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles". This was long before the efforts of Bobby McFerrin or the Manhattan Transfer.

Although Ventura wasn’t really a bop musician, his "Bop for the People" groups featuring such top talent as Chubby Jackson, Dave Tough, Buddy Rich and Bill Harris brought this new kind of jazz into focus for many. He was a featured player with the famous Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts and toured from Las Vegas to Japan. From 1950 to 1954, he ran his own club, Open House. in Lindenwold, N.J. and at Saxon East (later Portofinos) on Walnut Street in 1969.

Among his various honors were the Esquire New Star award, Downbeat and Metronome polls for tenor sax and small combos plus the first Playboy poll shared with Stan Getz in 1957. He introduced various young talents such as Jackie and Roy, Philadelphia’s Billy Bean, Ed Shaughnessey, Bennie Green, Dave McKenna and local drumer-vibes man and writer, Bruce Klauber.

Still remembered fondly by many former neighbors in South Philadelphia as well as jazz fans all over the world, Ventura’s most devoted follower is almost certainly Klauber. Bruce started as a teenager with Ventura, dedicated his book, "World of Gene Krupa" in part to him, and used to call him every "Fathers Day" just to say hello. Ventura died on Jan. 14, 1992, but for jazz fans he will, of course, live forever.

Klauber notes a recent flood of new recordings attesting to that immortality with a reissue of a 1956 session called "Running Wild" that featured Billie Bean on guitar, Verve’s 10-CD JATP sets covering 1944-49 with various Ventura/Krupa trio sides and a planned Mosaic issuance of "The Complete Charlie Ventura and Flip Phillips on Verve" covering much of their 1950’s work. Bruce, himself, is working on a concert that he recorded in Lewiston, PA., in the late 70’s.

Bruce said that Ventura told him once, "there is nothing more beautiful than just playing the song." That’s what Ventura did --he did it with his horn, his orchestra and his recordings—he sang the song!