William Russo (musician)

William Russo, better known as Bill Russo (June 25, 1928, Chicago, Illinois – January 11, 2003, Chicago, Illinois), was an American jazz musician. He is considered one of the greatest jazz composers and arrangers.

History

A former student of the jazz pianist Lennie Tristano, Russo wrote ground-breaking orchestral scores for the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the 1950s, including 23 Degrees N 82 Degrees W, Frank Speaking, and Portrait of a Count. One of the more famous works he wrote for the Kenton Orchestra is Halls Of Brass, specially composed for the brass section, without woodwinds or percussion. The section recording this piece, featured such jazz artists as Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson and Milt Bernhart, was much-respected by symphony brass musicians.

At the beginning of the 1960s Russo moved to England, where he founded the London Jazz Orchestra. He was a contributor to the Third Stream movement that sought to close the gap between jazz and classical music. He returned to his native city of Chicago in 1965, where he founded Columbia College's music department and became the director of its Center for New Music, as well as the college's first full-time faculty member. He was also the Director of Orchestral Studies at Scuola Europea d’Orchestra Jazz in Palermo, Italy.

Bill Russo (American football)

Bill Russo (born June 19, 1947) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football at for Wagner College from 1978 to 1980 and at Lafayette College from 1981 to 1999. In 23 seasons as a head coach, Russo compiled a 118–113–4 overall record. In 1988, 1992 and 1994 Russo coached the Lafayette Leopards to outright Patriot League conference titles. Russo received the Eddie Robinson Award in 1988, which is given annually to the nation's top coach in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Russo's 103 wins at Lafayette are the most of any head coach in the program's history.

Head coaching record

References

External links