Pete Rugolo, the arranger who shaped the sound of Stan Kenton's orchestra and helped launch Miles Davis's seminal 'Birth of the Cool' recordings, has died at the age of 73. Rugolo was one of the first arrangers to be publicly credited for his work, breaking the tradition of anonymity in big bands.
Born in Sicily, Rugolo moved to San Francisco with his family in 1921. He earned a BA from San Francisco State College in 1938 and an MA from Mills College in Oakland, where he studied under composer Darius Milhaud. After serving in the army, he joined Stan Kenton's band in 1945, where he became the primary architect of what Kenton called 'Progressive Jazz'.
Rugolo's tenure with Kenton lasted until 1949, during which he wrote many of the band's most memorable pieces, including 'Minor Riff', 'Monotony', and 'Interlude'. He also discovered Canadian trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and persuaded him to join the band. After leaving Kenton, Rugolo worked as music director for Capitol Records in New York, where he convinced the label to record Miles Davis's nonet, despite the band's lack of commercial appeal.
The Davis recordings, later released as 'Birth of the Cool', became some of the best-selling jazz records of all time. Rugolo later moved to Hollywood, where he composed for film and television. He remained close to Kenton, helping with medical expenses during the bandleader's final illness in 1979.
