Representative Albums: "Tuttis Trumpets", "Tutti's Trombones", "Fiddler on the Roof
Biography
A trumpet player for bands led by Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, Maestro Camarata (born Salvador Tutti Camarata) made his greatest mark as an arranger. In addition to orchestrating numerous big band hits for Jimmy Dorsey, including "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine," Camarata orchestrated and/or produpced historic recordings by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington. Balancing his early career with studies at the Juilliard School of Music, Camarata learned the art of orchestral conducting under Cesare Sodero of the Metropolitan Opera. In 1943, he conducted and orchestrated a recording by Jascha Heifetz. Temporarily moving to England in 1944 to work on the soundtrack of the film London Town, he signed a recording contract with the British affiliate of Decca. His first projects for the label included orchestrating and conducting a series of albums focusing on the compositions of Puccini, Verdi, Bach, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff. Accepting an invitation to start Disney Records in 1958, Camarata remained with the company for 16 years, producing more than 300 albums for the label, including the soundtracks of Snow White, Jungle Book, and It's a Small World; 35 Disney Melodies; and albums by Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills. He recorded two albums for Disney's Buena Vista label: Tutti's Trumpets in 1957 and Tutti's Trombones in 1980. Camarata also worked on an album of spiritual hymns, The Power and the Glory, that he recorded for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The album, which was released on the Celestial Visions label, was recorded with a 100-piece orchestra, a 180-voice adult choir, a children's choir, pipe organ, and antiphonal brass. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
