Granato, Jimmy

James "Jimmy" Granato was born on September 25, 1901 in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. He was married to Fay and they had a son, James and a daughter Barbara. His family moved to Rochester, New York in 1915 where he earned an electrical engineering degree at the University of Rochester, per his father’s wishes. He chose instead to have a music career.

Granato was a well-known clarinetist of his era. He preferred to play Dixieland and claimed that he could play any shade of blues on his clarinet. His early influences included Jimmy Noone and Johnny Dodds, as well as the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Earl Fuller, the Memphis Five, the Indiana Five, the Cotton Pickers, the Wolverines, and Bix Biederbecke. In his heart, he wanted to play Dixieland, but as that style faded around the Depression era, he continued to play jazz, whether he liked the music or not.

Granato’s early career had him playing with the band of Fred Damon in Rochester, Austin Wylie’s orchestra of Cleveland, and Paul Whiteman. He eventually made it to New York as a protégé of Johnny Costello, who helped him get in with the Indiana Five in 1927, a dream come true for Granato. He also played with Paul Ash and Rubinoff at the Paramount Theater and Erno Rapee at Radio City Music Hall. He was on the CBS and NBC radio staffs and worked on about 25 movies with the Paramount movie studio in Long Island, playing for such stars as Helen Morgan, Ken Murray, Ann Dvorak, Charles Ruggles, Claudette Colbert, Maurice Chevalier, Ethel Mermen, Tallulah Bankhead, Martha Raye, and Leo Carrillo. He also played the sound track for the Paramount News theme, which was used for many years. He worked several years with Jimmy Durante, starting from the vaudeville days of Clayton, Jackson and Durante. He also played with Emil Coleman, Vincent Lopez, and Red Nichols, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Ray McKinley, Jack and Charlie Teagarden, Glen Miller, and Gene Krupa.

Granato moved to Chicago in 1943 to form his own Dixieland band, which included Ernie Kolstad on Trombone, Al Reed on cornet, Paul Benzedian on piano, and Joe Pepp on drums, and they played at Rita’s Show lounge on Argyle Street. He eventually worked with Art Hodes’ Dixie combo at Rupneck’s in Chicago. In 1957, Granato formed another band, which included Mel Grant on piano, Don Chester on drums, Norman Murphy on trumpet, and John Welch on trombone. In 1960, he teamed up with Smoky Stover’s Dixieland Firemen, which included (at various times) Floyd O’Brien, Harold "Hal" Benson, Monty Mountjoy, Joe Pepp, Eddie Lain, Jack Norwood, and Jack Gilliland. He played with the Bill Tinkler Jazz Band, which included Quinn Wilson, Dan Williams, Freddie Kohlman, "Buddy" Lee, and Art Hodes. He played at venues that included the Circle Lounge, Dome Stable, and the Crown Propellor. Granato wrote numerous works for the clarinet, including "Clarinet Carols," "Clarinet Concerto," and "Clarinet Carousel."

Jimmy Granato died on May 31, 1981.

From the guide to the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Granato, Jimmy. Collection, 1925-1980, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)