2012 - Cotati Accordion Festival

FRANK MAROCCO
January 2, 1931 - March 3, 2012
Frank L. Marocco was born Jan.
2, 1931, in Joliet, Ill., the eldest of six
children, with a sister and four brothers.
Growing up in the town of Waukegan,
he began to take accordion lessons at age
7. He later added piano, clarinet, music
theory and composition to his interests.
Frank Marocco was an American
piano-accordionist, arranger and composer
and recognized as one of the most
recorded accordionists in the world. He
was a rare jazz accordionist and a first-call
studio musician. He was 81.
Marocco died at his home in the San
Fernando Valley, after having been hospitalized
at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in
Los Angeles for complications following
hip replacement surgery, according to his
daughter Cynthia. Marocco is survived
by his wife of 60 years, Anne; his daughters
Cynthia, Venetia and Lisa; and eight
grandchildren.
Marocco was soft-spoken - his manner
unassuming. But he became almost
fervent when he expresses his personal philosophy
about being a musician. He says:
“Although I’ve made a comfortable
living, my primary goal has never been
to make a lot of money. It has been to be
the best I could possibly be. This takes
integrity, hard work, and dedication. You
must have respect for what you do.”
Marocco’s wide-ranging career embraced
every genre of music. His accor-
MotorDude Zydeco
continued from page 43
touring the globe with the Grammywinning
zydeco bands of Queen Ida and
Al Rapone.
Willie Jordan, Drums: Willy Jordon’s
drumming is formed by his varied
56
dion can be heard on hundreds of movie
soundtracks, recordings, musical theater,
television series and specials, commercials,
video games and theme park music. The
film, television and recording composers
he’s worked with include Henry Mancini,
John Williams, Quincy Jones, Elmer
Bernstein, Michel Legrand and dozens of
others.
Marocco received a Lifetime Achievement
Award from the American Accordionists’
Assn. in 2006. He was nominated
eight years in a row for the Recording
Academy’s Most Valuable Player Award, receiving
the Award in 1985 and 1986. And
he was inducted into the Accordion Hall of
Fame in Vicenza, Italy, in 2000. ▲
Frank Marocco was schedled to play the
2012 CAF. We lost one of the great ones.
So glad to have known him. — ED
musical background (blues, zydeco,
rhythm and blues, soul, funk, rock, and
jazz). He has performed and/or recorded
with Elvin Bishop, Frank Morgan, Charlie
Musselwhite, Carlos Santana, A Case
of the Willys, and Gator Beat. From 1996
to 1998 Willy toured and recorded with
blues legend John Lee Hooker. ▲