Chicago's Frank Catalano is a soulful jazz saxophonist who has garnered attention as a sought-after session player, touring musician, and bandleader. Catalano's approach weds meat-and-potatoes soul-jazz, blues, and jazz-funk with 21st century post-bop, and vanguard jazz. His Delmark leader debut Cut It Out appeared in 1998. He led his own bands and did session and touring work with jazz and pop musicians. 2000's You Talkin' to Me?! was recorded in collaboration with Von Freeman. He released the soul-jazz set, Love Bugaloo in 2006, followed months later by the charting live Mighty Burner. Bang appeared in 2008. He, Richie Cole and Jim Holman collaborated on 2012's Explosion. In 2014, he began co-leading bands with Smashing Pumpkins' drummer Jimmie Chamberlin. With a support cast drawn from Brand X, Megadeth, and Kneebody, they released the Love Supreme Collective. It topped the digital charts on streaming services. They also worked on the widely acclaimed, charting jazz albums God's Gonna Cut You Down, 2016's Bye Bye Blackbird (featuring guest David Sanborn), and 2017's chart-topping Tokyo No. 9. Following tours, festivals, and residencies, Catalano issued the quartet offering Live at Birdland in 2022. Catalano grew up in Chicago and began playing the tenor saxophone at the age of eight. He sharpened his instrumental skills as a student at DePaul University and launched his professional music career while still a teenager. After playing with jazz drummer Louis Bellson and avant-garde jazz organist Charles Earland in 1991, he accepted an invitation to join pop vocalist Tony Bennett's group. In addition to Bennett, Catalano has performed and/or recorded with a bevy of names including Clark Terry, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy McGriff, Randy Brecker, and Arturo Sandoval. Catalano has increasingly drawn attention for his own talents. His debut solo album, Cut It Out, released in February 1988, was included on lists of the year's best mainstream albums compiled by Jazz Times, Los Angeles Weekly, and The Chicago Tribune. His second effort, Pins 'n' Needles, featured accompaniment by trumpeter/flügelhornist Randy Brecker, pianist Willie Pickens, bassist Larry Gray, and drummer Joel Spencer. He continues to perform with his own quartet, featuring guitarist Kirk Hunter, Hammond B-3 organist Vijay Tellis-Nayak, and drummer Dan Leali, as well as with John Burnett & His Orchestra and Lenny King's Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra. In 2001, he joined vocalist Peter Oprisko for Ring-A-Ding Romance!: Peter Oprisko Sings! Saxophonist Frank Catalano Plays! He also released the concert album Live at the Green Mill that year. In 2005, Catalano returned with the studio album Mighty Burner; it spent more than 20 weeks on the jazz charts. He followed two years later with Bang! In 2012, Catalano was a co-billed guest (with saxophonist Richie Cole) on pianist Jim Holman's Delmark album Explosion. Catalano teamed up with Smashing Pumpkins' drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who was originally trained as a jazz drummer and despite his success in the rock & roll world, never stopped playing it. Together, they created a kind of vanguard supergroup that included bassist Percy Jones (Brand X), guitarist Chris Poland (Megadeth), and keyboardist Adam Benjamin (Kneebody) to release Love Supreme Collective for Ropeadope. The modal jazz rock set topped digital charts a week after appearing. In 2016, he and Chamberlin enlisted saxophonist David Sanborn to assist on Bye Bye Blackbird: Blowing in from Chicago for Von and Eddie. The live collection, Tokyo No. 9, followed a year later and showcased Catalano and Chamberlin's performances in Japan, Chicago, and New York. It entered the jazz album charts at number one. The saxophonist spent the next several years touring and playing festivals and clubs until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 canceled live music. He returned to touring in late 2021. In July 2022 Catalano issued Live at Birdland, leading a new quartet that included drummer Mike Clark, pianist Randy Ingram, and bassist Julian Smith. ~ Craig Harris & Thom Jurek, Rovi