Frank Assunto

The Italian community in New Orleans has been the source of many active musicians, and the name of the Assunto family will inevitably arise from any tally. Amongst the siblings of trumpeter Frank Assunto were a pair of sisters that shined on piano and woodwinds and brother trombonist Fred Assunto; all grew up studying with their father, banjoist Jacob "Papa Jac" Assunto. It was the pair of brothers that made the most racket on the New Orleans scene, founding a group called the Dukes of Dixieland in 1949. This band, which would eventually become something of an institution, began as a casual one-off for a talent show organized by producer and bandleader Horace Heidt. He appreciated the Assunto assembly enough to ask it on tour, and when the Dukes of Dixieland docked back in New Orleans, the group wound up practically taking over the Famous Door club.







Read More