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Arthur Francis Rollini was born February 13, 1912 in New York City into a musical family of Italian descent and grew up in Larchmont, New York with his multi-instrumentalist older brother Adrian. In 1929 he played in England for Fred Elizalde and worked for the California Ramblers and big band pioneer Paul Whiteman.

From 1934 to 1939 he was a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The highlight of that period was a breakout performance for big band jazz at Carnegie Hall in 1938. He worked with Richard Himber and from 1941-1942 with Will Bradley. From 1943 to 1958 he worked as a studio musician for the American Broadcasting Company.

Rollini’s work can be found on recordings with the bands of Wingy Manone, Adrian Rollini, Benny Goodman, Joe Venuti, Bobby Hackett, Lionel Hampton, Harry James, Louis Armstrong and Brad Gowans. In 1939, he starred in an Allstar band of Goodman, Bunny Berigan and Jack Teagarden with Blue Lu.

In 1987, he published his autobiography Thirty Years With the Big Bands. Arthur Rollini, who played tenor saxophone and clarinet, and was nicknamed Schneeze, passed away on December 30, 1993 in Florida.

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