Joseph M. Allen – Bass

Joseph L. Bellamah – Trumpet

Leonard J. Calderon – Drums/Conductor

Dominic Cortese – Accordion

David Douglas – Piano

Daniel Girlando – Piano

Samuel Grossman – Arranger/Copyist

Al Ham – Keyboard/Synthesizer

Martin Holmes – Saxophone/Conductor

Melvin Jefferson – Piano

Nicholas Lomakin – Saxophone

Duke Martin – Guitar

William Maxted – Piano

Leon Pommers – Piano

Salvatore J. Reo – Trumpet

John Gaetano Sambuco – Violin/Mandolin

James A. Santucci – Saxophone

Rudolph Scaffidi – Trumpet

Frank Schifano – Bass

James Shomate – Piano

Joe Vernon – Drums

Robert S. Weinrebe – Viola

Marty Holmes

Marty Holmes, 76, a tenor saxophone player, composer and arranger, died on Sept. 28. He had been an 802 member since 1942 and served on the union staff in the early ’90s, first as Manhattan supervisor and then in the credit union.

Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Holmes began studying the violin at age 6, the saxophone at 15, and the clarinet at 16. He was also self-taught on the piano. He played in an Army band during World War II. After his discharge, he worked with a number of dance bands in the late 1940s and ’50s, including those of Jerry Wald, Bobby Byrne, Tommy Reynolds, Neal Hefti and Tito Puente. He was an arranger for Larry Elgart, Johnny Long and Tito Puente. In 1957 Mr. Holmes formed his own octet. Their LP, Art Ford’s Party for Marty, was recorded by Jubilee Records. His ballad, “Was There a Call for Me,” was recorded by Bobby Darin.

Mr. Holmes was a highly respected teacher of harmony and theory. He was a 40-year member of ASCAP and was recognized in Leonard Feather’s “Encyclopedia of Jazz” (1962 edition).

He is survived by his wife Sunny, daughters Ellen, Marcy and Janie, and five grandchildren.

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John Sambuco

John G. Sambuco, 73, a violinist and mandolin player, died on Oct. 24. Mr. Sambuco was a member of AFM locals 802, 47 (Los Angeles) and 7 (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Born in Hartford, Conn., he began playing the violin at age 4 and studied at the Julius Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Conservatory of Music and later at the Juilliard School. He joined the Denver Symphony at the age of 19. During the Korean War he served as concertmaster of the United States Military Academy String Orchestra at West Point.

Mr. Sambuco then joined the Minneapolis Symphony and played there for 24 years, under Antal Dorati and Stanislav Skrowacewski. He served as concertmaster of the St. Paul Orchestra, on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, and as first violinist of the Twin Cities String Quartet in residence at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

In 1976 he toured Russia and Scandinavian countries with the New York Philharmonic. He has appeared as soloist with the Minneapolis Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony and the Downey and Capistrano Valley symphonies in California. He was concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Irvine Symphony and the Desert Symphony in Palm Springs. Upon returning to the east coast, he substituted for several months with the New York Philharmonic.

Mr. Sambuco is survived by his wife Joan, children John and Andrea, brother Gino, sisters Olga, Louise and Alice, and eight grandchildren.

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Rudy Scaffidi

Rudy Scaffidi, 74, a trumpet player and a 50-year member of Local 802, died on Oct. 10. Mr. Scaffidi was born in Cleveland and began his professional career there at the age of 15. He is also a life member of Cleveland Local 4.

Mr. Scaffidi played with the Gay Claridge Orchestra in Chicago before joining the Army, where he played with the 468^th and later the 388^th Transportation Corps Band. They performed in USO shows at embarkation points in the Pacific Northwest, and at war bond rallies throughout the region.

After his discharge, Mr. Scaffidi resumed his professional career in Cleveland and, in 1948, moved to New York City, where his first job was at the Paramount Theatre with the Buddy Rogers Orchestra. He also played with show bands at the Copacabana, Latin Quarter and the Plaza Hotel. He recorded on most of the major record labels and was a member of studio orchestras for television and radio under the direction of conductors Ray Bloch, Sammy Spear, Carmine Coppola and Skitch Henderson. He played trumpet with many top name bands, including those of Ray Anthony, Billy Butterfield, Frankie Carle, Bob Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Sonny Dunham, Skitch Henderson, Elliot Lawrence, Ralph Marterie and Buddy Morrow. He led the orchestras of Jimmy Dorsey and Jan Garber and, more recently, the Billy May Orchestra. In 1994 he was inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife Jeanette, stepchildren Cheryl, Joseph and Karen, sisters Libby, Elvera and Josephine, and several grandchildren.

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