Bill Russo
William Joseph Russo was an American composer, arranger, and musician born in
Chicago, Illinois on June 25, 1928. He studied under pianist Lennie Tristano and
wrote orchestral works for the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the 1950s, including "23
Degrees N 82 Degrees W" and "Frank Speaking". Russo's work spanned jazz and
classical genres, earning him the Koussevitzky Prize in 1959 for his Symphony
No. 2 in C "Titans", performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard
Bernstein. In 1962, Russo moved to England and founded The London Jazz
Orchestra. He returned to Chicago in 1965 to es...
