55-year-old suburban reedman/composer (he's talented on both the alto and soprano saxophone, as well as the clarinet and flute) tastes range from bebop to modal and free jazz, with a touch of classical rigor thrown in. Relatively seldom heard in Chicago these days (he refuses to play at bars who cancelled his gigs without notification), but he performed with his quartet (which includes pianist Larry Luchowski, bassist Eric Hochberg, and drummer Mike Raynor) at the1997 Chicago Jazz Festival. Chicago Reader jazz critic says Corpolongo "fords the jazz streams of the last half century..." Studied was saxophonist Joe Daley, and entered Roosevelt University in 1960 (where he studied for six years -- "Too many electives, he says.") While still a student, he co-led a bop combo with Herbie Hancock.
After graduating, he performed TV jingles, played weddings and theatre pit bands, and gave music lessons to pay the bills. During the 1970s, he played with Joe Daley's avant-garde Quorum. He and Daley released an album called Sonic Blast together in 1983.
In 1984, he cut back on the less rewarding jobs, returned to Roosevelt University and earned a master's degree. Since then he's played with the cooperative experimental trio Spontaneous Composition (Paul Wertico and Doug Lofstrom) and Daley again (Sonic Blast) and as part of the Barrett Deems Big Band and Marshall Vente's little big band. While playing with Deems in 1994, Delmark Records boss Bob Koester asked him to make a solo record, after 55 years, his debut album as a bandleader, Just Found Joy (Delmark). Released in 1996, it was critically well-received, and its follow-up, Smile looks to do the same.
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