Professional Career
The son of Anthony Gorruso Sr., a high school band director, Tony began his professional career playing at age 17 with the local Buffalo area band Spyro Gyra on their eponymous first LP, Spyro Gyra. His name is incorrectly listed on that album as Tony Garusso. From 1979 to 1983 he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston to further pursue his interest in jazz and big band music as an arranging major.
He has since performed with Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Tony Bennett, Clark Terry, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, The Duke Ellington Orchestra (under the direction of Mercer Ellington), Ray Charles, Liza Minnelli and many others. He has recorded with Frank Sinatra on the laser disc "Sinatra in Japan 1985" which also aired on PBS in 1986, the CD "Sinatra 80th Live In Concert", and the recently released "Sinatra: Live at the Meadowlands" recorded live at what was then the Brendan Byrnes Sports Arena in 1986.
Mr. Gorruso can also be found on the CD by Jon Lucien, entitled "Mother Nature's Son" released in 1993, Mary Ellen Bernard's 1993 CD "Point of Departure" "Music is My Mistress" by Mercer Ellington. "Pearls" by David Sanborn. Kanye West's 2010 CD "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
He is currently employed as 2nd trumpet for the Broadway show Spamalot and was first trumpet on the Broadway show 42nd Street (June 2002–2005). He also played first trumpet on the 1989 revival of the Broadway show Gypsy starring actress Tyne Daly and was featured soloist on the show's famed Overture from 1989–1991. He is also seen briefly and heard on the soundtrack of the 1989 Woody Allen film Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Mr. Gorruso played lead (first) trumpet for both Buddy Rich from January through December 1984 and Frank Sinatra from January 1985 through July 1991. Since then he has performed on hundreds of national radio and TV jingles. After completing over six and a half years of road tours with Sinatra, Tony continued as 2nd trumpet for the complete nine year, eleven month run of Miss Saigon on Broadway (1991–2001) this despite suffering a severe upper lip injury requiring over 30 stitches in May 1998 which nearly ended his career. He fully recovered and is currently an active musician in Broadway theatre and on the NYC recording scene. He currently resides in Northern New Jersey.
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