Sal Cracchiolo

Sal Cracchiolo learned how to play the trumpet on his mother’s horn. As his love of the instrument grew she saw to it that Sal received classical trumpet lessons with some of the top teachers in their neighborhood of Long Beach, California. At 15 Sal began performing and recording with Jr. & the Preludes. As R&B horn bands grew in popularity in the mid 1960s, Sal found himself in great demand. As his career was developing, Sal met Poncho Sanchez just as his Latin jazz band was forming. Sal stayed with Poncho for 20 years. Over his incredible career Sal also played with Arturo Sandoval, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Shew (who was also a mentor and teacher), the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Band and Tower of Power beginning in 2010.