Abstract
The Frank Gagliardi Music Manuscript Collection (approximately 1964-1974) contains musical arrangements of standard Frank Sinatra songs, printed or photocopied with annotations. Each part is in its own folder, and each song is numbered. Frank Gagliardi performed as percussionist in Antonio Morelli's orchestra for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he played for Frank Sinatra and other notable entertainers during the 1960s and 1970s.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Frank Gagliardi Music Manuscript Collection (approximately 1964-1974) contains musical arrangements of standard Frank Sinatra songs, printed or photocopied with annotations. Each part is in its own folder, and each song is numbered. Frank Gagliardi performed as percussionist in Antonio Morelli's orchestra for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he played for Frank Sinatra and other notable entertainers during the 1960s and 1970s.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
Frank Gagliardi was a musician, big band composer, arranger, director, and professor. He was the creator and director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Jazz Ensemble from 1974 to 1996. Born November 16, 1931 in Denver, Colorado, Frank Gagliardi was interested in music at a young age. He began drum lessons at age eight, and joined the Denver Symphony Orchestra for fifteen years. He earned his master's degree in music education from the University of Denver. In 1964, Gagliardi was hired to work at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he performed until 1988. He was a drummer and percussionist at the Sands and performed with many notable entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, and many others. He joined the UNLV faculty in 1974, where he created and led the UNLV Jazz Ensemble to international recognition, earned numerous awards, and released a number of albums. While his work at UNLV is his greatest legacy, Gagliardi's most popular work was as percussionist on Louis Armstrong's single "What a Wonderful World."Gagliardi passed away February 6, 2011 in Plano, Texas.
Source:
"Frank Louis Gagliardi." February 11, 2011. The Dallas Morning News. Accessed March 15, 2022. https://obits.dallasnews.com/us/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/name/frank-gagliardi-obituary?pid=148514112
Preferred Citation
Frank Gagliardi Music Manuscript Collections, approximately 1964-1974. MS-01095. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2022 by Ric Gagliardi; accession number 2022-016.
Processing Note
In 2022, Sarah Jones rehoused the material and created the finding aid in ArchivesSpace.