Local jazz saxophone great Tony Campise, who was nominated for a Grammy in 1992 for his “Once In a Blue Moon" LP, died Sunday morning at University Medical Center Brackenridge a day after having a brain hemorrhage. Campise, 67, never fully recovered from an October fall outside a Corpus Christi hotel, where he hit the back of his head. He had shown signs of improvement, even playing the sax to the delight of his nurses at Texas Neuro Rehab Center, but after having a third brain surgery last month, he became unresponsive, said his close friend and booking agent, Mike Mordecai.
Campise was unable to attend a Feb. 21 benefit in his honor at Antone's.
A Houston native, Campise settled in Austin in 1984 after several years on the road with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Besides a five-nights-a-week gig on Sixth Street, he also backed such legends as Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan .
“There were six jazz clubs on Sixth Street at the time, but there wasn't a close-knit scene," Mordecai said Sunday.
“Tony was the needle that sewed us all together."
Campise was unable to attend a Feb. 21 benefit in his honor at Antone's.
A Houston native, Campise settled in Austin in 1984 after several years on the road with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Besides a five-nights-a-week gig on Sixth Street, he also backed such legends as Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan .
“There were six jazz clubs on Sixth Street at the time, but there wasn't a close-knit scene," Mordecai said Sunday.
“Tony was the needle that sewed us all together."
