Al Belletto is an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 saxophonist and clarinetist.

Belletto was raised in New Orleans, where he led his own bands as a college student; he eventually obtained a master's degree from Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

. He played with Sharkey Bonano

Sharkey Bonano

Joseph "Sharkey" Bonano was a jazz trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist....

, Louis Prima

Louis Prima

Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...

, Wingy Manone

Wingy Manone

Wingy Manone was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. His major recordings included "Tar Paper Stomp", "Nickel in the Slot", "Downright Disgusted Blues", "There'll Come a Time ", and "Tailgate Ramble".- Biography :Manone was born Joseph Matthews Mannone in New Orleans,...

 and the Dukes of Dixieland

Dukes of Dixieland

Dukes of Dixieland was a New Orleans dixieland revival band formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records featured Jack Maheu, clarinet; Stanley Mendelsohn, piano; Tommy Rundell, drums; and...

 in the 1940s and 1950s, then led his own band for several albums on Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 from 1952. He and his ensemble became part of Woody Herman

Woody Herman

Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...

's band for State Department tours of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 in 1958-59.

Discography

• The Al Belletto Sextette (Capitol Records
  Capitol Records
  Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
  
  , 1955)
• Half and Half (Capitol, 1956)
• Whisper Not (Capitol, 1957)
• Coach's Choice (ART Records, 1973)
• Jazznocracy (Louisiana Red Hot, 1998)

In the 1960s, Belletto wore two "hats" at the New Orleans Playboy Club; fronting the house band, as well as Musical/Entertainment Director. As Entertainment Director, one of his responsibilities was to book nationally-known acts into the venue. In 1974, Al Belletto's Jazz Band was the featured act at the Prime Quest Supper Club in New Orleans. Because of rave reviews by both critics and audiences, what began as a two week stint, became a four months' engagement.