Boots Mussulli

Henry "Boots" Mussulli (November 18, 1915 in Milford, Massachusetts – September 23, 1967 in Norfolk, Massachusetts) was an American jazz saxophonist, based chiefly out of Boston. According to the Social Security files, he was born in 1915, not in 1917 as previously stated. Mussulli's first instrument was clarinet, which he first played at age 12. He played with Mal Hallett in Massachusetts around 1940, and joined Teddy Powell's group in 1943-44. He played with Stan Kenton from 1944 to 1947 and returned to play with Kenton again on tour in 1952 and 1954. He also played with Vido Musso, Gene Krupa (1948), Charlie Ventura (1949), Serge Chaloff, Toshiko Akiyoshi (1955), and Herb Pomeroy. In 1949, Mussulli opened a jazz club in his hometown, called "The Crystal Room". From the mid-1950s, he concentrated more on music education, leading a local youth orchestra, the Milford Youth Band, at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1967. He died of cancer shortly thereafter.

Birth and Death Data: Born Milford (town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States), Died September 23, 1967 (Massachusetts (state of the United States of America) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: saxophone, alto saxophone, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	D9VB-0284	10-in.	3/14/1949	Boptura	Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with scat singing	instrumentalist, saxophone, composer
Victor	D9VB-0285	10-in.	3/14/1949	Barney Google	Charlie Ventura Bop for the People	Male vocal solo, with vocal group and jazz/dance band	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-0286	10-in.	3/14/1949	Smoke gets in your eyes	Charlie Ventura Bop for the People	Instrumental ensemble	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-0469	10-in.	4/7/1949	Flamingo	Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Jazz septet, with scat singing	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-2144	10-in.	8/11/1949	Feather's den	Betty Bennett ; Beverly Brooks ; Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with scat singing	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-2145	10-in.	8/11/1949	Yankee clipper	Betty Bennett ; Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Female vocal solo, with vocal group and jazz/dance band	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-2310	10-in.	9/30/1949	High on an open mike	Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with scat singing	instrumentalist, saxophone
Victor	D9VB-2313	10-in.	9/30/1949	Ha	Charlie Ventura Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with scat singing	composer, instrumentalist, saxophone
Decca	83562		April 1949	Introduction and theme music-2: Yesterdays ; The peanut vendor	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83563		April 1949	Euphoria, part 1	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83564		April 1949	Euphoria, part 2	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83565		April 1949	Euphoria, part 3	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83566		April 1949	Fine and dandy	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83567		April 1949	East of Suez	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83568		April 1949	If I had you-1	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83569		April 1949	I'm forever blowing bubbles	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83570		April 1949	Pennies from heaven	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83571		April 1949	How high the moon, part 1	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83572		April 1949	How high the moon, part 2	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone
Decca	83573		April 1949	How high the moon, part 3	Charlie Ventura Septet		instrumentalist, alto saxophone

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mussulli, Boots," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/333145.

Mussulli, Boots. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/333145.

"Mussulli, Boots." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.