A skilled tenor saxophonist whose abilities never lifted him past the level of a dependable sideman, Frank Socolow moved fluidly between swing and emerging bebop. He entered the professional ranks in 1941 alongside Jack Melvin, then moved through engagements with Georgie Auld, Ted Fio Rito, Roy Stevens, Van Alexander, and Shep Fields. In 1944 he gained prominence in Boyd Raeburn’s Orchestra, an affiliation he resumed in 1948 and again from 1956 to 1957. Additional big-band work included the brief Buddy Rich ensemble and Chubby Jackson’s group, with whom he traveled through Scandinavia in 1947–1948. Between 1949 and 1950 he performed in Artie Shaw’s forward-looking large band, and in the closing years of the decade he appeared with Johnny Richards’ Orchestra.
Beyond these associations, Socolow contributed to recording sessions led by Raeburn, Rich, Jackson, Shaw, Richards, Sid Catlett, Johnny Bothwell, Buddy DeFranco, Charlie Ventura, Sal Salvador, Terry Gibbs, Cecil Payne, Manny Albam, Gene Krupa, Teddy Charles, and Joe Morello in 1961, among others. He also headed two dates under his own name: a 1945 quintet session that produced four titles featuring trumpeter Freddy Webster and pianist Bud Powell, and a 1956 sextet album for Bethlehem later reissued on CD by Fresh Sound. Even with this extensive activity, Socolow occupies only a marginal place in jazz annals.
