Pat Rizzo obit

Pat Rizzo, Palm Springs saxophonist and former Sly and the Family Stone member, dies at 79

 

She was not on the list.

Pat Rizzo, a Palm Springs resident and saxophonist who played with Sly and the Family Stone, War, Tito Puente and Frank Sinatra, died on Thursday. He was 79.

Born in New York on Nov. 30, 1941, Rizzo grew up in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens and moved to Palm Springs in 1972. He was a member of Sly and the Family Stone from 1970-75.

His daughter, Nina Rizzo, said his death followed a five-year battle with cancer.

In recent years, Rizzo played shows in Palm Springs at The Purple Room Supper Club and the now closed Three Sixty North Lounge and Restaurant, and Vicky's of Santa Fe in Indian Wells.

In 2016, he was given a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars at 360 North Palm Canyon Drive, in front of what is now InKa Peruvian Cuisine.

Nina Rizzo said her father considered Palm Springs "his sanctuary."

"He is a legend in this town and he had affiliations with many charities and foundations," she said. "He did stuff for everybody. I don't think he had one enemy in this town."

Palm Springs radio personality Jimi Fitz of CV104.3, a longtime friend of Pat Rizzo's, said he was the first musician he met after moving to Palm Springs from New York in the late '80s.

"What a music legacy and what an impact he had on so many musicians and fans here in this desert," Fitz said Friday. "He was always great with the fans and always had time to speak with people."

Singer and songwriter Mike Costley described performing with Rizzo as "performing with a genius," adding he worked with Sly and the Family Stone and Frank Sinatra at the same time.

"The guy was exceptional and I don't think he knew how exceptional he was. He could play jazz and rock 'n' roll," Costley said.

According to previous reporting by The Desert Sun, Rizzo earned his chops on the bebop of Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan.

He attended the Manhattan School of Music where he studied classical flute, clarinet and saxophones. He also learned piano as a kid while listening to his mother, Mary Rizzo, a concert pianist from Gioia Del Colle, Italy.

Here are more excerpts about Rizzo from a 2016 story written by retired Desert Sun entertainment reporter Bruce Fessier when Rizzo was honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars:

Rizzo, in 1970, was "recommended to replace a saxophonist in the groundbreaking funk band Sly and the Family Stone. Sly Stone called him into his bathroom and asked if he was any good. Rizzo said yeah and Sly gave him the job without hearing him play. One night, they went to a recording studio and Rizzo watched Sly jam with Jimi Hendrix. After that, they dreamed of fusing rock and funk with jazz. They started stretching funk in a new jazz direction until drugs famously destroyed Sly’s career, just as they killed Hendrix.

"Rizzo had moved to Los Angeles to be near Sly and started hanging out at a Hollywood club called Sneaky Pete’s, partly owned by Joe Howard, owner of the celebrity haunt, Howard’s Manor, in Palm Springs. Rizzo met pianist Frankie Randall at Sneaky Pete’s and they became lifelong friends. Both had played at Jilly’s restaurant in New York, owned by Frank Sinatra’s best friend, Jilly Rizzo. Jilly took such a shine to Pat, they called each other 'distant cousins.'

"One day, Pat got a call to play a gig at the Trinidad Hotel in Palm Springs. He showed up and only saw Sinatra in the audience. It turned out the Rancho Mirage resident was auditioning him for his big band. He got the gig, but didn’t have to do swing music exclusively. He went back into the studios and became an in-demand session player.

"Rizzo joined another group in 1978 for one more opportunity to stretch the envelope of pop music. The East L.A. band, War, had recorded a slew of hits ranging from the chill Latin funk of 'Spill the Wine,' with Eric Burdon on vocals, to the Chicano anthem, 'Low Rider.' Rizzo and harmonica player Lee Oskar dreamed of adding jazz to their mix of Latin, rock, R&B and funk, and they created compelling harmonies before that band also imploded amid management problems and creative differences.

"But Rizzo was to make an even bigger impact on Palm Springs. After discovering the desert with the Cuff Links, and auditioning for Sinatra, Rizzo bought a home near Randall and Sinatra in Rancho Mirage. Then he took his Sly & the Family Stone money and co-founded Palm Springs’ first disco, Pal Joey’s supper club. He turned himself into a Palm Springs character as unique as Mel Haber or Frank Bogert. He became The Riz.

"Pat used his knowledge of what was popular in disco to program Pal Joey’s music. Hanna said Sinatra and Bob Hope came in because the celebrities were curious about this new phenomena. But mostly, it was a hangout for young people.

"Zelda’s and Cecil’s followed in its footsteps and Palm Springs became a disco town. Unfortunately, Rizzo said, its success wasn’t good for his marriage. As his friend and business partner Joe Hanna put it, 'He became a test pilot for Constable Mattresses.' With Pal Joey’s going strong, Riz went back on the road with War."

Rizzo's survivors include his children Nina, Lori and P.J., siblings Rosemarie and Frank, his two grandchildren Samantha and Michele, first cousin Joanne and his "favorite gal" Bonnie Kramer.

There will be a private family ceremony at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Palm Springs with a Celebration of Life and Memorial to be announced at a future date.