Bio

John Ruocco was born in 1952 in New Haven, Connecticut. He has performed with artiests such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Farmer, Slide Hampton, Ed Soph, Beaver Harris, Teddy Edwards, Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine, Joe Lovano, Billy Hart, Kenny Werner, Charles Loos, Bert Joris, Peter Hertmans, Richard Rousselet, Michel Herr and the ACT Big Band.

He gave concerts at festivals in Berlin, Middelheim, Brussels, Oostende, Gouvy, Belga, Brosella and the North Sea Jazz Festival. He made regular TV and radio appearences with the Belgian National Radio Orchestra in Belgium, Germany and France. In 1983 he toured through Zaire with support from the Belgian Ministry of Culture.

He recorded a large number of albums with Peter Herbolzheimer, ACT Bigband, Felix Simtaine, Charles Loos, Richard Rousselet, Christine Schaller, Hein van de Geyn, Philippe Aerts, Peter Hertmans, Frank Vaganee and others.

From 1981 to 1985 he taught at the Royal Conservatoire in Liege, gave various clinics and workshops in America and Europe, gave lessons at the Jazz Studio in Antwerp from 1981 to 1989 and taught summer internships in Dworp from 1980 to 1989.

Since 1987 he has been employed at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague as saxophone teacher, combo teacher, and since the begin of the 1990s is permanent leader/conductor of the Big Band Royal Conservatoire.