Bill Trujillo's love for music started very early in life, learning to read music before he could read words. Starting clarinet lessons at the age of 4, Trujillo switched to tenor saxophone after seeing Lester Young perform with Count Basie in Los Angeles. His mother, a dance teacher at the famous Palomar Ball Room in LA, regularly took Bill and his older brother to hear big bands when they were in residence at the Palomar, the Paramount and other popular L.A. show places.

After Lincoln High School, where his friend and classmate was Lennie Niehaus, Trujillo started his long professional career at the age of 16 with the West Coast-based Glenn Henry Band, which also boasted a young trombone player named Jimmy Knepper. During the 1940's, Trujillo played with Alvino Rey and other West Coast groups. In 1953 he joined Woody Herman with whom he remained until the following year when Bill Russo beckoned and Trujillo joined the Russo Quintet, then playing in Chicago. Eventually finding the Windy City too cold, he returned to L.A. where he played in the orchestras of Charlie Barnet, Jerry Gray and gigged with small groups.

At the behest of his long-time friend Lennie Niehaus, Trujillo joined Stan Kenton band in 1958, where he soloed on such Kenton pieces as "Men from Mars" and "Walking Shoes". However, road trips, often lasting a year or more, put too much of a strain on his young family. Trujillo moved to Las Vegas in 1960 to play with Nat Brandywynne and he has been there ever since. He became a mainstay in show orchestras at such important Las Vegas venues as the Tropicana, Flamingo, Thunderbird and the Dunes. He played behind Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and many other name players who were mainstays at Las Vegas show palaces. After a labor dispute in 1989 dried up this source of work, Trujillo returned to playing in big bands and small groups throughout the country, while also expanding his clinic and masterclass repertoire. Currently he also teaches clarinet, flute and all saxophones in Las Vegas.

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• Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California
• Wife: Claudia
• Children: Nicholas, Michelle and Lisa
• Grandchildren: Jennifer, Deana and Skylar
• Instruments: Tenor and soprano saxes, clarinet and flute

Education:

Lincoln High School, Los Angeles, California
Westlake Music College
Los Angeles City College

Union Affiliations:

Los Angeles Local 47 (Life Member)
and Las Vegas Local 369 American Federation of Musicians