An excellent bop soloist, Sam Noto's late-'70s recordings for Xanadu briefly gave him a high profile in the U.S. Best-known in his early days as a big band player, Noto was with Stan Kenton (1955-1958), Louie Bellson (1959), back with Kenton (1960), and twice with Count Basie during 1964-1967. He spent much of 1969-1975 working in Las Vegas where he became acquainted with Red Rodney. Rodney used Noto on a 1974 recording and, although he moved to Toronto in 1975 (where he worked in the studios and regularly with Rob McConnell's Boss Brass into the early '80s), Noto gained some fame for his many recordings with Xanadu. Although appearing on records less often after that, Sam Noto remains quite active in Toronto. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi