* Nick Fatool; Big Band Jazz Drummer

Nick Fatool, 85, jazz drummer who played with a succession of top-ranked big bands in the late 1930s and early ‘40s. Born in Milbury, Mass., Fatool began drumming while in high school in Providence, R.I. After playing with pianist Joe Haymes in New York City in 1937, he hit the big time with Benny Goodman, appearing on many of the recordings made by Goodman’s sextet in the late 1930s and early ‘40s. He went on to work with Artie Shaw and was prominent on the original recording of Shaw’s noted work “Concerto for Clarinet.” Fatool moved to California and found work in the movies in the early 1940s. He also played with big bands led by Bob Crosby and Harry James and recorded with Louis Armstrong. A versatile musician, he made a living in his later years appearing in Dixieland bands led by Pete Fountain and other top names of that genre. He appeared at festivals in Aspen, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego. On Tuesday in Van Nuys.