Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the
Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the
baritone saxophone, being a critical influence on the instrument in jazz.
Early life
Carney was born on April 1, 1910, in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts.
In Boston, he grew up close to future bandmate
Johnny Hodges
Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...
.
Carney began by playing the piano at age seven, moved to the clarinet at 14, and added the alto saxophone a year later.
He first played professionally in clubs in Boston.
Early influences on Carney's playing included
Buster Bailey
William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist.
Career history Early career
Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught Benny Goodman. Bailey gained his s ...
,
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic tempe ...
, and
Don Murray.
Carney also reported that, for his baritone saxophone playing, he "tried to make the upper register sound like
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...
and the lower register like
Adrian Rollini".
Later life and career
After playing a variety of gigs in New York City at the age of 17, Carney was invited to join the
Duke Ellington band for its performances in Boston in 1927.
He soon recorded with Ellington too, with a first session in October that year.
Having established himself in the Ellington band, he stayed with it for the rest of his life.
The band began a residency at the
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...
in New York at the end of the year.
After Ellington added more personnel in 1928, Carney's main instrument became the baritone saxophone.
He was a dominant figure on the baritone in jazz, with no serious rivals on the instrument until the advent of
bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
in the mid-1940s.
Within the overall sound of the Ellington band, Carney's baritone was often employed to play parts of harmonies that were above the obvious low pitching of the instrument; this altered the textures of the band's sound.
In January 1938, Carney was invited to play with
Benny Goodman's band at
Carnegie Hall.
Recordings from this event were released as ''
The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert'' by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, is a two- disc LP of swing and jazz music recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938. First issued in 1950, the landmark ...
''. Carney also took up the bass clarinet around 1944.
He "co-composed "
Rockin' in Rhythm" and was usually responsible for executing the bubbling clarinet solo on this tune".
In 1957, Carney was part of a band led by pianist
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...
that recorded the album ''
Taylor Made Jazz
''Taylor Made Jazz'' is an album by American jazz pianist Billy Taylor. It was recorded in Chicago on November 17, 1957 and released by the Argo label. The album includes members of Duke Ellington's orchestra performing arrangements by Johnny Pa ...
''.
Carney was the longest serving player in Ellington's orchestra.
On occasions when Ellington was absent or wished to make a stage entrance after the band had begun playing the first piece of a performance, Carney would serve as the band's conductor. The Ellington orchestra typically travelled on a tour bus, but Ellington himself did not; he was driven separately by Carney, a "quiet, calm presence".
Ellington wrote many showpiece features for Carney throughout their time together. In 1973 Ellington built the
Third Sacred Concert around Carney's baritone saxophone.
After Ellington's 1974 death, Carney said: "Without Duke I have nothing to live for".
Carney's final recording may have been under
Mercer Ellington
Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death.
Biography Early life and education
Ellin ...
's leadership, for the album ''Continuum''.
Four months after Ellington's death, Carney also died, on October 8, 1974, in New York.
Influence and legacy
Carney was an early jazz proponent of
circular breathing
Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while simultaneously pushing air through the mouth using air stored ...
.
He was also
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A mem ...
's favorite baritone player because he "never saw anybody else stop time" in reference to a concert Bluiett attended where Carney held a note during which all else went silent.
Two months after Carney's death, bassist
Charles Mingus recorded
Sy Johnson
Sivert Bertil Johnson Jr. (April 15, 1930 – July 26, 2022) was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist who worked with Charles Mingus in the 1960s and 1970s. He also worked with the Lee Konitz Nonet, among others. His work with Mingu ...
's elegy "For Harry Carney"; the track was released on the album ''
Changes Two
''Changes Two'' is an album by Charles Mingus. It was recorded on 27, 28, and 30 December 1974 at Atlantic Studios in New York City—the same sessions which resulted in Mingus's album '' Changes One''. Atlantic Records initially released the reco ...
''.
Discography
As leader
*''Harry Carney with Strings'' (Clef, 1954;
reissued by Verve as ''Moods for Girl and Boy'')
*''Rock Me Gently'' (
Columbia Records, 1960; recorded as "Harry Carney and the Duke's Men")
As sideman
With
Rosemary Clooney
*''
Blue Rose
A blue rose is a flower of the genus ''Rosa'' (family Rosaceae) that presents blue-to-violet pigmentation instead of the more common red, white, or yellow. Blue roses are often used to symbolize mystery or attaining the impossible. However, beca ...
'' (Columbia, 1956)
With
Duke Ellington
With
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
*''
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book'' is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, focusing on Ellington's songs.
Part of Fitzgerald's "Song Book" series, ...
'' (Verve, 1957)
With
Benny Goodman
*''
The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert'' by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, is a two- disc LP of swing and jazz music recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938. First issued in 1950, the landmark ...
'' (Columbia, 1938)
With
Jazz at the Philharmonic
Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP (1944–1983), was the title of a series of jazz concerts, tours and recordings produced by Norman Granz.
Over the years, "Jazz at the Philharmonic" featured many of the era's preeminent musicians, including Lou ...
*''
The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World
''The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World'' is a 1967 live album featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, T-Bone Walker, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry and Zoot Sims. It was released in 1975.
Billy Strayhorn's "B ...
'' (Pablo, 1967)
With
Johnny Hodges
Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...
*''
Used to Be Duke'' (Norgran, 1954)
*''
Creamy
Creamy were a Faroese-Danish teen-pop duo, composed of Rebekka Mathew and Rannva Joensen.
Their 1999 debut album, ''Creamy'', made when the pair were just thirteen years of age, was composed of euro-pop versions of children’s songs. In 2001 ...
'' (Norgran, 1955)
*''
Ellingtonia '56
''Ellingtonia '56'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances with members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded in 1956 and released on the Norgran label.[Duke's in Bed
''Duke's in Bed'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges with members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Verve label.] '' (Verve, 1956)
*''
The Big Sound'' (Verve, 1957)
*''
Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra
__NOTOC__
''Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra'' is a 1962 studio album by Johnny Hodges accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Billy Strayhorn. The album features many members of Duke Ellington's orchestra.
The album was reiss ...
'' (Verve, 1961)
*''Johnny Hodges at Sportpalast, Berlin'' (Pablo, 1961)
*''
Triple Play
In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season.
Th ...
'' (RCA Victor, 1967)
With
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...
*''
Taylor Made Jazz
''Taylor Made Jazz'' is an album by American jazz pianist Billy Taylor. It was recorded in Chicago on November 17, 1957 and released by the Argo label. The album includes members of Duke Ellington's orchestra performing arrangements by Johnny Pa ...
'' (Argo, 1959)
Main sources:
Notes
External links
Harry Carney recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carney, Harry
1910 births
1974 deaths
20th-century American musicians
20th-century clarinetists
20th-century saxophonists
American jazz clarinetists
American jazz saxophonists
Duke Ellington Orchestra members
Jazz baritone saxophonists
Jazz musicians from Massachusetts
Musicians from Boston
Swing clarinetists
Swing saxophonists