Joseph Richard Cinderella (June 14, 1927 – October 27, 2012) was an American

jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist (rhythm guitar) and lead guitar, soloist in small ...

and educator. Guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, writing for Allmusic.com, said of Cinderella: "He was a technically brilliant, original player who for long periods let his creative talents become obscured not by piles of soot and ash but by their musical equivalent, commercial studio jobs."

Career

Joe Cinderella was born into an Italian family in Newark, New Jersey, in 1927. He played mandolin, imitating his father, before picking up guitar when he was nine years old. He admired the music of Charlie Christian and

Eddie Lang Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro, October 25, 1902 – March 26, 1933) was an American musician who is credited as the father of jazz guitar. During the 1920s, he gave the guitar a prominence it previously lacked as a solo instrument, as p ...

, and he copied the licks of Django Reinhardt. He was drafted at the age of eighteen and lived at Camp Lee in Virginia. A staff sergeant who was interested in jazz guitar heard him playing. The sergeant gave him his own room, where he played guitar all day, and prevented him from being sent to Germany by putting him in a general's band as a drummer. He married Angela Cipulla and lived in

Paterson Paterson may refer to: People * Paterson (surname) * Paterson (given name) Places Australia *Paterson, New South Wales *Paterson River, New South Wales * Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales *Paterson, Queensland, a lo ...

while working as a musician in New York City. In 1954, they had a daughter, Daria, who also studied music. In the 1950s, Cinderella recorded extensively with saxophonist Gil Mellé, and he accompanied vocalist

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...

with double bassist Vinnie Burke. He worked as a session guitarist for much of the 1960s, appearing on music for radio, television, and film. As a studio musician Cinderella performed with the Beach Boys,

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

, and classical composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

. He taught guitar in a New Jersey college from 1969 and wrote several instructional books for jazz guitar. He self-released the album ''Concept'' in 2002. At William Paterson College he became a member of the adjunct faculty and helped establish the school's jazz guitar program. Previously a resident of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey,Rymer, John
"America's home grown music; Jazz: back to center stage"
''The Ridgewood News'', January 26, 1978. Accessed June 17, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "'The whole jazz feeling is even in pop music now,' said Joe Cinderella, a jazz guitarist from Upper Saddle River who once played at Birdland, 'and it's doing jazz a lot of good.'" Cinderella and his wife moved to a housing community in the Whiting section of Manchester Township, where he died from natural causes on October 27, 2012.

Discography

As sideman

With Vinnie Burke * ''East Coast Jazz 2'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Bass by Pettiford/Burke'' with Oscar Pettiford (Bethlehem, 1957) With

* ''Sings Lullabies for Lovers'' (Bethlehem, 1954) * ''Sings Lullabies of Birdland'' (Bethlehem, 1956) With Gil Mellé * '' Gil's Guests'' (Prestige, 1956) * ''

Patterns in Jazz ''Patterns in Jazz'' is an album by American saxophonist Gil Mellé recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1956) * '' Primitive Modern'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Quadrama'' (Prestige, 1957) * ''Waterbirds'' (Nocturne, 1970)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinderella, Joe 1927 births 2012 deaths American jazz guitarists American music arrangers United States Army personnel of World War II American jazz educators American male guitarists Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey People from Manchester Township, New Jersey People from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists Educators from New Jersey 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Military personnel from New Jersey