John E. Carisi (February 23, 1922 – October 3, 1992) was an American trumpeter and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
.
Early life and career
Carisi was born in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey on February 22, 1922,Larkin, Colin (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music '. Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Publishing. pp. 414–415. . the youngest of three children born to John G. and Philomena Carisi. Raised in
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...
, Carisi attended Jamaica High School, where he taught himself trumpet while playing in dance bands in 1937.Macero, Teo (1960) "Liner notes, ''The New Jazz Sound of SHOW BOAT''". Internet Archive.
Early in his career, Carisi was a member of Herbie Fields's Orchestra (1938–1943) and
Glenn Miller
Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
, among others and studied with acclaimed composer
Stefan Wolpe
Stefan Wolpe (25 August 1902, Berlin – 4 April 1972, New York City) was a German-Jewish-American composer. He was associated with interdisciplinary modernism, with affiliations ranging from the Bauhaus, Berlin agitprop theater and the kibbutz mo ...
.
His
minor
Minor may refer to:
* Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities.
** A person who has not reached the age of majority
* Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education
Music theory
*Minor chord
** Barb ...
-
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
composition " Israel" was quickly recognized as a unique jazz classic, after it was recorded by Miles Davis at the sessions which later became known as the '' Birth of the Cool.'' Other notable versions have been recorded by
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
, and the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band. Another well known Carisi piece, "Springsville", was recorded by Miles Davis, as arranged by Gil Evans on the album, '' Miles Ahead''.
In 1957, he arranged the music for Urbie Green's album, ''All About Urbie Green''. He shared an album with
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet.
Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...
Impulse!
Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...
in 1961, and arranged Marvin Stamm's 1968 album ''Machinations''.
Carisi also taught, at
Queens College
Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...
and later at
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...
.McClellan, Lawrence (2004). The Later Swing Era, 1942 - 1955 '. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. p. 176. .
On October 3, 1992, at the age of 70, Carisi died in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
as a result of complications stemming from open heart surgery undergone in February of that year.
All About Urbie Green and His Big Band
''All About Urbie Green and His Big Band'' (also referred to as ''All About Urbie''), is an album by trombonist Urbie Green which was recorded in 1956 and released on the ABC Records, ABC-Paramount label.Miles Ahead'' (Columbia, 1957)
* Gil Evans: ''
Gil Evans & Ten
''Gil Evans & Ten'' (also released as ''Big Stuff'' and ''Gil Evans + Ten'') is the first album by pianist, conductor, arranger and composer Gil Evans as a leader, released on the Prestige label in 1957. It features Evans' arrangements of five sta ...
'' (Prestige, 1957)
* John Carisi: ''The New Jazz Sound of Showboat'' (Columbia, 1960)
* Gil Evans: '' Into the Hot'' (Impulse! Records; 1961)
* Marvin Stamm: ''Machinations'' (Verve, 1968)
* John Carisi,
Eddie Sauter
Edward Ernest Sauter (December 2, 1914 – April 21, 1981) was a composer and arranger during the swing era.
Biography
Sauter studied music at Columbia University and the Juilliard School. He began as a drummer and then played trumpet profession ...
, Christian Wolff, Stefan Wolpe: ''Counterpoise'' (hat(now)ART; 2000)
References
Literature
* Hentoff, Nat: ''Liner Notes'' to ''Into The Hot'' (Impulse!, 1961)
* Morton, Richard & Cook, Brian: ''The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD'', Second Edition, 1994 & Sixth Edition, London, Penguin, 2002