Harry Carney

Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney (right, 1946)
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb

Harry Howell Carney (born April 1, 1910 in Boston , Massachusetts , USA ; † October 8, 1974 in New York City ) was an American saxophonist and an important long-time member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra .

Life

Carney first learned the piano, clarinet and alto saxophone before switching to the baritone. He played in local bands in the Boston area from 1923. His childhood friends included Johnny Hodges and Charlie Holmes . At the age of 17 he joined the Ellington Orchestra in New York in 1927 after a brief stint with the Fess Williams Band and stayed there until his death. In addition to the baritone saxophone , a rather unusual jazz instrument at the time that he established with Ellington, he also played alto saxophone (originally he was engaged as second alto), clarinet (especially solo in rockin in rhythm ) in the Ellington Band, of which he was a co-composer) and bass clarinet . In the band he became a close friend and confidante of Duke Ellington, whom he later chauffeured. He died a few months after the death of Ellington, on whose death he said: “This is the worst day of my life. I now have nothing to live for ".

From left: Chris Gage, Louis Bellson, Stan "Cuddles" Johnson, Tony Gage, Fraser MacPherson, Harry Carney (1946)

In addition to recordings with Ellington, he also released two albums under his own name in 1954 ("Harry Carney with Strings", "Moods for girl and boy"), but is also on records by Johnny Hodges , Lionel Hampton , Teddy Wilson , Barney Bigard and Leonard Feather to hear the Metronome All Stars or Gerry Mulligan . Charles Mingus set a monument to him with his composition For Harry Carney (on the album "Changes").

Discographic notice

• Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live

Web links

• Short bio based on Scott Yanow, pictures ( Memento from July 9, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
• Harry Carney at Allmusic (English)
• Harry Carney at Discogs (English)