Harry Carney

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

Life

Carney initially studied piano, clarinet and alto saxophone before he moved to the baritone. He played from 1923 in local bands in the Boston area. His childhood friends included Johnny Hodges and Charlie Holmes. At age 17, he entered New York in 1927 after a brief stint with the band Fess Williams 's orchestra at Ellington and remained there until his death. In addition to the baritone saxophone, a then rather unusual jazz instrument, which he established in Ellington, he played in the Ellington band and alto saxophone (originally he was a second Alt involved ), clarinet (especially solo in Rockin ' in Rhythm, whose co-composer he was) and bass clarinet. In the band, he was a close friend and confidant of Duke Ellington, he also chauffeured later. He died a few months after the death of Ellington's, and at his death he said: "This is the worst day of my life. I now have nothing to live for. "

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

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