Harry Carney

[Chuck Nessa]

My all time favorite.

[flat5]

Chauffeur?

[montg]

There may be an inside joke here, in which case it's flying over my head. Nevertheless, in praise of Harry Carney.... AGRA, Far East Suite...timeless beauty.

[Chuck Nessa]

No inside joke and he did drive for Duke.

[flat5]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harry Howell Carney (1910 - 1974) was a jazz baritone saxophone player best known for his 45-

year tenure in Duke Ellington's band. Carney started off in Ellington's band playing alto, but

soon switched to the baritone. His strong, steady saxophone often serves as the anchor of

Duke's music. He also played bass clarinet on occasion.

Harry Howell Carney was born in 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. At seventeen he ran off to join

Duke Ellington's orchestra starting first on clarinet and eventually moving on to Baritone

Saxophone. Even at that age he was the "master of the deep-voiced baritone saxophone".

Carney was the longest lasting player in Duke Ellington's band. He was always there and on

occasions when Ellington was missing he took over as conductor, particularly when Ellington

wished to make a stage entrance after the band had begun playing the first piece of a

performance. Ellington and Carney were close friends. The majority of their careers they rode

together in Carney's car to concerts, allowing Ellington to come up with new ideas.

Fictionalised accounts of these road trips are documented in Geoff Dyer's But Beautiful.

Ellington wrote a number of 'show-piece' features for Carney throughout their time together,

such as “Frustration” circa 1944/45. This was typical of Ellington's ability to exploit the

voices of his most treasured soloists by creating works that were tailored specifically to the

individual rather than being for a generic baritone saxophonist. In addition, Ellington would

sometimes feature Carney's robust renditions of the melodies of such hits as "Sophisticated

Lady" and "In A Mellow Tone." It has to be said, however, that in later years Carney's voice

was heard a little less as a soloist than it was in the 1930s. This is perhaps owing to the

presence from late 1939 onwards of an additional tenor saxophonist (the most important of these

being Ben Webster and later Paul Gonsalves), further increasing the pool of star soloists in

the orchestra. It was also in the early 1940s, after this increase to five reed players in the

Ellington orchestra, that Carney ceased using the alto saxophone and Johnny Hodges ceased

playing the soprano saxophone. Carney's clarinet continued to be deployed in the well-known

composition “Rockin' in Rhythm” for which he is also credited as a co-composer. This was one of

the 'work-horses' of the Ellington orchestra that remained in the band books throughout its

life on the road.

While not the first baritone saxophonist in jazz, Carney was certainly the first major

performer on the instrument, and his sound influenced several generations of musicians.

Throughout his career Carney played saxophones by the manufacturer C.G. Conn, and like other

jazz musicians was known to offer endorsements of his preferred brand. Photographic evidence

suggests that the mouthpieces he used were predominantly those of the Woodwind Company of New

York. The combination of such a large-chambered mouthpiece and the Conn brand of baritone

saxophone was certainly a factor in the production of his enormous, rich tone.

He was an early jazz proponent of circular breathing. He was also Hamiet Bluiett's favourite

Baritone Saxophone player because he "never saw anybody else stop time"[1] in reference to a

concert Bluiett attended where Carney held a note during which all else went silent.

Carney made a few recordings as a bandleader, and also recorded with Lionel Hampton.

[montg]

No inside joke and he did drive for Duke.

Gotcha. The joke is on me, a little slower on the uptake than ususal tonight, I guess

[Randy Twizzle]

Throughout his career Carney played saxophones by the manufacturer C.G. Conn, and like other

jazz musicians was known to offer endorsements of his preferred brand.

He makes an unbilled cameo appearance in this trombone ad

[Uncle Skid]

The driving discussion reminds me of some wonderful, evocative passages in "But Beautiful", by Geoff Dyer.

Oh, and the music is pretty good, too!

[Kalo]

The driving discussion reminds me of some wonderful, evocative passages in "But Beautiful", by Geoff Dyer.

Oh, and the music is pretty good, too!

Geez, but there's a quick and sharp bunch here on Organissimo Forums.

That's just what I was going to say, Uncle Skid. All who have not read it should seek out Geoff Dyer's "But Beautiful' immediately. One of the best jazz books ever.

Harry Carney has to be one of the secret heroes of all of jazz. Irving Berlin asked, "How Deep is the Ocean?" I'd have to reply: not as deep as Harry Carney! THE anchorman of Ellington's Orchestra.

(Not to mention a DAMN fine chauffeur! After all, has anyone heard of Duke missing an engagement owing to an accident or delay in all those years?)

[White Lightning]

Harry Carney has to be one of the secret heroes of all of jazz. Irving Berlin asked, "How Deep is the Ocean?" I'd have to reply: not as deep as Harry Carney! THE anchorman of Ellington's Orchestra.

Here's a compatible quote by Carney:

I actually tried to get a sound as big as Adrian Rollini, who was playing bass sax at that time . . . so I suppose whatever sound I get goes back to that.

[Quincy]

Just last night I put on the octect part of the "Intimate Ellington" dvd (Copenhagen '67) where Carney is featured on a song and thought how damn terrific it is to have him along with Hodges and Gonsalves. I've been doing data entry lately and perhaps it's because his name is close in spelling to a drunken thick lensed late (baseball) Cub announcer's name is why I first noticed it when reading credits years ago, but once I started listening him went well beyond that. I don't know what to say without blabbing on or spouting cliches, but the talent in Ellington's bands combined with the writing...man we are such lucky bums to have that in our lives.

Awed by Carney, Ellington, and a wee bit over the line on the scotch.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Quincy

[EKE BBB]

Thanks for starting this thread, Chuck.

Count me as a Harry Carney die-hard fan!

The sound of Duke Ellington's orchestra wouldn´t have been the same without him. I only regret he didn't record more as a leader...

To my knowledge these are his only leader dates:

-the "Harry Carney's Big Eight" HRS from 1946

-the Wax date from 1947 (two sides)

-two sides recorded by Norman Granz for the Jazz Scene album

-the "Harry Carney with strings" disc (despite negative opinions, I love this album)

-the "Harry Carney and the Dukes men" (1958)

[jazzbo]

Amazing player!

It's astonishing to realize how important he was to that sax section sound (which was a very distinctive section). And solo he was like no one else.

I treasure the Bell Telephone Hour video I have of the Orchestra and he has a few reallly nice segments soloing on that.

[Alexander Hawkins]

I have a weakness for the Harry Carney with strings session...

[Alexander Hawkins]

...to boot, it's got him on bass clarinet, and he's got a f-ing huge sound on that horn, too!

[EKE BBB]

Throughout his career Carney played saxophones by the manufacturer C.G. Conn, and like other

jazz musicians was known to offer endorsements of his preferred brand.

[EKE BBB]

Throughout his career Carney played saxophones by the manufacturer C.G. Conn, and like other

jazz musicians was known to offer endorsements of his preferred brand.

[BruceH]

Yes, one of the Big Four on baritone sax, and also one of those brilliant Boston jazz musicians.

[jazztrain]

The "Harry Carney and the Dukes Men" session is from 1960.

Thanks for starting this thread, Chuck.

Count me as a Harry Carney die-hard fan!

The sound of Duke Ellington's orchestra wouldn´t have been the same without him. I only regret he didn't record more as a leader...

To my knowledge these are his only leader dates:

-the "Harry Carney's Big Eight" HRS from 1946

-the Wax date from 1947 (two sides)

-two sides recorded by Norman Granz for the Jazz Scene album

-the "Harry Carney with strings" disc (despite negative opinions, I love this album)

-the "Harry Carney and the Dukes men" (1958)

[king ubu]

Been playing Carney all evening now (mostly from 50s Ellington albums), after having listened to the marvellous strings album again in the afternoon. Also played the two Ellington sides from "The Jazz Scene" (on the album, Ellington is billed as leader, the discographies list them under Carney's name - how come?)

Also played the Wax sides and the three tracks from the Jimmy Hamilton Blue Note session that are included on the "Blue Note Swingtets" CD, and also the fine Timme Rosenkrantz date on Vol. 2 of Storyville's great Continental Sessions discs.

Will also dig out the HRS and Capitol Mosaics (the later for the Rex Stewart and Louie Bellson) later.

What are your favourite Carney moments? What are his finest moments with Ellington? Most loved solos?

One of the best from the music I've played this evening must be his solo in the first part of "Black, Brown & Beige" - what a marvellously constructed solo! And the tempo is just perfect (the alternate seemed much too fast!)

[king ubu]

Oh, and is "The Duke's Men" available on any CD?

[flat5]

A friend of mine, Maarten Stuurman, has Harry Carney's "Frustration" piece memorized. He plays it on bari.

[AllenLowe]

when I lived in Cambridge in 1973, Carney was listed in the Boston phone book, so I called up to see if I could do an interview for a magazine I was writing for there. I called every month for about 6 months, and a nice lady always told me he wasn't home and she wasn't sure when he'd be home. Then I gave up.

[Peter Friedman]

Thanks for starting this thread, Chuck.

Count me as a Harry Carney die-hard fan!

The sound of Duke Ellington's orchestra wouldn´t have been the same without him. I only regret he didn't record more as a leader...

To my knowledge these are his only leader dates:

-the "Harry Carney's Big Eight" HRS from 1946

-the Wax date from 1947 (two sides)

-two sides recorded by Norman Granz for the Jazz Scene album

-the "Harry Carney with strings" disc (despite negative opinions, I love this album)

-the "Harry Carney and the Dukes men" (1958)

I am in full agreement. When one considers his longevity as a jazz musician, and the great respect he engendered, it is somewhat

strange that he recorded so rarely as a leader.

[king ubu]

another great Carney spot is to be found on "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" on this one:

Duke Ellington - Unknown Session (Columbia, rec. 1960)

This is a lovely septet session with Nance, Brown (the star of the first half), Hodges (second half), Carney, Bell and Woodyard. Carney is heard on a few others as well, including the opening "Everything But You" and some of the Hodges features, and he plays the opening theme of "Something to Live for".