Harry Carney

Harry Carney
From left: Chris Gage, Louie Bellson, Stan "Cuddles" Johnson, Tony Gage, Fraser MacPherson, Harry Carney. (Photo from the Fred MacPherson estate.)
Background information
Born	(1910-04-01)April 1, 1910
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts
Died	October 8, 1974(1974-10-08) (aged 64)
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
Years active	1930s - 1970s
Associated acts	Duke Ellington,

Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was an American jazz musician whose chief instrument was the baritone saxophone, although he also performed on clarinet and bass clarinet, in addition to the alto saxophone in the early years of his career. Mainly known for his 45-year tenure in Duke Ellington's Orchestra, Carney's strong, steady saxophone often served as the anchor of Duke's music.

Early years

Harry Howell Carney was born in 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. He began on the piano at age six, moved to the clarinet at 13, and added the alto saxophone a year later. He grew up next door to his future Ellington bandmate Johnny Hodges, four years his elder, who was an early influence on his music. His other main influences included clarinetists Buster Bailey and Don Murray and saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Adrian Rollini. . After playing a variety of gigs in New York City at the age of 17, Carney joined Ellington in Boston. He initially played alto and doubled on clarinet while Otto Hardwick handled the baritone parts.

Carney and Duke

Carney was the longest serving player in Duke Ellington's orchestra. On occasions when Ellington was absent or wished to make a stage entrance after the band had begun playing the first piece of a performance, Carney would serve as the band's conductor. 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. Fictionalized accounts of these road trips are documented in Geoff Dyer's But Beautiful.

Ellington wrote a number of showpiece features for Carney throughout their time together, such as "Frustration" (c. 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". In 1973 Ellington built the Third Sacred Concert around Carney's baritone saxophone.

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 a regular 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. After Ellington's 1974 death, Carney said: "This is the worst day of my life. Without Duke I have nothing to live for." Four months later, Carney also died.

Technical Innovations

Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney, Aquarium NYC, c. November 1946.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb.

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 he played saxophones manufactured by 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. (His preferred model may have been that company's 'Sparkle-Aire' 5.) 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, which he may have modelled on that of the (larger) bass saxophone.

He was an early jazz proponent of circular breathing. He was also Hamiet Bluiett's favorite baritone 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 leader, and also recorded with Lionel Hampton.

Discography

With Billy Taylor

• Taylor Made Jazz (Argo, 1959)

References

• Frankl, Ron (1988). Duke Ellington. New York: Chelsea House. 079100208x. 
• Bacon, Tony; John Morrish (1998). The Sax & Brass Book. Hong Kong: Miller Freeman. 

• Williamson, Don. "Interview with Bluiett" (Interview). Retrieved March 7, 2006.