John Carisi

American trumpeter and composer

Jazz

Occupation(s)

Musician
composer
arranger

Instrument(s)TrumpetYears active1938–1992Labels

Impulse!
ABC-Paramount, Verve
Columbia

Musical artist

John E. Carisi (February 23, 1922 – October 3, 1992)^[1] was an American trumpeter and composer.

Early life and career

Carisi was born in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey on February 22, 1922,^[2] the youngest of three children born to John G. and Philomena Carisi.^[3]^[4] Raised in Jamaica, Queens, Carisi attended Jamaica High School,^[5] where he taught himself trumpet while playing in dance bands in 1937.^[6]

Early in his career, Carisi was a member of Herbie Fields's Orchestra (1938–1943) and Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band.^[2] After the war he worked with Ray McKinley, Claude Thornhill, Charlie Barnet, Urbie Green, and Benny Goodman, among others and studied with acclaimed composer Stefan Wolpe.

His minor-blues 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.^[2] Other notable versions have been recorded by Bill Evans, 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 that was released as Into the Hot under Gil Evans' name for Impulse! in 1961, and arranged Marvin Stamm's 1968 album Machinations.^[2]

Carisi also taught, at Queens College and later at Manhattan School of Music.^[7]

On October 3, 1992, at the age of 70, Carisi died in New York as a result of complications stemming from open heart surgery undergone in February of that year.^[5]

Selected discography

Urbie Green: All About Urbie Green and His Big Band (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
Miles Davis & Gil Evans Orchestra: Miles Ahead (Columbia, 1957)
Gil Evans: Gil Evans & Ten (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, Christian Wolff, Stefan Wolpe: Counterpoise (hat(now)ART; 2000)

References

^ "Obituary: Johnny Carisi". The Independent. London. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Larkin, Colin (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Publishing. pp. 414–415. ISBN 1-882267-01-X.
^ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMG1-TSS : accessed 18 November 2022), John G Carisi, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 58, sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll; FHL microfilm.
^ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQPQ-9ZK : 15 December 2019), John Carisi in household of John Carisi, Assembly District 4, Queens, New York City, Queens, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 41-1034, sheet 61A, line 5, family 8, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2739.
^ ^a ^b Mangaliman, Jessie (October 20, 1992). "John Carisi, Trumpeter, Composer". Newsday. p. 112. ProQuest 278551923. Mr. Carisi, 70, died Oct. 3. of complications following open heart surgery in March. He did not regain consciousness. He grew up in Jamaica, Queens and graduated from Jamaica High School. He started his musical career in 1939 with a band led by Carl Hoff, and went on to play with the Glenn Miller Air Force Band during World War II. He was associated with contemporary jazz pioneers such as Gil Evans, Dave Lambert, Gerry Mulligan and the young modernists at Minton's in Harlem.
^ Macero, Teo (1960). Liner notes, The New Jazz Sound of SHOW BOAT. via the Internet Archive.
^ McClellan, Lawrence (2004). The Later Swing Era, 1942-1955. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. p. 176. ISBN 0313301573.

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 ISBN 0-14-051521-6