News and events about Joe:
MCG Jazz announces the release of Uptown Elegance (MCGJ 1015), a new recording by Joe Negri. Joe Negri is one of the most recognized names in Pittsburgh music and one of the finest jazz guitarists in the country. Only the fourth CD recording of Negri’s 60 year career, Uptown Elegance was an ambitious undertaking – four years in the making. Recorded both live and in studio at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Uptown Elegance features Negri in a variety of musical settings, showcasing his versatility. Additionally, guest artists on the album include Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs and Gerry Niewood and an all-star big band.
Joe Negri, commented, “Working with Terry [Gibbs] and Buddy [DeFranco], whom I have admired for a very long time, and the great player and composer, Gerry Niewood, has been a real thrill.”
The songs chosen for Uptown Elegance are tunes Negri has felt close to all of his life such as “Gone With The Wind,” “Solitude” and “It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” by Fred Rogers – with whom Negri worked closely with for over 30 years on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Negri turned to long-time musical associate and former Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University, Dr. John Wilson, for many of the arrangements on Uptown Elegance. Wilson’s arrangements range from a 17-piece big band setting on “Sweet and Lovely,” “The Best Thing For You” and “So In Love,” to an unique treatment of “How My Heart Sings” and “A Weaver Of Dreams” featuring a trombone choir.
Uptown Elegance is a Pittsburgh product through and through, from the artist, Joe Negri; the arranger, John Wilson; the record label, MCG Jazz; to the funding. Uptown Elegance was funded in part by Mellon Financial Corporation. Mellon Jazz has an indelible history of supporting projects specially related to the presentation and ongoing education of jazz.
“This project epitomizes two of the most important features of our Mellon Jazz program: the outstanding quality of the jazz programming provided by our not-for-profit partners, and the enormous talent of local jazz artists,” said James P. McDonald, Mellon 1st vice president and director of community affairs. “On both counts we’re extremely proud of our participation in Uptown Elegance; MCG’s new CD is a wonderful showcase for the artistry of one of our distinguished Mellon Jazz Community Award recipients.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2004
Joe Negri will be among the honories receiving the "Elsie Award" from the the Hillman Foundation tonight at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. The Elsie Awards are presented by WQED Multimedia and community leader and philanthropist Elsie Hillman to honor people whose life's work has demonstrated love of community, compassion for others and using communication to have a positive impact on society. Elsie is a WQED past chairperson, Trustee Emeritus and long-time supporter, along with her husband Henry.
Visitors to the Center for American Music in the Stephen Foster Memorial shouldn’t be surprised if they find Joe Negri browsing there.
Negri, a nationally known Pittsburgh musician, has donated his lifetime collection of music manuscripts, a number of recordings, and other items to the University of Pittsburgh. These treasures now are part of the Joe Negri Collection.
A self-proclaimed “hopeless pack rat,” Negri said the decision to part with his memorabilia was a difficult one.
“My family was instrumental in getting me to give up some of my stuff,” he said. And now that his work is inventoried and archived at the center, Negri is more than pleased.
“If I ever need anything — say I want to see the score I wrote for a WTAE special on planting trees in Israel — I know where to find it,” he said. “If I had kept everything, it probably would have disintegrated.”
An adjunct music professor at Pitt and Duquesne University, Negri was talking one day with friend Deane Root, director of the center and a Pitt professor of American music history, about what he had packed away in the basement of his home. Root told him the center would love to house a Joe Negri Collection.
“In aggregate,” said Root, “the collection is impressive to see. Looking at all of the work Negri did for radio, television, corporations, and theater, you get an understanding of how a celebrated musician has created and maintained his career.”
Born in Pittsburgh, Negri began playing guitar as a child and went on the road as a performer in his teens. After a stint in the army, he returned to Pittsburgh and earned a degree in music composition from Carnegie Mellon University in the 1950s.
Negri’s collection includes his first composition — a war bonds jingle he wrote and performed with a friend while they were high school students in the South Hills — and an oral history recorded with Root. The collection also features many of Negri’s original handwritten manuscripts and arrangements of music by other composers, including Stephen Foster.
Negri still performs concerts for adults and children and believes his broadest audience comes from his appearances on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He said he’s happy to share storage space with local and national musicians, many of them inspired by Stephen Foster.
“I’m really honored that they’ve taken my collection in a place I love and admire very much,” he said.
— Emily Tipping
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