When
Gerard Carelli was eight years old, his father (a non-musician but a lover of
jazz) came home with a trombone he bought for ten dollars. He sat Gerard and the
family in the eighth row at a Count Basie concert. Life was never the same.
“I remember being blown back in my chair by the sheer impact of sixteen musicians
twenty feet away playing as one.” When he was nine, he decided to learn an
instrument at school, but which one? The dilemma was solved by his practical Italian
father: “We already have a trombone, that’s what you’ll play.”
“Thanks, Pop, for that and for the fond memories of the many nights I played
for you in the basement.”
Born and raised in Ledgewood, New Jersey, Gerard formed his first band in high
school. He is a graduate of North Texas State University where he played and recorded
with the famed 1974 and Grammy nominated 1975 One O’clock Lab Band featuring
Lyle Mays.
Gerard Carelli’s professional experiences are wide and diverse. He has played
with the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, and Mel Torme. He is particularly
proud to have toured the world in 1979 playing trombone for Ray Charles before
moving to New York City the following year. “Listening to a master sing night
after night gave me the desire to become a singer.”
In New York he began playing Latin gigs with Manny Oquendo’s Con Junto Libre,
Hector Lavoe and Ray Barretto. “The Latin scene in NY is serious and I liked
that. There’s an intensity that forces you to reach down deep in your soul.”
He also recorded with Charlie Persip’s Superband and played with Gerry Mulligan’s
Big Band and Mel Lewis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
Gerard has played for numerous Broadway shows, with Cats, Starlight Express, Jerome
Robbins’ Broadway and 42nd Street to his credit. It was while playing for
the original production of 42nd Street in 1987 that he met his wife, dancer/choreographer
Linda Sabatelli. “She was very passionate about her art, as was I. She was
also beautiful and Italian…which didn’t hurt.”
To high acclaim, Gerard released his first CD in 1993, “Beautiful Dancer,”
a tribute to his own beautiful dancer, wife Linda.
During this period, Gerard put together a jazz/cabaret act, soon winning the devotion
of his many followers and high accolades from the industry. He has performed at
some of the finest supper clubs in Manhattan, including Firebird Café,
Eighty Eight’s, Judy’s and Danny’s. “Doing a show in an intimate
setting was frightening at first, but enabled me to tell my story and weave the
music around it…” And you will agree, what a story it is!
Among the many ‘gigs’ to his credit are a smashing seven-week engagement
at Michael’s Pub performing the music of Bobby Darin (he has, in fact, been
described as “Bobby Darin with a trombone.”) and an invitation to perform
at the 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series.
Gerard Carelli Orchestra, a favorite of the NY Swing Dance Society, is a ten-piece
ensemble featuring “sweet and hot” original arrangements of Dorsey,
Darin and Carelli favorites. Members of the orchestra are many of New York’s
“young lions.” “I love playing for dancers…they bring out
the best in us. When the dance floor is packed, I know it’s working!”
“It was an honor to have played for Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s
Swing in 1999 and 2002…very exciting with hundreds of dancers moving to the
music."
His magnificent release, “Lucky to Be Me,” a tribute to the other love
of his life, son Marcello, features trumpeter Randy Sandke, bassist Jay Leonhart
and pianist/arranger John Oddo, Rosemary Clooney’s pianist for fifteen years.
His class, versatility of style and easy way of making a song his own is evident
in the many other credits which have earned Gerard the respect and following of
his peers and audiences alike.
Gerard Carelli has been on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop since 1982.
He played at both the San Francisco and Stanford Jazz Festivals in 2002. “I
loved returning to California, where I lived and worked after college. It’s
always a special treat to play with my brother Bert, a saxophonist from Oakland,
and to spend time with him and his family.”
A sampling of Gerard’s appearances in Westchester County, NY, include the
Katonah Museum of Art, Caramoor, Neuberger Museum of Art and Northern Westchester
Center for the Arts.
Gerard and Linda are now the ultimately proud parents of three-year old Marcello.
They make their own beautiful music in Bedford Hills, New York. |
“Gerard Carelli is a spectacular talent…his new album is the kind
I would rush to buy.” Cy Coleman
“...some of the best known standards around. His playing has imagination
and style, with a good jazz feel.”
Matt Dennis
“He not only knows how to swing a vocal…he adds a sweet-and-low trombone
to the mix. Classy and classic.”
Patricia Myers, Jazz Times
“Gerard Carelli is the first combination trombonist-singer I’ve
seen since Billy Eckstine and he’s a talent on both ends.”
Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine
“..his voice
caresses rather than steamrolls a song…choice of repertoire for the show
was impeccable, an engaging mix of familiar and lesser known gems.”
George Kanzler, The Star Ledger
“I love his voice, reminiscent of Sinatra and Darin, and smooth, easy style.”
Roy Sander, Back Stage
“His voice is appealingly warm.”
Chip Deffaa, New York Post
“He performs beyond short term interest. He digs inside the meaning of
a song, giving each word a verbal image with great respect and lovingness.”
Jazz historian Herb Wong
|
