Although he was not the first jazz baritone-saxophonist, Harry Carney achieved his goal of making
the instrument "necessary" in a big band. His tone was huge and definitive and his style mixed
together Coleman Hawkins and Adrian Rollini; he was also one of the first jazz musicians to master
circular breathing (which he generally used to hold an endless long note). Early on he played piano,
clarinet and alto before deciding on baritone. Carney joined Duke Ellington's Orchestra when he was
17 in 1927 and remained for over 46 years, passing away in 1974 a few months after Ellington.
Although he originally doubled on alto for Duke, added bass clarinet in later years and traditionally
took the clarinet solo on "Rockin' in Rhythm," he otherwise stuck exclusively to baritone. Other than
two obscure record dates as a leader, Harry Carney can only be heard on Duke
Ellington-associated recordings but he has many short solos and his presence was always felt in the
ensembles. -- Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide
Links to other sites on the Web
Real Audio of Carney on Jungle Jamboree
Get Harry Carney CD's
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