Dom Minasi
It’s not common to hear a guitarist mentioned in the same vein as adventurous players like Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor, but Dom Minasi is not your common type of guitarist. Like many highly creative artists, Dom needs a variety of contexts to express the full range of his musical vision by maintaining several separate groups, Born on March 6, 1943 (sharing a birthday with legendary guitarist Wes Montgomery), Dom is a 50-year veteran of the music scene, with a history and scope of activities as varied and jam-packed as his native New York City.
Backing up top singing groups at rock 'n' roll shows, church dances and the like while still in his early teens, Dom has maintained a jazz trio with bass and drums since he was 15 years old. But education has also played a major role in his overall musical activities. "By the time I was 20, I had more than 100 students, but I cut it down to 95 so I could play six nights a week."
A lot of those nights were spent backing up, and providing musical direction for vocalists, something that Dom has continued to do since 1964 and almost exclusively until 1973, when his own trio began to really take shape, coming to the attention of George Butler who had taken the reins at Blue Note from the label's visionary founder and producer, Alfred Lion. After recording two albums for Blue Note, When Joanna Loved Me and I Have The Feeling I’ve Been Here Before, Dom felt the business of Jazz was not for him So from 1976-1993, Dom involved himself in a variety of pursuits such as freelancing, recording dates as a sideman, and occasionally performing with the late, great pianist Dennis Moorman and his organ quartet featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith. Composing the music for a variety of off-Broadway shows, authoring three books for Sunrise Artistries, two books on jazz theory and chord substitution and one on improvising. Returning to school where he studied with Academy Award-winning (The Red Violin) composer John Corigliano at Lehman College, receiving his degree in composition in 1990.
He also composed over 300 vocal and instrumental compositions during those years, as well as creating Literacy Through Songwriting Workshops for grades one through six for the New York City Board of Ed. Fellow musicians kept trying to get Dom more involved with the regular scene but he continued to resist. "I’m happy. I do my workshops with the kids. I’m doing great. Why do I need the aggravation?" was his general response. But finally in 1993 he began to take an interest again, becoming principal composer for the Manhattan Improvisational Chamber Ensemble (MICE) and began to work on various projects of his own. By1996, he was in the thick of it, but entirely on his own terms.
Read moreTags
Album Review
- Me Myself and I by Hrayr Attarian
- Eight Hands One Mind by Hrayr Attarian
- Remembering Cecil by Hrayr Attarian
- Remembering Cecil by Dan McClenaghan
- Freeland by Mark Sullivan
- Manna for Thought by C. Michael Bailey
- Soldani Dieci Anni by Mark Sullivan
Multiple Reviews
On and Off the Grid
Read more articlesJuly 14, 2011
Dom Minasi's July/August/September Dates
March 23, 2011
Announcing the Winners of the "Dom Minasi - The Bird, the Girl and the...
February 03, 2011
Enter the "Dom Minasi - The Bird, The Girl And The Donkey" Giveaway
December 16, 2010
December 06, 2010
The Dom Minasi Sextet Releases "The Bird, The Girl and The Donkey" as...
September 14, 2010
Dom Minasi Sextet: In Garden Concert (NYC)
August 22, 2010
July 10, 2010
Dom Minasi at the Stone on July 21st
December 07, 2009
The Jazz Session #119: Dom Minasi
September 14, 2009
“I am knocked out by Dom's creative and original guitar playing".
Henry Kaiser
“A true Jazz original ” Bill Milkowski
“Minasi stuns...he coaxes dark emotive chords like a dusky snake charmer wooing a cobra from awoven basket...” Derek Taylor All Music Guide to Jazz
“In the manner of Eric Dolphy...Minasi works over the harmonic and rhythmic material of each song in an extraordinary manner, managing to go places where few lesser guitarists would venture.” Cadence Magazine
” A six string Cecil Taylor” David Adler All About Jazz New York
“Dom Minasi has expanded his horizons and forged a path that takes him just off the beaten path”. Steven Loewy All Music Guide
“The ever versatile Minasi seems possessed by spirits while feverishly plucking and strumming a cavalcade of chord progressions...” Glenn Astarita All Music Guide to Jazz
“He works his frets like a man possessed...peeling off tangled lines in steady metallic cascades... This date suggests that his place as a major player may have finally arrived.” Derek Taylor All Music Guide to Jazz
“Minasi is finally making his mark and receiving the recognition he deserves.” Jon Wagner All About Jazz New York
“A fearless innovator” ASCAP
“…grabs the listener and won’t let go” Jim Santella All About Jazz
“Dom Minasi, … provides proof that there’s more out there.” Phil Freeman Jazziz
“Midway between abstract experimentation and standards recreation, Minasi is using his plectrum like a shovel to carve out his own niche.” Ken Waxman Jazz Weekly
“As different a guitarist as you will ever hear” Laurence Donohue-Greene All About Jazz New York
“Dom Minasi is finding creative ways to play both ‘inside’ and ‘outside,’ often within the same arrangement” Marshall Bowden Jazzitude
“ Dom Minasi continues to make provocative music, more so today than yesterday.” Michael C. Bailey All About Jazz
“Minasi proves that he can create a sense of urgency while still pushing melodic concepts forward”. Jay Collins One Final Note
“You've likely never heard anyone play guitar like this…” Tucson Weekly
" To describe him (Dom Minasi) adequately, one would need a new vocabulary...(just as) he is creating a new vocabulary on the guitar". Ron Sweetman Coda Magazine
“…worthy of mention in the same breath with Jim Hall and Pat Martino” DR Audiophile.
“One of the most inventive guitarists in modern jazz.” Dick Crockett “The Voice” 88.7fm Sacramento, Ca.
(Writing about VR)” No one, however, is playing more marvelously than Minasi, whose percussive, masterly attack is both technically frightening and utterly focused on serving the music.” Paul Olsen - All About Jazz
“…as adventurous and exciting as John Coltrane” Brian Holland- Modern Guitar
“…contemporary jazz playing that demands and deserves attention”. Bruce Crowthers Jazz & Other Obsessions
“his guitar playing is “off da hook”. Lyle Robinson Jazz Guitar Life.
Primary Instrument
Guitar
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Marquis Studios and Young Audiences: Using the blues as a basis, Dom created a program using poetry put to music in blues, rock 'n roll, rap, jazz, Latin music, and well known children's books to teach literacy through songwriting."
Kingsborough Community College and Lehman College: Guitar Ensembles, The Singers Forum, Classes in Jazz Vocalization and Reading Rhythms
American Institute of Guitar, The Guitar Workshop: Classes in harmony, theory and improvisation
Cannonball Adderley
saxophoneJohnny Smith
guitarCecil Taylor
pianoJohn Coltrane
saxophoneMiles Davis
trumpetEric Dolphy
woodwindsTal Farlow
guitarJim Hall
guitarJimmy Raney
guitar, electricPhotos
Album Discography
Gentle
From: Me Myself and IBy Dom Minasi
Samba De Domingo
From: Me Myself and IBy Dom Minasi
Improv #3
From: Remembering CecilBy Dom Minasi
Brown Eyes
From: FreelandBy Dom Minasi
Chasing Bulls
From: AlliviumBy Dom Minasi
Angel's Dance
From: Angel's DanceBy Dom Minasi
Inside Out
From: The Jon Hemmersam*Dom Minasi...By Dom Minasi
The Day After Next
From: Goin' Out AgainBy Dom Minasi
Strange
From: Blaise Siwula Dom Minasi Live...By Dom Minasi
Stop Ringing Those Dam Bells
From: The Bird The Girl and The DonkeyBy Dom Minasi
Looking Out Looking Out
From: Looking Out Looking InBy Dom Minasi
The Vampire's Revenge
From: The Vampire's RevengeBy Dom Minasi
Tumorology
From: Dissonance Makes The Heart Grow...By Dom Minasi