Chieli Minucci

Chieli Minucci
Birth nameGian Chieli Minucci
Born (1958-04-17) April 17, 1958 (age 66)
Huntington, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz, world fusion, smooth jazz, new age
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, producer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1982–present
LabelsKeytone, GRP, JVC, Shanachie, Trippin N' Rhythm, ChieliMusic
Websitechielimusic.com

Chieli Minucci (born April 17, 1958)[1] is an American guitarist who co-founded the band Special EFX.[2]

Career

His father, Ulpio Minucci, was a concert pianist and composer who wrote the music to the 1955 song "Domani."[3]

Chieli Minucci started Special EFX in 1982 with George Jinda, a drummer from Hungary.[4] The band combined rock, Latin rhythm, and smooth jazz.[5] When the duo separated in 1995, Jinda continued to perform under the name Special EFX.[4] After Jinda's death in 2001, Minucci performed under the name Chieli Minucci and Special EFX.[4] He recorded albums as a solo act, beginning in 1994 with Jewels.[5] He has worked as a record producer and composer for Deborah Henson-Conant and Kim Pensyl, and as a sideman for Angela Bofill, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Noel Pointer and Roseanna Vitro.[5]

Awards and honors

  • Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series, Daytime Emmy Awards, The Guiding Light, 1999, 2007, 2008[6]
  • "Deep as the Night" was the #1 Smooth Jazz Song of the Year 2018[7]

Discography

As leader

  • Jewels (JVC, 1995)
  • Renaissance (JVC, 1996)
  • It's Gonna Be Good (JVC, 1998)
  • Sweet on You (Shanachie, 2000)
  • Night Grooves (Shanachie, 2003)
  • Got It Goin' On (Shanachie, 2005)
  • Solos, Duos, & Trios (ChieliMusic, 2008)
  • Pop Today (ChieliMusic, 2008)
  • Raspberry & Cream (ChieliMusic, 2008)
  • Drippings (ChieliMusic, 2008)
  • Travels (Watchfire Music, 2009)
  • East of the Sun (Watchfire Music, 2009)
  • Someone's Singing (Watchfire Music, 2022)

With Special EFX

  • Special EFX (GRP, 1983)
  • Modern Manners (GRP, 1985)
  • Slice of Life (GRP, 1986)
  • Mystique (GRP, 1987)
  • Double Feature (GRP, 1988)
  • Confidential (GRP, 1989)
  • Just Like Magic (GRP, 1990)
  • Peace of the World (GRP, 1991)
  • Global Village (GRP, 1992)
  • Play (JVC, 1993)
  • Catwalk (JVC, 1994)
  • Body Language (JVC, 1995)
  • Masterpiece (Shanachie, 1999)
  • Butterfly (Shanachie, 2001)
  • Party (Shanachie, 2003)
  • A Night with Chieli Minucci & Special EFX (Shanachie, 2006)
  • Sweet Surrender (Shanachie, 2007)
  • Without You (ChieliMusic, 2010)
  • Genesis (Shanachie S405, 2013)
  • Deep as the Night (Trippin 'n' Rhythm, 2017)
  • All Stars (Trippin 'n' Rhythm, 2020)
  • Twenty Twenty 2 (ChieliMusic, 2022)
  • Return to Budapest with Love (ChieliMusic, 2024)

As sideman

With Anastacia

  • Not That Kind (Epic/Daylight, 2000)
  • Freak of Nature (Epic/Daylight, 2001)
  • You'll Never Be Alone (Epic/Daylight, 2002)
  • Pieces of a Dream (Epic/Daylight, 2005)

With Celine Dion

  • Let's Talk About Love (Columbia, 1997)
  • These Are Special Times (Columbia, 1998)
  • I'm Alive (Columbia, 2002)
  • A New Day Has Come (Columbia, 2002)
  • One Heart (Columbia, 2003)

With Deborah Henson-Conant

  • Caught in the Act (GRP, 1990)
  • Talking Hands (GRP, 1991)
  • Budapest (MCD Jazz, 1992)

With Chris Hinze

  • Saliah (Keytone, 1984)
  • African Dream (Keytone, 1991)
  • Music for Relaxation (Keytone, 1992)

With others

Music library production

Year Library Credit/Title(s)
1998–present Gotham Library/Firstcom[8] Composer, performer music cues for television, movies, and radio
2000–2001 Bloomberg Radio Composed music, including the main station IDs
1999 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library[9] Second Cup
1999 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library Neon Nights
2001 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library Sex & Romance
2001 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library Manhattan Silhouette
2002 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library X-Treme Sports
2002 Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library Over the Edge
1999 De Wolfe Music[10] Latin Power
1999 De Wolfe Music Smooth Jazz #4
1997 Killer Tracks[11] The 60's Vol. 1
1994 FirstCom[8] American Dream Vol. 2
1995 FirstCom Lifestyles
1996 FirstCom American Dream

[8][9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Jazz star rose & remains in Forest Hills". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Smoothjazz.com Going For Adds : CHIELI MINUCCI & SPECIAL EFX". www.smoothjazz.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "Ulpio Minucci | Compositions". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Special EFX". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Chieli Minucci". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Chieli Minucci". IMDb. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Year End Charts - Smooth Jazz Songs 2018". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "FirstCom Music - Online Production Music Library". www.firstcom.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "License and Download Production Music | Westar Music". www.westarmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "De Wolfe Music - Production Music, Music Sync and Licensing Consultancy, Recording and Music Supervision". www.dewolfemusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Killer Tracks - Online Production Music Library Resource". www.killertracks.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.