Dom Minasi (1943 - 2023)

Dom Minasi in 2017. Photo by Peter Gannushkin.

 

NYC guitarist Dom Minasi has passed away at the age of 80 after an extensive illness.

Minasi was a true New Yorker. He studied music at Lehman College in the Bronx and worked as an educator, writer, composer, and of course, a guitarist in the city for 60 years. He released two albums on Blue Note records in the mid 1970s, When Joanne Loved Me (1974) and I Have A Feeling I've Been Here Before (1975). Listening to the title track of the first album, one hears a tasteful, straight ahead jazz guitarist, but with only a hint of the music he'd be making later.

After the second album, Minasi stopped recording and built a career as a teacher, author and composer. Then, only in 1999, he returned to recording with the album Finishing Touches (CIMP, 1999) featuring the trio of drummer Jay Rosen and bassist Michael Bocchicchio. 

A few years later, he established a record label called CDM records with his wife, jazz singer Carol Mennie, and began releasing albums more regularly. One that was particularly captivating was his tribute to Duke Ellington, Takin' The Duke Out (CDM, 2001), which synthesized his reverence for jazz composition and free improvisation. Here is some footage of Minasi playing his vision of 'In a Sentimental Mood' with Jay Rosen on drums and Ken Filliano on bass:

Another gem of avant-garde work that brought together Minasi's compositional ideas and free improvisation was Eight Hands One Mind (Unseen Rain, 2022) with Hans Tammen, Harvey Valdez and Briggan Krauss. The title composition here contains complex contrapuntal playing, striking chords and unexpected harmonies:

Minasi also released several wonderful duo albums with saxophonist Blaise Siwula, painist Michael Jefry Stevens, guitarist Hans Tammen, and saxophonist Chris Kelsey, to name a few. In addition, he also released solo recordings, one of which, Remembering Cecil (Unseen Rain, 2019), captured the relentless and effusive spirit of Taylor.

Lastly, during the pandemic, Minasi went back to his archives and pulled out another solo effort that he had recorded in 2005 and then put on the shelf. Me, Myself and I (Unseen Rain, 2022) is based on a series of his compositions from the mid-1990s that featured him overdubbing six and twelve string guitars. The music is more straight ahead jazz, it's personal and a true pleasure to hear:

Writing these words now, I hear Minasi in my head, telling me as he did in his emails, "Hey Paul, do me a favor and don't wait a year to write about this." These words take on a slightly different meaning now, but his music will surely continue to reach people and make the world a bit better. Our condolences to his family, friends and fans. 

- Paul Acquaro

In addition to his recording work, Minasi was ever an educator, producing educational videos and writing about other guitarists on his own blog, Dom Minasi's Guitar Hang.