Remembering Joe Negri

Jazz guitar legend Joe Negri, a national treasure and alumnus of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, passed away at the age of 99 on May 30. Known widely for his recurring role as "Handyman Negri" on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Negri first studied at what was then the Department of Music at Carnegie Institute of Technology in the 1950s and later taught guitar at the School of Music for decades.

John Marcinizyn, the School's current Artist Lecturer in Guitar, also studied with Negri in the 1980s, and still plays on a guitar he once purchased from him. "He was a wonderful person and teacher," Marcinizyn said. "Demanding, but always positive, encouraging and kind."

Marcinizyn gave a solo guitar concert on June 6 at the Carnegie Library in Oakland at which he dedicated a piece to Joe, "Mexicali Rose," that is reminiscent of Negri's style.

Thomas W. Douglas, Professor Emeritus and former Director of Choral Activities & Opera Studies, worked with Negri many times over the years. In his role as Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, the choir commissioned Negri to write a piece in 2006 and in 2014 collaborated on Negri's Mass of Hope.

Douglas recalled, "I performed this Mass with Joe at least a dozen times in various Pittsburgh localities. In one of the movements, there was a pop/jazz riff that I created in the performance. When I looked over at Joe, he smiled. For every performance that followed, I did the same thing and so did he! And we never talked about it outside of the performances. Joe Negri was a very generous man and an incredible musician."

Negri spoke about his time at CMU in 2019, where he studied composition and music theory, as well as how he met Fred Rogers and his appearances on the show. "When I went to Carnegie Mellon, I got theory classes. It changed my life," Negri said. "Getting the theory and getting the education of how it all comes together was the most important thing. I think that led me to become a better teacher."