Chieli Minucci

Chieli Minucci
Born
Gian Chieli Minucci

(1958-04-17) April 17, 1958 (age 68)
Huntington, New York, U.S.
EducationIthaca College
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • producer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1982–present
Labels
Websitechielimusic.com

Chieli Minucci (born April 17, 1958) is an American guitarist who co-founded the band Special EFX. He has been nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, winning in 1998 for his work on Guiding Light.

Early life

Minucci is the son of Ulpio Minucci. He grew up in Forest Hills, Queens from the age of eight, attending Public School 101, Russell Sage Junior High, and Hillcrest High. He attended Ithaca College before touring Europe alongside Carsten Bohn's Bandstand.

Career

Working as a freelance guitarist, Minucci played for Rupert Holmes and Eartha Kitt before forming Special EFX in 1982 with Hungarian percussionist George Jinda. The band combined rock, Latin rhythm, and smooth jazz. When the duo separated in 1995, Jinda continued to perform under the name Special EFX. After Jinda's death in 2001, Minucci performed under the name Chieli Minucci and Special EFX. 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.

From 1990 to 1992, Minucci played various instruments in songs released by Henson-Conant on three albums: Caught in the Act, where he played guitar, electric guitar, drums, keyboards, and added harp effects; Talking Hands, where he played guitar, echo guitar, Surdo drums, keyboards, and provided fingersnap and hand clap effects; and Budapest, where he played guitar. In 1994, he released Jewels through JVC, the first album where he served as band leader. It was recorded in New York and New Jersey.

Awards and honors

Minucci has been nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Achivement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series. In 2000, he was nominated for his work on Another World. He was nominated for his work on Guiding Light in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. He won the award in 1998, 2007, and 2008.

Minucci learned his father died at the same time he learned he had received his eighth Daytime Emmy nomination.

His 2003 album Night Grooves ranked at number 25 on the Billboard chart for Contemporary Jazz Albums on release. The Special EFX song "Blue Lagoon" peaked at number two on the Smooth Jazz Songs chart after charting for nine weeks, on March 29, 2014, and "Deep as the Night" was the top Billboard Smooth Jazz Song of the Year for 2018.


Emmy honors for Chieli Minucci
Year Work Recipients Result Ref.
1998 Guiding Light Won
2000 Another World
Nominated
2001 Guiding Light
Nominated
2002
Nominated
2004
Nominated
2005
Nominated
2007
  • Supervising music director: Robyn Cutler
  • Music director: Gary Deinstadt
  • Music director/composer: Billy Barber
  • Composers:
    • Kenneth Eberhard
    • Ron Komie
    • Chieli Minucci
    • Danny Pelfrey
    • Mark Stephen Ross
    • Brian D. Siewert
    • David Trough
 Won
2008
  • Supervising music director: Robyn Cutler
  • Music directors/composers:
  • Composers:
    • Kenneth Eberhard
    • Ron Komie
    • Linda Lawley
    • Chieli Minucci
    • Danny Pelfrey
    • Mark Stephen Ross
    • Brian D. Siewert
    • Michele Vice-Maslin
 Won

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

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

References

Sources