Joe Negri, one of America’s best jazz guitarists and a key part of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” died Saturday, just days short of turning 100.
Lisa Negri, his oldest daughter, said that her father died of natural causes. He and his family, along with many in Pittsburgh’s music world, were preparing to celebrate his legacy for his 100th birthday, June 10.
Negri, a Pittsburgh native, was a musician from childhood. He began to play guitar at age 8 and was touring nationally with swing bands by 16. Except for a brief stint in New York City, Negri spent his life in Pittsburgh, as a musician, educator and TV performer.
On “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” he was Handyman Negri, the fix-it man in the Land of Make-Believe, as well as proprietor of Negri’s Music Shop, where he’d perform and showcase music. Negri was on the show for its entire three-decade run.
As an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University for decades, Negri instructed generations of musicians in the art of jazz guitar. At Duquesne, he founded the jazz guitar program and taught there until 2022. He retired from Pitt in 2019, after nearly 50 years of teaching.
“Joe Negri radiates life as an art form,” said Pitt professor of music Deane Root, then chair of the department. “He crosses generations and he brings out the best in the musicians he plays with.”
A 2016 TribLive article previewed a performance of “Mass of Hope: The Mass in the Jazz Idiom,” a composition by Negri. “My love and my passion for music continues to dominate my daily life,” he said.
As a performer, he played widely, from the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Pittsburgh Symphony to jazz clubs large and small.
In 2019, Negri received a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award from the state of Pennsylvania, part of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts. Below is a video of Negri talking about his art:
