Carelli Collective

Andy Fusco (1948-2021)

I woke at 4:30am on Sunday thinking about my friend Andy Fusco. No matter what Andy was going through, and he went through a lot, he always showed how much he cared about you.  He always asked about Linda & Marcello but also about family members he met once or twice but remembering them fondly.  He asked about gigs and prospects and always ended with "hey, don't forget about me".

In 1993 after playing for some of the biggest "club date" offices (weddings, dances, corporate events) in New York, I decided to start my own company.  I had subbed on numerous Broadway shows including "42nd Street where I met my "Beautiful Dancer" Linda Sabatelli Carelli, but now it was time to go "all in" and start the Gerard Carelli Orchestra.

Instead of what we call "faking tunes'', I hired pianist/arranger Richie Iacona to write me a classy, danceable, swinging 5 horn book of American Popular Standards (Porter, Berlin, Rodgers) that the best horn and rhythm players in New York would enjoy playing.  Little by little, gig by gig I compiled a book of over 100 arrangements which we began using on sophisticated high end weddings and corporate events in and around New York.

Their evening wedding was at the New York Athletic Club on Central Park South.  The same day I was leading an afternoon wedding on the end of Long Island.  Clearly, the only way for me to make it back to the city in time was by sea plane which my client rented just for me.

Here I am in Bedford Hills with my son Marcello on drums, a friend Jesse on bass in Virginia (both in the their early 20s) and one of my favorite pianists (a senior like myself) in New Jersey  playing Richard Rodgers' "I Could Write a Book" from Pal Joey.  If you have a wedding song, a dedication or a tribute you'd like us to record safely in "lock down" let us know and we'll make it happen for you.

“The entertainment you choose for your event is responsible for 80% of it's success”.   Martha Stewart

Since 1993, Gerard Carelli has played nearly 2000 events from NY to California. 

Carelli Collective wants what you want: smiling faces, a packed dance floor and nothing but compliments.  

Our son is off to music school.  We're sad but excited to be able to listen to music at University of Miami’s Frost School of Music including the UM Frost Jazz Hour on wdna.org radio show.

Latin music is one of my favorite styles of music to play. Whether it's a Tango from Argentina, Samba from Brazil, Merengue from the Dominican Republic, Salsa from Puerto Rico or Mambo from Cuba, I've had the pleasure of playing them all.  During my time in San Francisco & New York, I played with such legends as Armando Peraza, Candido Camero, Coke & Pete Escovedo, Manny Oquendo, Ray Barretto & Hector Lavoe.

Left to right: Harry D'Aguiar (trombone) RIP, ?, Ismael Rivera (singer), ?, Gilberto “Pulpo” Colón Jr. (pianist)

Back in the 80s I traveled to South America with Puerto Rican singing legend Hector Lavoe aka “El Cantante de los Cantantes” (check out the movie "El Cantante" starring Mark Anthony with J-Lo as his wife Puchi!). On Christmas Eve the ten-piece band boarded a bus for a gig in the mountains of Medellin, Colombia. The private home, where we were playing was so remote that we had to change to all terrain vehicles for the final mile & a half.

The Corso in Manhattan circa 1980s (photo courtesy of Eddie Montalvo.  Rear: Harry D'Aguiar, Gerard Carelli, Mac Gollehon, ?, Gilberto Colón Jr. Friont: ?, Eddie Montalvo.

We were hired to play one set with Hector and one backing singer Ismael Rivera. We played our typical sixty minute fiery set to 20 guests and Ismael's to only a few more. As we began packing up word came that the host wanted us to play longer. Negotiations were handled by Puchi and even though I didn't speak Spanish, I could tell things were getting pretty heated.

Hector & myself by the pool

We ended up playing two more sets to a much larger crowd but the owner still did not want us to leave. Puchi told us to pack up and to wait for the vehicles that would take us back to the bus. It didn't take long for us to realize that if we wanted to go we'd have to walk through the woods, equipment and all. I couldn't help but notice the guards with machine guns as we trudged through the woods in the dark.

Hector Lavoe (El Cantante) RIP

Somehow we got back to the road only to find out that there was no sign of a bus. We waited in the darkness for about a half hour when a cab miraculously appeared. Obviously there wasn't enough room for 12 people and equipment so he agreed to radio ahead for several others to come and get us back to the hotel. It all seems so improbable now.

Left to right: Eddie Montalvo (congas), Hector Lavoe, ?, Ismael Rivera

Years later, I came to realize that we were playing for one of Colombia’s biggest and most powerful drug lords. Obviously, he was calling the shots. I'm just glad he wasn't firing them :)

Ever wonder why there’s an = sign between Waldorf & Astoria?  The original hotel started as two hotels. The first, Waldorf Hotel (above), opened in 1893 at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street.  In 1897, John Jacob Astor IV opened the Astoria Hotel on an adjacent site.  Peacock Alley was constructed to connect the two buildings, and the hotel subsequently became known as the "Waldorf-Astoria" hence the =. 

Navigating the present day Waldorf Astoria Hotel which closed this week for renovations took me months.  I worked there 5 days a week from 1989 to 1992.  Up to that point I was a freelance trombonist and for 6 months band leader at the newly renovated Rainbow Room.

My 4th floor office was steps from the main ballroom and down the hall from the banquet sales office.  I was hired to sell jobs for a famous society bandleader.   Whatever ensembles I booked I also led, from a jazz trio in the Empire Room to a twenty-three piece orchestra in the Main Ballroom.  Nice work if you can get it.

I got to know many of the Waldorf’s banquet sale managers, Captains and Maitre Ds.  I had the responsibility of entertaining 800 to 1200 guests in the ballroom, no easy task when you're yards from the dance floor and trying to get a "feel" for the crowd.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.  Most events were during the week when guests came to schmooze, give their money to various causes and go home early while others wanted to rock the night away. 

During those years I led more jobs at the WA than anyone and grew as a band leader.  I also got to meet and play for many of New York’s high society.  It was some of the most challenging and exciting work I've ever done.