“Joe Negri’s Jazz Guitar Is His Legacy”

Let’s get one thing straight: Joe Negri is no handyman.

“Fred said, ‘Joe, how would you like to be Handyman Negri?’”

“I said, ‘You gotta be kidding. I can’t hammer a nail straight!’”

“He said, ‘That’s OK. It’s all pretend.’”

For 35 years, Mr. Negri appeared on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” as Handyman Negri. Just as Fred Rogers had said, his lack of repair skills never hampered him in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. But his jazzy guitar licks certainly came in handy when he played with guests Wynton Marsalis, Mabel Mercer, Tony Bennett and Yo-Yo Ma and with the rest of the TV show’s quartet — musical director Johnny Costa on piano, Carl McVicker Jr. on bass and Bobby Rawsthorne on drums.

Read the full article about the fabulous life of Benedetto Artist Joe Negri from the Pittsburgh Gazette.

Also, don’t miss the Jazz Cab­a­ret at St. Barn­a­bas:  Cel­e­brat­ing Joe Negri