Chieli Minucci

Chieli Minucci (born April 17, 1958)^[1] is an American guitarist who co-founded the band Special EFX.^[2]

Chieli Minucci
Birth name	Gian Chieli Minucci
Born	(1958-04-17) April 17, 1958 (age 67) Huntington, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, world fusion, smooth jazz, new age
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, producer
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Keytone, GRP, JVC, Shanachie, Trippin N' Rhythm, ChieliMusic
Website	chielimusic.com

Career

His father, Ulpio Minucci, was a concert pianist and composer who wrote the music to the 1955 song "Domani."^[3]

Chieli Minucci started Special EFX in 1982 with George Jinda, a drummer from Hungary.^[4] The band combined rock, Latin rhythm, and smooth jazz.^[5] When the duo separated in 1995, Jinda continued to perform under the name Special EFX.^[4] After Jinda's death in 2001, Minucci performed under the name Chieli Minucci and Special EFX.^[4] He recorded albums as a solo act, beginning in 1994 with Jewels.^[5] 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.^[5]

Awards and honors

• Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series, Daytime Emmy Awards, The Guiding Light, 1999, 2007, 2008^[6]
• "Deep as the Night" was the #1 Smooth Jazz Song of the Year 2018^[7]

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

• Marc Anthony, Mended (Columbia, 2002)
• Angela Bofill, Love in Slow Motion (Shanachie, 1996)
• Backstreet Boys, Millennium (GSM Music, 1999)
• B. B. & Q. Band, All Night Long (Capitol, 1982)
• B. B. & Q. Band, Six Million Times (Capitol, 1983)
• Bob Baldwin, Standing Tall (Narada, 2002)
• Jay Beckenstein, Eye Contact (Windham Hill, 2000)
• Tom Browne, R'N'Browne (Hip Bop, 1999)
• Will Downing, Invitation Only (Mercury, 1997)
• Roberta Flack, Oasis (Atlantic, 1988)
• Russell Gunn, Ethnomusicology Vol. 1 (Atlantic, 1999)
• Omar Hakim, We Are One (OzMosis, 2014)
• Lionel Hampton, For the Love of Music (MoJazz, 1995)
• Enrique Iglesias, Escape (Interscope, 2002)
• Jewel, Joy (Atlantic, 1999)
• Jennifer Lopez, On the 6 (Work, 1999)
• Cheryl Lynn, It's Gonna Be Right (Columbia, 1985)
• Marion Meadows, Player's Club (Heads Up, 2004)
• Kim Pensyl, Eyes of Wonder (GRP, 1993)
• Noel Pointer, Never Lose Your Heart (Shanachie, 1993)
• Nicole Renee, Nicole Renee (Atlantic, 1998)
• Rick Rhodes, Now You See It (Beverly, 1994)
• Rick Rhodes, Indian Summer (Beverly, 1995)
• Lionel Richie, To Love a Woman (Island, 2003)
• Jessica Simpson, Irresistible (Columbia, 2001)
• Kevin Toney, Strut (Shanachie, 2001)
• Nestor Torres, Mi Alma Latina (Shanachie, 2002)
• Gerald Veasley, Signs (101 South, 1994)
• Gerald Veasley, Love Letters (Inak, 1999)
• Roseanna Vitro, Catchin' Some Rays (Telarc, 1997)

Music library production

Year	Library	Credit/Title(s)
1998–present	Gotham Library/Firstcom[8]	Composer, performer music cues for television, movies, and radio
2000–2001	Bloomberg Radio	Composed music, including the main station IDs
1999	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library[9]	Second Cup
1999	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library	Neon Nights
2001	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library	Sex & Romance
2001	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library	Manhattan Silhouette
2002	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library	X-Treme Sports
2002	Sound Ideas/Westar Music Library	Over the Edge
1999	De Wolfe Music[10]	Latin Power
1999	De Wolfe Music	Smooth Jazz #4
1997	Killer Tracks[11]	The 60's Vol. 1
1994	FirstCom[8]	American Dream Vol. 2
1995	FirstCom	Lifestyles
1996	FirstCom	American Dream

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