Charles Compo is a contemporary American fine artist, composer and multi-instrumentalist.

Family And Early Life

Charles Compo was born in 1958 in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Spring ...

to jazz violinist Peter Compo and Broadway actress Faith Daltry Compo. He grew up surrounded by music in Ossining NY. His father recorded and performed with jazz artists like

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

, Duke Jordon and

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...

and his mother was part of the original cast of

Plain and Fancy ''Plain and Fancy'' is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional bar ...

on Broadway. His grandfather, Joseph Daltry, founded the music department at Wesleyan University and his grandmother, Faith Merriman, was a soprano with the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

under the direction of

Gaetano Merola Gaetano Merola (4 January 1881 – 30 August 1953) was an Italian conductor, pianist and founder of the San Francisco Opera. Biography Merola was born in Naples, the son of a Neapolitan court violinist and studied piano and conductor at the ...

. He studied music at his father's school, Compo Conservatory. At the age of 16 Compo began playing in and around New York City with funk bands, club bands, and touring oldies acts including

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

and

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

Music career

In 1976 he moved to New York City, where he met Harry Smith. Compo composed music for Smith's Film Number 21, as well as for live presentations of Smith’s animations at the Film Makers Collective and

Anthology Film Archives Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema.Moses Asch Moses Asch (December 2, 1905 – October 19, 1986) was an American recording engineer and record executive. He founded Asch Records, which then changed its name to Folkways Records when the label transitioned from 78 RPM recordings to LP records. ...

, who signed him to

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Servic ...

. The Smithsonian/Folkways released Compo's
''Seven Flute Solos''
in 1987. From 1986-1990, he worked as assistant to songwriter

Ritchie Cordell Ritchie Cordell (born Richard Joel Rosenblatt; March 10, 1943 – April 13, 2004) was an American songwriter, singer and record producer. He wrote and produced several hits for Tommy James and The Shondells, including " I Think We're Alone ...

. In 1991, he appeared in a number of shows in and around New York City under the stage name Chuck Tempo, including Axel Rhodes in the Off Broadway production of

Return to the Forbidden Planet ''Return to the Forbidden Planet'' is a jukebox musical by Bob Carlton, based on Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest'' and the 1956 science fiction film '' Forbidden Planet'', which, in turn, is loosely based on ''The Tempest''. The show features ...

. He also played Fast Eddie in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

daytime drama Another World. In 1992,

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

commissioned Compo to compose Touch Dance. During this time, Compo also recorded, wrote, and performed on commercial projects for companies such as

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

New York Lotto New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, and

Johnson and Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

. Compo studied composition and arranging with

Don Sebesky Don Sebesky (born December 10, 1937) is an American arranger, jazz trombonist, and keyboardist. Biography Sebesky trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, Tommy ...

and has performed and recorded with jazz artists

Curtis Fowlkes Curtis Fowlkes (born March 19, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist and singer. He is a founding member of The Jazz Passengers. Career In 1987, Fowlkes started The Jazz Passengers with saxophonist Roy Nathanson. He has also been a member of T ...

Sahib Shihab Sahib Shihab (born Edmund Gregory; June 23, 1925 – October 24, 1989) was an American jazz and hard bop saxophonist (baritone, alto, and soprano) and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tad ...

, and

Roy Campbell Jr. Roy Sinclair Campbell Jr. (September 29, 1952 – January 9, 2014) was an American trumpeter frequently linked to free jazz, although he also performed rhythm and blues and funk during his career. Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1 ...

, William Hooker, and

Ted Daniel Ted Daniel (born June 4, 1943) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Biography He studied trumpet in elementary school, and began his professional career playing local gigs with his childhood friend, the legendary guitarist Sonny Sharrock. ...

. Compo also collaborated with notable hardcore producer

Don Fury Don Fury is an American recording engineer and producer who owned three rehearsal and recording studios in New York City. He has recorded and produced music for a variety of punk and hardcore bands including GG Allin, Agnostic Front, Sick of It A ...

on the album Doctor Phibe's Portable Darkness. In addition to his consistent work with respected jazz artists, Compo has also supported and performed with pop artists such as Christina Aguilera, Martha Reeves, Bo Diddley, and Julee Cruise.

Discography

* 1983 ''Seven Flute Solos,'' Charles Compo, Smithsonian Folkways FW37463 * 1994 ''Lifeline,'' William Hooker Quartet, Silkheart Records * 1994 ''The Firmament/Fury,'' William Hooker Ensemble, Silkheart Records * 1995 ''Armageddon,'' William Hooker Ensemble, Homestead Records * 1995 ''Radiation,'' William Hooker Ensemble, Homestead Records * 1996 ''Great Sunset,'' William Hooker, Warm-O-Brisk Records * 1996 ''Tibet,'' William Hooker Quartet, Table of Elements * 1998 ''The Distance Between Us,'' William Hooker, Knitting Factory Records * 2000 ''Seventh Moon,'' Charles Compo, Star Records STR9911 * 2003 ''Psycho Jammy,'' Charles Compo, Lakehouse Records 121502LHR * 2005 ''Doctor Phibes,'' Portable Darkness, with Don Fury, Playhouse Ventures * 2007 ''Soothing Music of the Savage Beast,'' The Phibes, Lakeside Records * 2009 ''The Phibes,'' Lakeside Music * 2010 ''Mind Frame,'' Patrick Henry Music * 1997 ''Hennen,'' Bakr and Compo, Piano Magic * 2012 ''Foolish Pleasure,'' Charles Compo, Chaos Music Company * 2013 ''The Dream Logic LP, ''The Dream Logic, Chaos Music Company * 2015 ''My Black Arts, ''The Dream Logic, Chaos Music Company * 2017 ''Liquid Sunshine, ''The Dream Logic, Chaos Music Company * 2019 ''Son of The Drum Song,''Mustafa Ahmed, Chaos Music Company * 2021 ''Big Moon,'' William Hooker, Dusty Groove Records

Fine Art career

Originally a collector of Lower East Side artists in the 1980’s, notable artists in his collection of Rivington School artists include work by

Shalom Neuman FusionArts Museum(s), first founded at 57 Stanton Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side are a series of curated exhibition spaces dedicated to the exhibition and archiving of "fusion art". The museum was and remains at its successive locations a n ...

, Phil Rostek, Fa-Q (Kevin Wendell), and Miss Understood. He began a painting practice of his own as he naturally became immersed in the New York art scene, ''and worked briefly as an assistant to

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

in 1985 before Warhol's death.'' Compo’s painting style is considered an intuitive process, expression of narratives inspired by everyday life. His artwork has now been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe, including a painting selected to debut at the 2021 London Biennale. In December 2021 A selection of his work was acquired by The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection. The selected work “Down At The Rally” had also been awarded a special prize by

MOMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...

curator Paulina Pabocha, at the WAH Center’s juried exhibition “America The Beautiful: The Real and Imagined”. The show was promoted in conjunction with

Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' ma ...

’s Museum day, and ran from September–November 2021. COMPO LONDONBIENNALE SCALED

Permanent Collections

* 2021 ''The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection'', The Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY * 2022 ''Museo D’Arte Chianciano Terme'', Chianciano, Italy * 2022 ''The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum'', Wausau, WI * 2023 ''The Wausau Museum Of Contemporary Art'', Wausau, WI

Select Exhibition History

* 2021 ''Psychodramatic Landscapes'', Solo Show, Pictor Gallery, New York, NY * 2021 ''The London Art Biennale'', Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, UK * 2021 ''“PAINT”'' Juried Show, Silvermine Gallery, New Canaan, CT * 2021 ''“Unprecedented”'' Juried Show, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA * 2021 ''“Made In New York”'' Juried Show, Schweinfurth Center For The Arts, Auburn, NY, Second Prize Winner* * 2021 ''“Bold Expressions”'' Northern California Arts, Inc, Carmichael, CA * 2021 ''“ICON”'' International Juried Show, Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge, London, UK * 2021 ''“America The Beautiful”'' Juried Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn NY, Special Prize Winner* * 2021 ''“Mystery, Magic, Macabre”'' Juried Show, Deines Cultural Center, Russel, KS * 2021 ''CCAN Juried show'', Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX * 2021 ''7th National Juried Exhibition'', Oxford Arts Alliance, Oxford, PA, Second Prize Winner* * 2021 ''The Works Acquired in the Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection'', Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn NY * 2022 ''5th Biennale Wings and Water'', River Arts, Inc. Prairie Du Sac, WI * 2022 ''12th Annual Art & Earth Juried Art Exhibit'', Berkeley Arts Council, Martinsburg, WV * 2022 ''64th National Juried Show'', Rocky Mount Imperial Center for the Arts, Rocky Mount, NC * 2022 ''The Unknown Nature of Being'', Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, AZ * 2022 ''Six Summit Gallery'', Windows of Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York, NY * 2022 ''National Juried Show'', Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY * 2022 ''105th Annual Juried Exhibition at Bendheim Gallery'', Greenwich Art Society, Greenwich, CT * 2022 ''A Queens Fine Art Spring AFFAIR'', Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY * 2022 ''Jigsaw Snap, Annual Members Show'', Starta Arta, New York, NY * 2022 ''35th Northern National Art Competition'', Nicolet College Lakeside Center, Rhinelander, WI * 2022 ''Adams County Arts Council'', Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA * 2022 ''INNOVATIONS, International Society of Experimental Artists'', Gallery of St. Albert, Alberta, CA * 2022 ''The 22nd Annual Vivian & Stanley Reed Marine Show'', Townhouse Gallery, Stamford, CT, Third Prize Winner* * 2022 ''National Juried Exhibition'', Providence Art Club, Providence, RI, First Prize Edward Mitchell Bannister Award* * 2022 ''Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum'', 2022 Birds in Art exhibition, Wausau, WI * 2022 ''The Chianciano Biennale'', Museo D’arte di Chianciano, Chianciano, Italy * 2022 ''Visions of Hope'' Juried exhibition, Stola Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL * 2023 ''Solo Show'' Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Tulsa, OK * 2023 ''6th Annual National Juried Exhibition'', The Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wausau, WI * 2023 ''Winter Escape Juried Exhibition'', Stamford Art Association, Stamford, CT * 2023 ''Tarot exhibition'', Memento Mori Gallery, Lakewood, CO * 2023 ''O’Keeffe Juried exhibition'', Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation, Blacksburg, VA

References

Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways (Published by Collins/Harper Collins Publishers)

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
# The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, Oxford University Press, Lenord Feather and Ira Gitler
All About Jazz
# Broadway World # Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith, Selected Interviews. Selattle: Elbow/Cityfull Press. # Special Collections and Archives, Olin Library, Wesleyan University
AMM Spotlight: Charles Compo (Published by Arts Management Magazine)
# Szwed, John (2023). "Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith". Macmillan Publishers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Compo, Charles Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Musicians from Queens, New York People from Jamaica, Queens American jazz composers American flautists American male saxophonists American jazz musicians Guitarists from New York (state) American male guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American saxophonists American male jazz composers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century flautists