Joe Maneri (February 9, 1927 - August 24, 2009) was an American composer, saxophonist, clarinetist, and pioneer of microtonal improvisation whose work blurred the boundaries between avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical music, and spontaneous composition. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Sicilian immigrant parents, Maneri began his musical path as a teenager, playing saxophone in local dance bands and absorbing the sounds of jazz and classical music alike.

In the early 1960s, Maneri began exploring microtonality — intervals smaller than the standard Western semitone — and developed a unique improvisational language informed by the 72-note octave. He founded the Boston Microtonal Society and taught at the New England Conservatory, where his influence on younger musicians, including his son Mat Maneri, helped seed a new wave of exploratory improvisation.

Though he recorded in the 1960s, Joe Maneri didn't gain widespread recognition until the 1990s, when ECM Records released a series of groundbreaking albums, including Dahabenzapple, Coming Down the Mountain, and Three Men Walking (a trio with Mat Maneri and guitarist Joe Morris). His music fused the timbral freedom of free jazz with microtonal harmonies and a deep sensitivity to phrasing and space, often sounding as much like chamber music as improvised jazz.

Maneri's collaborations included long-running partnerships with his son Mat Maneri (a violist and violinist), bassist Barre Phillips, drummer Randy Peterson, and pianist Matthew Shipp. His recordings range from austere and spacious to deeply expressive and emotionally raw, reflecting a spiritual depth and conceptual rigor that made his work profoundly unique.

A visionary voice outside the mainstream, Joe Maneri left behind a deeply personal body of work that continues to challenge and inspire listeners drawn to the edges of sonic expression.