Jimmy Giuffre facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jimmy Giuffre

Background information
Birth name	James Peter Giuffre
Born	(1921-04-26)April 26, 1921 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	April 24, 2008(2008-04-24) (aged 86) Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Jazz free jazz West Coast jazz cool jazz folk jazz chamber jazz third stream
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
Years active	1940s–1990s
Labels	Capitol, Atlantic, Verve, Choice, Soul Note, CELP
Associated acts	Lighthouse All-Stars, Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers, Bob Brookmeyer, Lee Konitz, Modern Jazz Quartet, Herb Ellis, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Steve Swallow

James Peter Giuffre (born April 26, 1921 – died April 24, 2008) was an American jazz musician. He played the clarinet and saxophone. Jimmy was also a talented composer and arranger. He created new ways of playing jazz. His ideas allowed musicians to play more freely together. This was a very new and exciting approach to music.

Early Life and Career Beginnings
West Coast Jazz Pioneer
Exploring New Sounds with Trios
The Groundbreaking Trio
Later Years and Teaching
Discography
- As leader/co-leader
- As sideman, arranger and/or composer
See also

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Jimmy Giuffre was born in Dallas, Texas. His father, Joseph Francis Giuffre, was an immigrant from Italy. Jimmy went to Dallas Technical High School. He also studied music at North Texas State Teachers College.

He first became famous for his arrangements. These are special musical plans for a big band. A big band is a large group of jazz musicians. Jimmy wrote a famous song called "Four Brothers" in 1947. He kept writing creative and unusual arrangements throughout his career.

West Coast Jazz Pioneer

Jimmy Giuffre was a key figure in West Coast jazz. This was a style of jazz popular in California. It was often calmer and more relaxed than other jazz styles. He was also important in cool jazz. This style was known for its smooth and laid-back sound.

In 1951, Jimmy joined the Lighthouse All-Stars. This band played at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California. This place became a center for West Coast jazz. Jimmy worked with Shorty Rogers on many songs for the band. Their song "Big Boy" was a big hit in Los Angeles. Jimmy left the band in 1953. He then joined Shorty Rogers and His Giants. At this time, Jimmy mostly played the tenor and baritone saxophone.

Exploring New Sounds with Trios

Jimmy Giuffre started his own trio. A trio is a group of three musicians. His first trio included guitarist Jim Hall. They also had a double bassist named Ralph Peña. Later, Jim Atlas played the bass.

This trio had a small hit song in 1957. It was called "The Train and the River". This song was shown on a TV special called The Sound of Jazz. Jimmy called their music "blues-based folk jazz". This means it mixed blues music with folk music.

When Jim Atlas left, Jimmy tried something new. He replaced the bassist with a valve trombonist. This was Bob Brookmeyer. This was an unusual choice of instruments. This group also played "The Train and the River". You can see them play it in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. This film was made at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.

In 1959, Jimmy Giuffre played a concert in Rome, Italy. He was with Jim Hall and bassist Buddy Clark.

The Groundbreaking Trio

In 1961, Jimmy formed a very important new trio. It included pianist Paul Bley and Steve Swallow on double bass. Jimmy started to focus more on playing the clarinet.

This group did not get much attention at first. But later, many people realized how special they were. Some critics say they were one of the most important jazz groups ever. They explored free jazz. This is a style where musicians improvise without strict rules. But their free jazz was quiet and calm. It was more like chamber music. Chamber music is played by a small group of instruments.

This trio's music was very new and different. They explored melody, harmony, and rhythm in unique ways. Their recordings are considered very important. They showed a different side of jazz from the early 1960s.

Jimmy, Paul, and Steve started playing music that was completely improvised. This means they made it up on the spot. They did this years before it became popular in Europe. Their last record was called Free Fall. This music was so new that people were not ready for it. The group soon broke up.

Later Years and Teaching

In the 1970s, Jimmy Giuffre formed another trio. This group included bassist Kiyoshi Tokunaga and drummer Randy Kaye. Jimmy started playing other instruments too. He played the bass flute and soprano saxophone.

Later, he had a group with Pete Levin on synthesizer. Bob Nieske played electric bass. This group recorded three albums.

During the 1970s, Jimmy also taught music. He worked at New York University. He led their jazz group. He also gave private lessons in saxophone and music composition. He taught jazz improvisation at Manhattanville College.

Jimmy continued to teach and perform into the 1990s. He recorded with Joe McPhee. He also brought back his trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow. Steve Swallow had switched to bass guitar. This gave the group a new sound.

In the mid-1990s, Jimmy taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. He later suffered from Parkinson's disease. This made it hard for him to perform. Jimmy Giuffre passed away from pneumonia on April 24, 2008. He was almost 87 years old.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

1955: Jimmy Giuffre (Capitol)
1955: Tangents in Jazz (Capitol)
1956: The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (Atlantic)
1956: The Jimmy Giuffre 3 (Atlantic)
1958: The Music Man (Atlantic)
1958: Trav'lin' Light (Atlantic)
1958: The Four Brothers Sound (Atlantic)
1958: Western Suite (Atlantic)
1959: Ad Lib (Verve)
1959: 7 Pieces (Verve)
1959: Herb Ellis Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve) with Herb Ellis
1959: Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve) with Lee Konitz
1959: The Easy Way (Verve)
1959: Piece for Clarinet and String Orchestra/Mobiles (Verve) with the Sudwestfunk Orchestra of Baden Baden
1959: Princess (Fini Jazz) Italian release – recorded at Adriano Theatre, Rome, Italy, June 19, 1959
1960: The Jimmy Giuffre Quartet in Person (Verve)
1961: Fusion (Verve)
1961: Thesis (Verve), re-released with Fusion and three additional tracks as 1961 (ECM, 1992)
1961: Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961 (hatArt, 1993), with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley
1961: Flight, Bremen 1961 (hatArt, 1993) re-issued with Emphasis... as Emphasis & Flight (hatOLOGY, 2003)
1961: Graz Live 1961 (Hathut / ezz-thetics 2019) with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley
1963: Free Fall (Columbia)
1965: New York Concerts: The Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4 (2014)
1973: Music for People, Birds, Butterflies and Mosquitoes (Choice) also released as Mosquito Dance (DJM) and Night Dance (Candid)
1975: River Chant (Choice) also released as Mosquito Dance (DJM) and The Train and the River (Candid)
1978: IAI Festival (Improvising Artists), with Lee Konitz, Bill Connors and Paul Bley
1983: Dragonfly (Soul Note)
1985: Quasar (Soul Note)
1988: Eiffel: Live in Paris (CELP), with André Jaume
1988: Momentum, Willisau 1988 (hatOLOGY, 1997), with André Jaume
1989: Liquid Dancers (Soul Note)
1990: The Life of a Trio: Saturday (Owl), with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley
1990: The Life of a Trio: Sunday (Owl), with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley
1991: River Station (CELP), with André Jaume and Joe McPhee
1992: Talks & Plays (CELP, 2000), CD with interview and a second CD with André Jaume
1992: Fly Away Little Bird (Owl), with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley
1996: Conversations with a Goose (Soul Note), with Steve Swallow, Paul Bley

As sideman, arranger and/or composer

Chet Baker and the Lighthouse All-Stars – Witch Doctor (Contemporary, 1953 [1985])
Chet Baker – Pretty/Groovy (World Pacific, 1954 [1958])
Elmer Bernstein – The Man with the Golden Arm (Decca, 1956)
Paul Bley – Quiet Song (Improvising Artists, 1975)
Buddy Bregman – Swinging Kicks (Verve, 1956)
Bob Brookmeyer – Traditionalism Revisited (World Pacific, 1957)
Ray Brown – Bass Hit! (Verve, 1956)
Teddy Charles – The Teddy Charles Tentet (Atlantic, 1956)
Teddy Charles / Shorty Rogers / Shelly Manne / Jimmy Giuffre – Collaboration West (Prestige, 1953 [1956]) Evolution (Prestige, 1953 [1957])
Peggy Connelly – That Old Black Magic (Bethlehem, 1956)
Buddy DeFranco – The Progressive Mr. DeFranco (Norgran, 1953 [1954], reissued as Odalisque - The Music Of Buddy DeFranco, Norgran, 1956 & Verve, 1961)
Herb Ellis – Ellis in Wonderland (Verve, 1956)
Stan Kenton – Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton (Capitol, 1953)
Lee Konitz – You and Lee, Arranged and conducted by Jimmy Giuffre (Verve, 1959), Giuffre does not play
John Lewis – The Wonderful World of Jazz (Atlantic, 1960), credited as "James Rivers", Essence (Atlantic, 1962)
Shelly Manne & His Men – The West Coast Sound (Contemporary, 1953), Giuffre plays baritone saxophone and arranges one tune
Shelly Manne – The Three & The Two (Contemporary, 1954)
Helen Merrill – The Artistry of Helen Merrill (Mainstream, 1965)
Modern Jazz Quartet – The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn (Atlantic, 1956)
Lennie Niehaus – Lennie Niehaus, Vol. 3 - The Octet, #2 (Contemporary, 1955), with Niehaus Giuffre plays baritone saxophone
Lennie Niehaus – Lennie Niehaus, Vol. 5 - The Sextet (Contemporary, 1955)
Anita O'Day – Pick Yourself Up (Verve, 1958)
Anita O'Day – Cool Heat, Arrangements by Jimmy Giuffre (Verve, 1959)
Shorty Rogers – Modern Sounds (Capitol, 1951)
Shorty Rogers – Shorty Rogers and His Giants (RCA Victor, 1953)
Shorty Rogers – Cool and Crazy (RCA Victor, 1953) also released as The Big Shorty Rogers Express
Shorty Rogers – Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (RCA Victor, 1954)
Shorty Rogers and André Previn – Collaboration (RCA Victor, 1954)
Shorty Rogers – The Swinging Mr. Rogers (Atlantic, 1955)
Shorty Rogers – Martians Stay Home (Atlantic, 1955 [1980])
Shorty Rogers – Martians Come Back! (Atlantic, 1955 [1956])
Shorty Rogers – Way Up There (Atlantic, 1955 [1957])
Shorty Rogers – Wherever the Five Winds Blow (RCA Victor, 1956 [1957])
Shorty Rogers – Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers (RCA Victor, 1957)
Shorty Rogers – The Wizard of Oz and Other Harold Arlen Songs (RCA Victor, 1959)
Shorty Rogers – The Swingin' Nutcracker (RCA Victor, 1960)
Pete Rugolo – Introducing Pete Rugolo (Columbia, 1954)
Pete Rugolo – Adventures in Rhythm (Columbia, 1954)
Pete Rugolo – Rugolomania (Columbia, 1955)
Pete Rugolo – New Sounds by Pete Rugolo (Harmony, 1954–55, [1957])
Pete Rugolo – Out on a Limb (EmArcy, 1956)
Bill Russo / Shorty Rogers / Shelly Manne / Jimmy Giuffre – Jazz Composers Workshop (Savoy, 1952)
Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars, Vol. 3 (Contemporary, 1952), in this band Giuffre plays tenor saxophone
Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars – Sunday Jazz à la Lighthouse, Vol. 1 & 2 (Contemporary, 1953)
Sonny Stitt – Sonny Stitt Plays Jimmy Giuffre Arrangements (Verve, 1959)
Duane Tatro – Jazz for Moderns (Contemporary, 1954–55), Giuffre plays baritone saxophone