Jimmy Giuffre

Music Appreciation

Jimmy Giuffre was an American jazz musician who made a significant contribution to the development of cool jazz and free interplay between the musicians. 

Born on April 26, 1921, in Dallas, Texas, Giuffre began playing the clarinet at a young age and later switched to the tenor saxophone. He graduated from Dallas Technical High School and North Texas State Teachers College (University of North Texas College of Music). 

In the early 1940s, he started his professional music career playing with local bands in Dallas. He then moved to Los Angeles, California and joined the Woody Herman Orchestra. When in Herman's band, he wrote Four Brothers in 1947. The song is a jazz standard in AABA format. 

In 1951, he became a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars. Giuffre collaborated with jazz musician and All Star member Milton "Shorty" Rogers to write charts. One of their charts named Big Boy was an instant hit in Los Angeles.

In the 1950s, Giuffre began to explore new directions in jazz. He formed a trio with pianist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Peña, which became known for their innovative approach to cool jazz. They had a minor hit in 1957 called The Train and the River. 

Throughout the 1960s, Giuffre continued to experiment with new approaches to jazz, incorporating elements of free jazz and avant-garde music.

In the 1970s, he was hired by New York University to head its jazz ensemble and teach private lessons in saxophone and music composition. 

He suffered from Parkinson's disease and later died of pneumonia on April 24, 2008. 

Lighthouse All Stars - Big Boy (1951)

The Train and the River (1958)

Four Brothers

Sources:

Wikipedia