Remembering Jimmy Giuffre, born on this day in 1921.

Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) was a clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger.

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A complex personality, the multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre (April 26, 1921, Dallas, Texas, USA – April 24, 2008, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA) began studying the clarinet at the age of nine, soon mastering the instrument completely. He later switched to the tenor saxophone and in 1942 earned a degree in music from Texas State University. He continued his musical studies in Los Angeles for eight years with Wesley la Violette, who taught him the secrets of composition.

During his time in the Army, he played clarinet and saxophone in a military band, and upon his discharge in 1946, he joined the Dallas Symphony, where he played tenor saxophone in “Porgy and Bess.” The following year, he was with Jimmy Dorsey’s orchestra, and in 1948, with drummer Buddy Rich and his famous orchestra.

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In 1949, his career took a significant qualitative leap when he joined Woody Herman’s orchestra. It was Giuffre who, unwittingly, gave the group its name after composing a song dedicated to the orchestra’s saxophone section, entitled “Four Brothers,” a song that attracted critical attention. After a long hiatus in the early 1950s, Jimmy Giuffre reappeared between 1953 and 1955 as Shorty Rogers’ saxophonist and arranger, helping him spectacularly achieve the success of the group “Shorty Rogers and his Giants.” This group featured extraordinary musicians such as alto saxophonist Art Pepper, pianist Hampton Hawes, and drummer Shelly Manne, all distinguished representatives of the best jazz being made at the time on the American West Coast.

In December 1956, Jimmy Giuffre recorded for the Atlantic label the album that would definitively elevate him to lifelong fame and the one that would go down in jazz history: “The Jimmy Giuffre 3” was, in Giuffre’s own words, written on the cover, the album in which composition took precedence over instrumentation. With a haunting sound and a highly original style, Giuffre positioned himself for many consecutive weeks at the forefront of jazz avant-garde.

At the top of modern jazz, Jimmy Giuffre’s career from then onward was frenetic, leading him to collaborate with a multitude of great musicians. His encounter with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer was another highlight. He recorded an extraordinary album with him entitled “Traditionalism Revisited,” composed entirely of jazz pieces from the 1920s, which he masterfully reworked and extracted from them. In 1960, Jimmy Giuffre recorded some pieces for clarinet and strings in Baden-Baden, never losing the sensitivity necessary to adapt to modern jazz and his own evolution.

Between 1963 and 1966, he formed a new trio, this time with Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on double bass. In the late 1960s, he taught at New York University, Livingston College, and Wagner College. He returned to active music in the early 1970s with Paul Bley, a pianist he greatly appreciated, and guitarist Bill Connors. While the music is excellent, it lacks the freshness of Giuffre’s early trios. Jimmy Giuffre is one of the great figures of modern jazz.

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Jimmy Giuffre 3 – 7 Pieces

Tracks: A1 Happy Man 00:00 A2 Lovely Willow 07:19 A3 Song Of The Wind 16:40 B1 Princess 22:33 B2 The Story 26:54 B3 The Little Melody 34:00 B4 Time Machine 41:27

Credits Art Direction – Sheldon Marks Bass – Red Mitchell Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Composed By, Liner Notes – Jimmy Giuffre Design [Cover] – Norm Gollin Guitar – Jim Hall Photography By [Cover] – Howard Morehead