James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician.
He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the '' Billy Jack'' soundtrack and music for '' Starsky and Hutch'', and worked with
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
's Trio in the 1990s.
Career
The son of a Baptist minister, Lowe grew up on a farm in Shady Grove, Mississippi, near Laurel. He started playing guitar when he was eight years old, with his father and sister acting as his first teachers. When he was thirteen, he began running away from home to play in bands. Occasionally his father would find him, bring him home, and warn him about the dangers of whiskey. At sixteen, Lowe worked in Nashville on the '' Grand Ole Opry'' radio program. He was a member of the Jan Savitt orchestra before serving in the military during World War II.
At basic training, he became friends with John Hammond, who organized weekend jam sessions. He performed in an Army dance band while in Guadalcanal. After his discharge, he called Hammond, looking for work, and Hammond sent him to Ray McKinley. He spent two years with McKinley's big band in New York City. He joined the
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...
orchestra, then worked intermittently for the next few years at
Café Society
Café society was the description of the "Beautiful People" and "Bright Young Things" who gathered in fashionable cafés and restaurants in New York, Paris and London beginning in the late 19th century. Maury Henry Biddle Paul is credited with ...
and other clubs in New York.
In 1950, he was hired by NBC as a staff musician. He and Ed Shaughnessy were members of the '' Today Show'' band for over ten years. Lowe acted in an episode of the '' Armstrong Circle Theatre'' television show that included Walter Matthau and live music by Doc Severinsen.
On the weekends he played jazz, sometimes getting permission from NBC to leave for six-month periods. In the jazz world he played with Jimmy Dorsey and
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, and Lester Young. He composed and arranged for NBC. He was responsible for introducing pianist Bill Evans to record producer Orrin Keepnews, resulting in Evans's first recordings as a leader.
In 1965 he moved to Los Angeles and worked for NBC as a staff guitarist, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for the TV shows ''Hawaii Five-O'', ''Starsky & Hutch'', and ''The Wild Wild West'', and the movies '' Satan in High Heels'' (1962), ''
A Time for Killing
''A Time for Killing'' is a 1967 Western film directed originally by Roger Corman but finished by Phil Karlson. Filmed in Panavision and Pathécolor, it stars Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, Inger Stevens, and Harrison Ford (credited as Harrison ...
Sidewinder 1
''Sidewinder 1'' is a 1977 American action film directed by Earl Bellamy and written by Nancy Voyles Crawford and Thomas A. McMahon. The film stars Marjoe Gortner, Michael Parks, Susan Howard, Alex Cord, Charlotte Rae and Barry Livingston. The fi ...
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
, Tete Montoliu, and the Great Guitars. He was a teacher at the Guitar Institute of Technology and the Grove School of Music. For several years, he was music director of the Monterey Jazz Festival.
During his career, he worked with Benny Carter,
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
,
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...
, and Ben Webster. In the later decades of his life he collaborated often with flautist Holly Hoffman. At the age of 93, he released the album ''Poor Butterfly''.
Lowe was married to singer Betty Bennett, his third wife, for 42 years. In his last years, the couple lived in San Diego. He died on December 2, 2017, at the age of 95.
Porgy & Bess
''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', itse ...
'' (RCA Camden, 1959)
* '' TV Action Jazz!'' (RCA Camden, 1959)
* '' Themes from Mr. Lucky, The Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz'' (RCA Camden, 1960)
* '' Satan in High Heels'' (Charlie Parker, 1961)/''Blues for a Stripper'' (Charlie Parker, 1962)
* ''California Guitar'' (Famous Door, 1973)
* ''Guitar Player'' (Dobre, 1977)
* ''Sweet 'n' Lovely 1'' (Fresh Sound, 1991)
* ''Sweet 'n' Lovely 2'' (Fresh Sound, 1991)
As sideman
With Ruby Braff
* ''Holiday in Braff'' (Bethlehem, 1955)
* ''Easy Now'' (RCA Victor, 1959)
* ''You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me'' (Stere-o-Craft, 1959)
With
Chris Connor
Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer.
Biography
Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...
* ''Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song'' (Atlantic, 1957)
* ''I Miss You So'' (Atlantic, 1957)
* ''Chris Craft'' (Atlantic, 1958)
* ''Witchcraft'' (Atlantic, 1959)
* ''At the Village Gate'' (FM, 1963)
With Carmen McRae
* '' Carmen McRae'' (
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...
, 1954)
* ''
Blue Moon
A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season.
The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon ...
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
* ''
Uptown
Uptown may refer to:
Neighborhoods or regions in several cities
United States
* Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
* Uptown, area surrounding the University of Ci ...
What Headphones?
''What Headphones?'' is a 1993 album by André Previn.
Reception
The album was reviewed by Richard S. Ginell at Allmusic who wrote that it was Previn's "best album since his return to jazz at the close of the 1980s, and also the most surprising ...
'' (
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...
Felicia Sanders
Felicia Sanders (born Felice Schwartz; April 26, 1921 – February 7, 1975) was a singer and musician of traditional pop music.
Early years
Sanders was born in Mount Vernon, New York but was raised in Southern California. She studied merchandis ...
* ''That Certain Feeling'' (Decca, 1958)
* ''I Wish You Love'' (Time, 1960)
* ''Felicia Sanders'' (Time, 1964)
With Tony Scott
* ''Both Sides of Tony Scott'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* ''The Touch of Tony Scott'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* ''Gypsy'' (Fresh Sound, 1987)
With others
* Steve Allen, ''...and All That Jazz'' (Dot, 1959)
* Steve Allen, ''Steve Allen at the Roundtable'' (Roulette, 1959)
* Louie Bellson, ''Louie Rides Again!'' (Percussion Power, 1974)
* Betty Bennett, ''The Song Is You'' (Fresh Sound, 1992)
* Tony Bennett, '' My Heart Sings'' (Columbia, 1961)
* Tony Bennett, '' Who Can I Turn To'' (CBS, 1965)
*
Bill Berry
William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...
, ''Shortcake'' (Concord Jazz, 1994)
* Will Bradley &
Johnny Guarnieri
John Albert Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City.
Career
Guarnieri joined the George Hall orchestra in 1937. He is possibly best known for his big band stints with Ben ...
Russ Case
Russ Case (March 19, 1912 – October 10, 1964) was an American trumpeter and bandleader who led jazz and light music orchestras.
Biography
Case was born in Hamburg, Iowa. His professional career began when he was hired at WOC (AM) in ...
, ''Dances Wild'' (Vik, 1957)
*
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
Jackie Davis
Jackie Davis (December 13, 1920 – November 2, 1999) was an American soul jazz singer, organist and bandleader. He is notable for his contributions in bringing the Hammond organ to the forefront of jazz and pop, preceding the better-known Ji ...
, ''Most Happy Hammond'' (Capitol, 1958)
* Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges, ''Con-Soul and Sax'' (RCA Victor, 1965)
* Wild Bill Davis, ''Free Frantic and Funky'' (RCA Victor, 1965)
* Sammy Davis Jr., ''Mood to Be Wooed'' (Decca, 1958)
* Sammy Davis Jr., ''Try a Little Tenderness'' (Decca, 1965)
* Blossom Dearie, '' Once Upon a Summertime'' (Verve, 1958)
* Don Elliott, ''Music for the Sensational Sixties'' (Design, 1958)
* Don Elliott, ''
Counterpoint for Six Valves
''Counterpoint for Six Valves'' is an album by American jazz trumpeters Don Elliott and Rusty Dedrick which was recorded in 1955 for the Riverside Records, Riverside label.Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
, ''
Rhythm Is My Business
''Rhythm Is My Business'' is a 1962 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. The album was recorded with a big band and arranged and conducted by the American R&B organist Bill Doggett.
''DownBeat'' magazine gave this album 3 ...
'' (Verve, 1962)
*
Jimmy Forrest James, Jim or Jimmy Forrest may refer to:
Sports
* James Forrest (rugby union) (born 1907), Scotland international rugby union player
* James Forrest (baseball) (1897–1977), American baseball player
* James Forrest (basketball) (born 1972), Am ...
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...
, ''The New Benny Goodman Sextet'' (Philips, 1954)
* Marty Gold, ''Swingin' West'' (RCA Victor, 1960)
* Eydie Gorme, ''Blame It On the Bossa Nova'' (Columbia, 1963)
*
Johnny Guarnieri
John Albert Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City.
Career
Guarnieri joined the George Hall orchestra in 1937. He is possibly best known for his big band stints with Ben ...
Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini
''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' is an album by Quincy Jones that contains music composed by Henry Mancini.
Track listing
All music composed by Henry Mancini, lyricists indicated
# "Baby Elephant Walk" – 2:49
# " Charade" ...
'' (Mercury, 1964)
*
Deane Kincaide
Robert Deane Kincaide (March 18, 1911 – August 14, 1992) was an American jazz reedman.
Kincaide was born in Houston, Texas, United States, but raised in Decatur, Illinois, and began playing professionally and working as an arranger in the early ...
Marty Manning
Martin Manning (April 26, 1916 – November 22, 1971) was a Grammy-winning American arranger and conductor of popular music, most noted for his work at Columbia Records in the 1950s and early 1960s when he was "one of the most in-demand arran ...
, ''The Twilight Zone'' (Columbia, 1961)
* Ray McKinley's Orchestra Arr. by Eddie Sauter, ''Borderline'' (Savoy, 1955)
* Helen Merrill, ''American Country Songs'' (Atco, 1959)
* Hugo Montenegro, ''Bongos and Brass'' (Time, 1960)
*
Joe Mooney Joe or Joseph Mooney may refer to:
* John Joseph Mooney (1874–1934), Irish nationalist politician
* Joseph Mooney (footballer) (fl. 1900s), English football player
* Joe Mooney (musician) (1911–1975), American jazz and pop accordionist
* ...
, ''The Happiness of Joe Mooney'' (Columbia, 1965)
*
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, ''Parker Plus Strings'' (Charlie Parker, 1983)
* Michael Parks, ''You Don't Know Me'' (First American, 1981)
* Arthur Prysock, ''Arthur Prysock Sings Only for You'' (Old Town, 1962)
*
Johnnie Ray
John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and bl ...
, ''Til Morning'' (Columbia, 1958)
* Chita Rivera, ''And Now I Sing!'' (Seeco, 1961)
*
Spike Robinson
Henry Bertholf "Spike" Robinson (January 16, 1930 – October 29, 2001) was a jazz tenor saxophonist. He began playing at age twelve, recording on several labels, including Discovery, Hep and Concord. However, he sought an engineering degree and ...
New Fantasy
''New Fantasy'' is an album by Argentine composer, pianist and conductor Lalo Schifrin recorded in 1964 and released on the Verve Records, Verve label.Jimmy Scott
James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
After ...
For Members Only
''For Members Only'' is an album by American jazz organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1963 for the Impulse! label.Jack Sheldon, ''Singular'' (Beez 1980)
* Jack Sheldon, ''Playin' It Straight'' (M&K, 1981)
* Hymie Shertzer, ''All the King's Saxes'' (Disneyland 1958)
*
George Siravo
George Siravo (October 2, 1916, Staten Island, New York – February 28, 2000, Medford, Oregon) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and clarinetist.
He began his career playing reeds with the Cliquot Club Eskimos and l ...
, ''Seductive Strings by Siravo'' (Time, 1961)
* Rex Stewart & Peanuts Hucko, ''Dedicated Jazz'' (Jazztone, 1956)
* Ted Straeter, ''Ted Straeter's New York'' (Atlantic, 1955)
* Creed Taylor, ''Shock Music in Hi-Fi'' (ABC-Paramount, 1958)
* Creed Taylor, ''Ping Pang Pong the Swinging Ball'' (ABC-Paramount, 1960)
* Kiri Te Kanawa, ''Kiri Sidetracks'' (Philips, 1992)
* Cal Tjader, ''Gozame! Pero Ya...'' (Concord Jazz Picante 1980)
* Sarah Vaughan, '' Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi'' (Columbia, 1955)
* Sarah Vaughan, '' After Hours'' (Roulette, 1961)
* Patty Weaver, ''Feelings'' (RE/SE, 1976)
* Patty Weaver, ''Patty Weaver Sings "As Time Goes By"'' (RE/SE, 1976)
* Ben Webster, '' The Soul of Ben Webster'' (Verve, 1960)
* Lee Wiley, ''A Touch of the Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1958)