James Walker is an American flutist and educator. He is the former Principal Flute of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, and the founder of the jazz quartet Free Flight. Since 1984, he has focused most of his attention on

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

performance and flute pedagogy.

Biography

Early life

Walker was raised in

Greenville, Kentucky Greenville is a home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,492 as of the 2020 census. History The town was settled in 1799 on an estate donated by local land ...

and graduated from Central City High School in

Central City, Kentucky Central City is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,819 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the largest city in ...

. He attended the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

. After graduation, Walker joined the

United States Military Academy Band The West Point Band (also known as the U.S. Military Academy Band or USMA Band) is the U.S. Army's oldest active-duty band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy. An act of Congress (Military Peace Establishment Act) issued o ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

; at the same time, he studied flute with Harold Bennett, principal flutist of the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

Orchestra. Other significant teachers have been Sarah Fouse, Francis Fuge, James Pellerite, and

Claude Monteux Claude Monteux (October 15, 1920February 22, 2013) was an American flutist and conductor. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of conductor Pierre Monteux, Monteux studied flute with Georges Laurent, then the principal flutist of the Boston S ...

. In 1969, he joined the

Pittsburgh Symphony The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra is resident at Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Since 2008, the orchestra's music director is Manfred Ho ...

as associate principal flutist. After eight years in Pittsburgh, he was appointed by

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

as principal flutist with the

, a position he held from 1977 until 1984. He also played principal flute for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

(under Mehta) for that orchestra's 1982 South American tour.

Jazz career

In 1980, Walker organized a jazz quartet featuring flute, piano, bass and drums. This group later become known as Free Flight. In 1984, he left the Los Angeles Philharmonic to concentrate on his work with the quartet and to do freelance work in Southern California and beyond. "After 15 years as a classical player, it was enough", Walker said in 1987. "In the beginning, I felt I was playing honest, wonderfully inspiring music. But after hundreds of repetitions, it wasn't so inspiring." He has collaborated with many other flutists including

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". After several years working as an orchestral musician, he established an international career as a solo flute pl ...

and

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. Rampal popularised the flute in the post–World War II years, recovering flute compositions from the Baroque era, and spurring contemporary composers, ...

, and has also worked with other well-known musicians including

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-perf ...

and many others in concert and recordings.

Educational positions

Walker is currently on the faculty of the

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

and the

Colburn School The Colburn School is a private performing arts school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Trudl Zipper Dance Instit ...

. He has been visiting professor at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

, the University of North Texas,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. He has conducted flute master classes and clinics in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Korea, Japan and Russia.

Recordings

Walker's discography includes with Free Flight the albums ''The Jazz/Classical Union'' (1982), ''Soaring (1983)'', ''Beyond the Clouds'' (1984), ''Illumination'' (1986) and ''Slice of Life'' (1989), Free Flight 2000 (1999), A Free Flight Christmas (2002), and Free Flight: Forever (2012). Walker's solo albums are ''Freeflight'' (1987), ''Private Flight'' (1990), ''Music for Flute and Piano'' (1995), ''Jim Walker Plays the Classics'' (with Sara Davis Buecher on piano), ''Dancing Hearts: The Music of Bryan Pezzone'' (with Bryan Pezzone on piano), ''Dancing Hearts'' (Bryan Pezzone on piano) and ''D'Drum''. Walker has recorded with pianist

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur, CSS and The Pretty Reckless. Early caree ...

on duo albums ''Flight of the Dove'' (1983), ''Reflections'' (1985), ''Flute Solos for the Performing Artist'' (1994), ''Walker & Garson Play Gershwin'' (1999), ''Pied Piper'' (2010), and ''The Music of George Gershwin'' (2012).

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...

and

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

invited Walker to play on two tracks by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

on their 2006 album '' Two Worlds'' A live concert video is still being played on the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

and Arts & Entertainment (A&E) networks. Walker appeared with the

Los Angeles Guitar Quartet The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) is an American classical guitar ensemble that was formed in 1980. It consists of John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Douglas Lora (who replaced Scott Tennant at the end of 2023) and Matthew Greif (who replac ...

(LAGQ) on their 1998 album ''L.A.G.Q.'', performing on

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...

's "

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

" and on their 2002 album ''LAGQ Latin'' (2002), featured on a new composition entitled "SZSYGY". He joined classical guitarist

Scott Tennant Scott Tennant is an American classical guitarist and composer. Tennant is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Early life and education Born in Detroit, Michigan in March 1962, Tennant began his musical an ...

on his 1998 album ''Wild Mountain Thyme (Celtic Music for Guitar)'', performing Ian Krouse's "Da Chara (Two Friends)”. More recent Free Flight recordings are ''Free Flight 2000'' (1996) on Warner Bros. Publication. Two additional CDs are available as part of the Yamaha Disklavier catalog: ''Free Flight 2004'' and ''A Free Flight Christmas''. Walker's flute solos are included in movie soundtracks, including ''

Nijinsky Vaslav or Vatslav Nijinsky (12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish ancestry. He is regarded as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Nijinsky was celebrated for his virtuosity and f ...

'' (1980), '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992), ''

Far and Away ''Far and Away'' is a 1992 American epic Western romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. This was the last cinematography cr ...

'' (1992), '' Nell'' (1994), ''

Two If by Sea ''Two If by Sea'' (also known in the United Kingdom as ''Stolen Hearts'') is a 1996 American romantic comedy film directed by Bill Bennett, and starring Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary. The screenplay, written by Leary and Mike Armstrong, is based ...

'' (1996), '' Amistad'' (1997), '' The River'' (1997), ''

Seven Years in Tibet ''Seven Years in Tibet: My Life Before, During and After'' (1952; (''Seven years in Tibet. My life at the court of the Dalai Lama''); 1954 in English) is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer and Nazi SS sergeant Heinr ...

'', ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', '' A Beautiful Mind'' (2001), ''

Monsters, Inc. ''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Cobu ...

'' (2001), ''

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

'' (2002) and ''

Memoirs of a Geisha ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and w ...

'' (2005). He is one of four performing artists (with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

and

Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born October 19, 1941) is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet. Early life, family and education Daniel ...

) to be named as members of the Board of Advisors for "Smartmusic", a computer program which provides music accompaniments. Walker is a member of the Board of Directors of the

National Flute Association The National Flute Association (NFA) is an organization of flute players with roughly 5,000 members from more than 50 countries. It is an association in the United States with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The organization was founded in 1972 ...

. He is a Featured Artist for Burkart Flutes and Piccolos, performing on a solid 10K gold Elite model flute. He was given the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from the

, and was named the first "Alumni Fellow" from the university's School of Music. Walker recently made his debut at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington, where he appeared as guest soloist with the Phoenix and Thunderbird honor bands.

Discography

;Solo * ''Freeflight'' (1987, Voss Records) * ''Private Flight'' (1990, Tall Tree Records) * ''Music for Flute and Piano'' (1995) * ''Jim Walker Plays the Classics'' (with Sara Davis Buecher on piano) * ''Dancing Hearts: The Music of Bryan Pezzone'' (Bryan Pezzone on piano) * ''D'Drum'' ;With Free Flight * ''The Jazz/Classical Union'' (1982) * ''Soaring'' (1983,

Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

) * ''Beyond the Clouds'' (1984, Palo Alto, Hindsight) * ''Illumination'' (1986, Columbia) * ''The Best of Free Flight'' (1988, compilation) * ''Slice of Life'' (1989, Columbia) * ''Free Flight 2000'' (1999, CPP) * ''A Free Flight Christmas'' (2002) * ''Free Flight: Forever'' (2012) ;Duos with pianist

* ''Flight of the Dove'' (1983) * ''Reflections'' (1985, Reference Recordings) * ''Flute Solos for the Performing Artist'' (1994, Alfred Publishing Company) * ''Walker & Garson Play Gershwin'' (1999) * ''Tranquility'' (2000) * ''Jim Walker Plays the Music of Mike Garson'' (2007) * ''Pied Piper'' (2010) * ''The Music of George Gershwin'' (2012)

References

External links

Website: Jim Walker Online
www.jimwalkerflute.com
USC Thornton School - James Walker profile

* ttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/jim-walker-mn0000851786/biography Jim Walker biography by Eugene Chadbourne, discography and album reviews, credits & releasesat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Jim Walker discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Jim Walker albums to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Free Flight biography by Scott Yanow, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

Free Flight discography, album releases & credits
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jim American classical flautists American jazz flautists People from Greenville, Kentucky University of Louisville alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty Living people People from Central City, Kentucky Jazz musicians from Kentucky Free Flight (band) members 1944 births Players of the New York Philharmonic Players of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Players of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Players of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra