James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American

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 ...

clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating forms of free improvisation.

Biography

Jimmy Giuffre was born in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States, the son of Joseph Francis Giuffre (an Italian immigrant from Termini Imerese, Palermo Province, Sicily) and Everet McDaniel Giuffre. Giuffre was a graduate of Dallas Technical High School and North Texas State Teachers College ( University of North Texas College of Music). He first became known as an arranger for Woody Herman's

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

, for which he wrote " Four Brothers" (1947). He would continue to write creative, unusual arrangements throughout his career. He was a central figure in West Coast jazz and cool jazz. He became a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars in 1951 as a full-time All Star, along with Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne. The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California became the focal point of West Coast jazz in the 1952–53 period. During this time, he collaborated with Rogers on many of the charts written for the All Stars. The first recording released by the Lighthouse All Stars was a not so West Coast jazz chart named "Big Boy", which he and Rogers had put together. It was an instant hit in Los Angeles. He left the band in September 1953 and became a member of Shorty Rogers and His Giants before going solo. At this point in his career, Giuffre predominantly played tenor and baritone saxophone. His first trio consisted of Giuffre, guitarist Jim Hall and double bassist Ralph Peña (later replaced by Jim Atlas). They had a minor hit in 1957 when Giuffre's "The Train and the River", was featured on the television special '' The Sound of Jazz''. This trio explored what Giuffre dubbed "blues-based folk jazz". This same special matched Giuffre with fellow clarinetist Pee Wee Russell for a leisurely jam session simply titled "Blues". When Atlas left the trio, Giuffre replaced him with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. This unusual instrumentation was partly inspired by Aaron Copland. The group can be seen performing "The Train and the River" in the film '' Jazz on a Summer's Day'' filmed at the 1958

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

. In 1959, Giuffre led a trio featuring Hall and bassist Buddy Clark on a concert in Rome, Italy, sharing the bill with Gerry Mulligan's band. In 1961, Giuffre formed a new trio with pianist

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

and Steve Swallow on double bass, and began to focus his attention largely on the clarinet. This group received little attention while active, but were later cited by some critics and musicians as among the most important groups in jazz history. They explored

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

not in the aggressive mode of Albert Ayler or Archie Shepp, but with a hushed, quiet focus closer to

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

. The trio's explorations of

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

and

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

are still as striking and radical as any in jazz. Thom Jurek has written that this trio's recordings are "one of the most essential documents regarding the other side of early-'60s jazz." Giuffre, Bley and Swallow eventually explored wholly improvised music, several years ahead of the

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

boom in Europe. Jurek writes that ''

Free Fall In classical mechanics, free fall is any motion of a physical object, body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. A freely falling object may not necessarily be falling down in the vertical direction. If the common definition of the word ...

'', their final record, "was such radical music, no one, literally no one, was ready for it and the group disbanded shortly thereafter on a night when they made only 35 cents apiece for a set." In the early 1970s, Giuffre formed a new trio with bassist Kiyoshi Tokunaga and drummer Randy Kaye. Giuffre added instruments including bass flute and soprano saxophone to his arsenal. A later group included Pete Levin playing synthesizer and replaced Tokunaga with electric bassist Bob Nieske. This group recorded three albums for the Italian Soul Note label.Lock, p. 132 During the 1970s, Giuffre was hired by

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

to head its jazz ensemble, and to teach private lessons in saxophone and music composition. He also taught jazz improvisation at Manhattanville College. Into the 1990s, Giuffre continued teaching and performing. He recorded with Joe McPhee, and revived the trio with Bley and Swallow (though Swallow had switched to bass guitar, giving the group a different sound). Through the mid-1990s, Giuffre taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. He suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

and in his last years he no longer performed. Giuffre died of pneumonia in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on April 24, 2008, two days short of his 87th birthday.

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 A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

'' (Verve), re-released with ''Fusion'' and three additional tracks as ''1961'' ( ECM, 1992) *1961: '' Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961'' ( hatArt, 1993), with Steve Swallow,

*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: ''

'' ( 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

*1983: '' Dragonfly'' ( Soul Note) *1985: ''

Quasar A quasar ( ) is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. The emission from an AGN is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole with a mass rangi ...

'' (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 Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and the Lighthouse All-Stars – ''

Witch Doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors ...

'' (Contemporary, 1953 985 * Chet Baker – '' Pretty/Groovy'' (World Pacific, 1954 958 * Elmer Bernstein – '' The Man with the Golden Arm'' (Decca, 1956) *

– '' 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 956 ''

Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

'' (Prestige, 1953 957 * Peggy Connelly – ''That Old Black Magic'' (Bethlehem, 1956) *

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

– ''The Progressive Mr. DeFranco'' ( Norgran, 1953 954 reissued as ''Odalisque - The Music Of Buddy DeFranco'', Norgran, 1956 & Verve, 1961) * Herb Ellis – '' Ellis in Wonderland'' (Verve, 1956) *

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

– '' 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 Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

'' (RCA Victor, 1954) * Shorty Rogers – '' The Swinging Mr. Rogers'' (Atlantic, 1955) * Shorty Rogers – '' Martians Stay Home'' (Atlantic, 1955 980 * Shorty Rogers – '' Martians Come Back!'' (Atlantic, 1955 956 * Shorty Rogers – '' Way Up There'' (Atlantic, 1955 957 * Shorty Rogers – '' Wherever the Five Winds Blow'' (RCA Victor, 1956 957 * 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, 957 *Pete Rugolo – '' Out on a Limb'' (EmArcy, 1956) * Bill Russo / Shorty Rogers / Shelly Manne / Jimmy Giuffre – ''Jazz Composers Workshop'' (

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

, 1952) * '' Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars, Vol. 3'' (Contemporary, 1952), in this band Giuffre plays

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

* Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars – ''Sunday Jazz à la Lighthouse'', Vol. 1 & 2 (Contemporary, 1953) *

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

– '' Sonny Stitt Plays Jimmy Giuffre Arrangements'' (Verve, 1959) * Duane Tatro – ''Jazz for Moderns'' (Contemporary, 1954–55), Giuffre plays baritone saxophone

References

External links