James Edward Wormworth III (born August 14, 1937, in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

) is an American jazz drummer. He was described by

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

in 1960 edition of ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'' as "One of the most promising young drummers on the New York scene." He is the father of drummer James Wormworth and bassist

Tracy Wormworth Tracy Ann Wormworth (born December 15, 1958) is an American bass guitarist who has played with the B-52s since 1990. She was a member of the Waitresses and has been a session player for numerous acts. Career Wormworth's career began when she j ...

Biography

Born in Utica, New York, Jimmy Wormworth was the son of the African-American jazz drummer and pianist James Wormworth II and Ann Mariani, the sister of the Utica tenor saxophonist Dick Mariani.Feather, Leonard, ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'', New York: Horizon Press, 1960, p. 469. He began studying drums with George Claesgens in Utica in 1947 and was playing professionally in upstate New York while still in his teens.Hamilton College
Jazz Archive Interviews
transcript of interview conducted with Jimmy Wormworth in New York City on January 6, 2002, by Monk Rowe, director of the Hamilton College Jazz Archive. Wormworth went on to tour Europe with American combos in 1956 and 1957, toured with

Nellie Lutcher Nellie Rose Lutcher (October 15, 1912 – June 8, 2007) was an American R&B and jazz singer and pianist, who gained prominence in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Lutcher was most recognizable for her diction and exaggerated pronunciation a ...

from February 1958, began working with Les Jazz Modes in 1958 and with

Lou Donaldson Louis Andrew Donaldson Jr. (November 1, 1926 – November 9, 2024) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He was best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was he ...

and Phineas Newborn from 1958 until 1959. Between January and May 1959 he worked with

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

in the house band at the New York club the Five Spot and began touring with

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their ...

in October 1959. Wormworth's discography as a sideman includes recordings in the late 1950s with the Jazz Modes (

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Wash ...

and

Julius Watkins Julius Watkins (October 10, 1921 – April 4, 1977) was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the ''Down Beat'' critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for Mis ...

, the early 1960s with

and

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

, the 1970s with

Al Haig Alan Warren Haig (July 19, 1922 – November 16, 1982) was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop. Biography Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Nutley. In 1940, he majored in piano at Ob ...

, J. R. Monterose,

Allen Eager Allen Eager (January 10, 1927 – April 13, 2003) was an American jazz tenor and alto saxophonist who also competed in auto racing and took part in LSD experiments. Early life Allen Eager was born in New York City on January 10, 1927. He grew up ...

, Hod O'Brien and, in this century, albums with

Annie Ross Annie Ross (born Annabelle Allan Short; 25 July 193021 July 2020) was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the influential jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. She helped pioneer the vocalese style of jazz sin ...

, Tardo Hammer, Charles Davis, John Marshall and the German pianist Joe Haider. Wormworth met and began working with

in 1969 and performed with him regularly from about 1974 until Haig's death in 1982.Rutan, Grange, ''Death of a Bebop Wife'', Cadence Jazz Books, Redwood, NY, 2007, pp. 416–18. He taught workshops and master classes at the Konservatorium Wien in 2012. He was also a featured contributor for '' No One but Me'', a 2012 documentary film produced by ConnectFilm about jazz singer

Discography

As sideman

With

and

*'' The Jazz Modes'' (Atlantic, 1958) With

* ''Light-Foot'' (Blue Note, 1958) With

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their ...

* ''Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing Ellington'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''L, H & R Flying High with the Ike Isaacs Trio'' (Columbia, 1961) With

* ''Evolution of the Blues Song'' (Columbia, 1960) With

* ''Serendipity'' (

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, 1977) *'' Manhattan Memories'' (Sea Breeze, 1977

983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byzantine Empire and the Emirate of Sicily ...

With J. R. Monterose * ''Welcome Back, J.R!'' ( Progressive, 1979) With Hod O'Brien * ''Bits and Pieces'' ( Uptown, 1982) With

* ''Renaissance'' (Uptown, 1982) With Tardo Hammer * ''Tardo's Tempo'' (Sharp Nine, 2004) * ''Simple Pleasure'' (Cellar Liv, 2013) With John Marshall * ''Frisky'' (Organic Music, 2005) * ''Waltz for Worms'' (Organic, 2010) With

* ''Let Me Sing'' (CAP, 2005) With Stephanie Nakasian * ''I Love You'' (Spice of Life, 2006) With Gil Coggins * ''Better Late Than Never'' (

Smalls Smalls may refer to: * Smalls (surname) * Camp Robert Smalls, a United States Naval training facility * Fort Robert Smalls, a Civil War redoubt * Smalls Creek, a northern tributary of the Parramatta River * Smalls Falls, a waterfall in Maine, USA ...

, 2007) With Charles Davis * ''Land of Dreams'' (Smalls, 2007) With Joe Haider * ''A Moment in Montreux'' (Sound Hills, 2013)

References

External links

Jimmy Wormworth at All About Jazz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wormworth, Jimmy 1937 births Living people African-American drummers American jazz percussionists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male drummers Drummers from New York (state)