James Moody (saxophonist)
Encyclopedia
James Moody was an American
jazz
saxophone
and flute
player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love
," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love
"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.
, Georgia
. Growing up in New Jersey
, he was attracted to the saxophone after hearing George Holmes Tate, Don Byas
, and various saxophonists who played with Count Basie
, and later also took up the flute. He joined the US Army Air Corps in 1943 and played in the "negro band" on the segregated base. Following his discharge from the military in 1946 he played be-bop with Dizzy Gillespie
for two years. Moody later played with Gillespie in 1964, where his colleagues in the Gillespie group, pianist Kenny Barron
and guitarist Les Spann
, would be musical collaborators in the coming decades.
In 1948 he recorded his first session for Blue Note Records
, the first in a long recording career playing both saxophone and flute. That same year he relocated to Europe, where he stayed for three years, saying he had been "scarred by racism" in the U.S. His European work, including the first recording of "Moody's Mood for Love", which became a hit in 1952, saw him add the alto saxophone
to his repertoire and helped to establish him as recording artist in his own right, and were part of the growth of European jazz. Then in 1952, he returned to the U.S. to a recording career with Prestige Records
and others, playing flute
and saxophone in bands that included musicians such as Pee Wee Moore
and others. In the 1960s, he rejoined Dizzy Gillespie. He later worked also with Mike Longo
.
In a 1998 interview with Bob Bernotas, Moody stated that he believed jazz
has definite spiritual
resonance.
The James Moody Quartet (with pianist Renee Rosnes
, bassist Todd Coolman
, and drummer Adam Nussbaum
) was Moody's vehicle later is his career.. Moody played regularly with Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band and also often collaborated with former Gillespie alumnus, the trumpeter-composer-conductor Jon Faddis
; Faddis and Moody worked in 2007 with the WDR Big Band in Cologne
, Germany under the direction of Michael Abene.
On November 3, 2009, Moody appeared live in an interview conducted in both Italian
and English
(Moody spoke Italian) with the jazz aficionado, Nick "The Nightfly", on Radio Monte Carlo
's late-night "Monte Carlo Nights" program. The chat featured an amiable Moody talking about his career.
Moody was married to Linda Moody; they resided in San Diego. He was an active member of the Bahá'í Faith
. In 2005, the Moodys established the Moody Scholarship Fund at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College-State University of New York
(SUNY Purchase); the first Moody Scholars, named in 2007, are saxophonist Andrew Gould and trumpeter Maxilmilien Darche. Moody was an NEA Jazz Master and often participated in educational programming and outreach, including with the International Association for Jazz Education, or IAJE.
On November 2, 2010, Moody's wife announced on his behalf that he had pancreatic cancer
, and had chosen not to have it treated aggressively. Moody died in San Diego, on December 9, 2010, of complications from pancreatic cancer.
He was divorced twice, and is survived by his wife of 21 years, the former Linda Petersen McGowan; three sons, Regan, Danny and Patrick McGowan; a daughter, Michelle Moody Bagdanove; a brother, Louis Watters; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
Two months after his death, Moody won the Grammy Award
posthumously for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for his album Moody 4B
.
With Charles Mingus
With Bobby Timmons
With Tubby Hayes
With Roberta Gambarini
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love
Moody's Mood for Love
"Moody's Mood for Love" is jazz saxophonist James Moody's 1949 instrumental solo based on Jimmy McHugh's 1935 song "I'm in the Mood for Love" with lyrics later added by Eddie Jefferson.-History:...
," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love
I'm in the Mood for Love
"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.
Biography
James Moody was born in SavannahSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Growing up in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, he was attracted to the saxophone after hearing George Holmes Tate, Don Byas
Don Byas
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe.- Oklahoma and Los Angeles :...
, and various saxophonists who played with Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, and later also took up the flute. He joined the US Army Air Corps in 1943 and played in the "negro band" on the segregated base. Following his discharge from the military in 1946 he played be-bop with Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
for two years. Moody later played with Gillespie in 1964, where his colleagues in the Gillespie group, pianist Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
and guitarist Les Spann
Les Spann
Leslie Spann, Jr. was an American jazz guitarist and flautist.Spann was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States....
, would be musical collaborators in the coming decades.
In 1948 he recorded his first session for Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
, the first in a long recording career playing both saxophone and flute. That same year he relocated to Europe, where he stayed for three years, saying he had been "scarred by racism" in the U.S. His European work, including the first recording of "Moody's Mood for Love", which became a hit in 1952, saw him add the alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
to his repertoire and helped to establish him as recording artist in his own right, and were part of the growth of European jazz. Then in 1952, he returned to the U.S. to a recording career with Prestige Records
Prestige Records
Prestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
and others, playing flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and saxophone in bands that included musicians such as Pee Wee Moore
Pee Wee Moore
Numa Smith "Pee Wee" Moore was an American jazz saxophonist.Moore attended the Hampton Institute in Virginia as a pre-med student where he switched his major to music after one semester. He joined the Royal Hamptonians and toured on a USO circuit...
and others. In the 1960s, he rejoined Dizzy Gillespie. He later worked also with Mike Longo
Mike Longo
Michael Josef "Mike" Longo is a jazz pianist, composer, and author. He is most known for his work with Dizzy Gillespie.-Early life:...
.
In a 1998 interview with Bob Bernotas, Moody stated that he believed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
has definite spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
resonance.
The James Moody Quartet (with pianist Renee Rosnes
Renee Rosnes
Irene Louise Rosnes , professionally known as Renee Rosnes , is a pianist, composer and arranger in the hard bop and post-bop mediums.-Biography:...
, bassist Todd Coolman
Todd Coolman
Todd Coolman is a jazz bassist residing near New York City.Since moving to New York in 1978, he has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman. Coolman recently recorded “Lexicon”...
, and drummer Adam Nussbaum
Adam Nussbaum
-Biography:Nussbaum grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut and started to play drums at age 12 after studying piano for five years. He also played bass and saxophone as a teenager. He moved to New York City in 1975 to attend The Davis Center for Performing Arts at City College...
) was Moody's vehicle later is his career.. Moody played regularly with Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band and also often collaborated with former Gillespie alumnus, the trumpeter-composer-conductor Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
; Faddis and Moody worked in 2007 with the WDR Big Band in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany under the direction of Michael Abene.
On November 3, 2009, Moody appeared live in an interview conducted in both Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(Moody spoke Italian) with the jazz aficionado, Nick "The Nightfly", on Radio Monte Carlo
Radio Monte Carlo
Radio Monte Carlo is the name of six radio stations owned and managed by three different entities:*RMC Info is a French-speaking station, broadcasting in France and Monaco from Paris with some contributions from Monaco. Radio Monte-Carlo was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the...
's late-night "Monte Carlo Nights" program. The chat featured an amiable Moody talking about his career.
Moody was married to Linda Moody; they resided in San Diego. He was an active member of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
. In 2005, the Moodys established the Moody Scholarship Fund at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College-State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
(SUNY Purchase); the first Moody Scholars, named in 2007, are saxophonist Andrew Gould and trumpeter Maxilmilien Darche. Moody was an NEA Jazz Master and often participated in educational programming and outreach, including with the International Association for Jazz Education, or IAJE.
On November 2, 2010, Moody's wife announced on his behalf that he had pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, and had chosen not to have it treated aggressively. Moody died in San Diego, on December 9, 2010, of complications from pancreatic cancer.
He was divorced twice, and is survived by his wife of 21 years, the former Linda Petersen McGowan; three sons, Regan, Danny and Patrick McGowan; a daughter, Michelle Moody Bagdanove; a brother, Louis Watters; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
Two months after his death, Moody won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
posthumously for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for his album Moody 4B
Moody 4B
Moody 4B is an instrumental album released by jazz musician James Moody. The album was released in 2010 on IPO Recordings, Moody's fifth release on the label, and was produced by Michael Patterson, Bill Sorin was executive producer. It won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album,...
.
As leader
- 1949: James Moody's Greatest Hits
- 1951: More of James Moody's Greatest Hits
- 1955: Wail, Moody, Wail (Prestige RecordsPrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
, produced by Rudy Van GelderRudy Van GelderRudy Van Gelder is an American recording engineer specializing in jazz.Often regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder has recorded several thousand jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics, in a career spanning more than half a century...
) - 1955: Moody's Mood For Blues
- 1956: Moody's Mood for Love
- 1956: Hey It's James Moody
- 1959: James Moody (Argo RecordsArgo RecordsArgo Records was started in December of 1955 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing recording activity at Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Argo.Initially, Argo offered a...
) - 1959: Flute 'n' the Blues
- 1962: Another Bag (Argo)
- 1963: Comin' On Strong (Argo)
- 1965: Cookin' the Blues (Cadet Records, with Bernard McKinney, Howard McGheeHoward McGheeHoward McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...
, Eddie JeffersonEddie JeffersonEddie Jefferson was a celebrated jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Perhaps his best-known song is "Moody's Mood for Love", though it was first recorded by King Pleasure, who cited...
) - 1969: The Blues and Other Colours
- 1969: Don't Look Away Now
- 1970: Teachers (Perception Records)
- 1971: Heritage Hum (Perception)
- 1973: Feelin' It Together
- 1973: James Moody Sax & Flute Man (Jewel Record Corp)
- 1991: "Moving Forward" (NovusNovusThe word novus means "new" in Latin.Novus may also refer to:-Companies:* Novus, former credit card partner of the Discover Card* Novus Biologicals, a biotech company based in Littleton, Colorado, USA...
) - 1997: Moody Plays Mancini (Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
) - 1999: James Moody And The Swedish All-Stars (Concord RecordsConcord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
) - 2004: Homage
- 2005: The World is a Ghetto (Fuel 2000 Records)
- 2009: "Moody 4A (IPO)
- 2010: "Moody 4B" (IPO)
As sideman
With Dizzy GillespieDizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
- The Cool WorldThe Cool World (soundtrack)The Cool World is a 1964 soundtrack album to the film The Cool World by Dizzy Gillespie and his quintet, composed and arranged by Mal Waldron...
(PhilipsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, 1964) - Dizzy Goes HollywoodDizzy Goes HollywoodDizzy Goes Hollywood is a 1964 studio album by Dizzy Gillespie and his quintet, featuring the saxophonist James Moody. -Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album three stars and said that "On first glance this LP looks like a dud...However, because the trumpeter was near the...
(Philips, 1964) - Swing Low, Sweet CadillacSwing Low, Sweet CadillacSwing Low, Sweet Cadillac is a live album by American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie featuring performances recorded in 1967 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(Impulse!, 1967) - Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra - Live at the Royal Festival Hall (1989) Moody solos on "Kush" and "Night in Tunisia"
- The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars - Dizzy's World directed by Jon Faddis (1999)
- The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band - Things to Come (2001)
With Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
- Charles Mingus and Friends in ConcertCharles Mingus and Friends in ConcertCharles Mingus and Friends in Concert is a live album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded at the Philharmonic hall of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1972 and released on the Columbia label...
(Columbia, 1972)
With Bobby Timmons
Bobby Timmons
Robert Henry "Bobby" Timmons was an African American jazz pianist and composer.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is best known for his role as sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the composition of "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here", each of which are typical of his...
- Got to Get It!Got to Get It!Got to Get It! is an album by American jazz pianist Bobby Timmons recorded in 1967 and released on the Milestone label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Jason Ankeny awarded the album 3 stars stating "Purists may blanch, but Bobby Timmons' Milestone label debut Got to Get It! is an otherwise...
(Milestone, 1967)
With Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born...
- Return Visit! (Fontana RecordsFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1962) Credited as Jimmy Gloomy
With Roberta Gambarini
Roberta Gambarini
Roberta Gambarini is an Italian jazz singer. She was born in Turin, Italy, and started taking clarinet lessons at age twelve. She made her singing debut at age seventeen in jazz clubs around Northern Italy, then moved to Milan, where she worked in radio and television and began recording under her...
- "Easy To Love"-(Groovin' High/Kindred Rhythm, 2006) Moody plays tenor sax and sings with Roberta on "Lover Man" and "Centerpiece,"
External links
- Biography of Moody jamesmoody.com, official website
- Biography of Moody University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
-Jazz at Pitt - Jazz Conversations with Eric Jackson: James Moody from WGBH Radio Boston
- James Moody's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project