Jim McNeely
Encyclopedia
Jim McNeely is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist, composer
, and arranger
.
Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music
degree from the University of Illinois
, and moved to New York City
in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band
. He spent six years as a featured soloist with that band and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (now The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.) 1981 saw the beginning of Jim’s 4-year tenure as pianist/composer with the Stan Getz
Quartet. From 1990 until 1995 he held the piano chair in the Phil Woods
Quintet. In 1996 he re-joined the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as pianist and composer-in-residence, a position that he still holds. From 1998 to 2003 he was chief conductor of the DR Big Band
in Copenhagen
, Denmark, and is currently artist-in-residence with the HR (Hessischer Rundfunk
) Big Band in Frankfurt, Germany. He continues to appear as guest with many of Europe's leading jazz orchestras such as The Metropole Orchestra (The Netherlands) and The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra (Sweden). Jim also leads his own tentet, his own trio, and appears as soloist at concerts and festivals worldwide. He has recorded more than a dozen CDs
under his own name, earning nine Grammy nominations between 1997 and 2006. In 2008, he was awarded a Grammy with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for their album Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard (Planet Arts).
McNeely serves on the faculties of Manhattan School of Music
, William Paterson University
, and is musical director of the BMI
Jazz Composers Workshop.
From 2011 on McNeely will conduct the hr-Bigband, the bigband of the Hessische Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
He resides in Montclair, New Jersey
. He has two siblings, a younger sister and a younger brother.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
.
Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
degree from the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band
The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis around 1965. The band performed for twelve years in its original incarnation, and included a 1972 tour of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The band won a 1978...
. He spent six years as a featured soloist with that band and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (now The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.) 1981 saw the beginning of Jim’s 4-year tenure as pianist/composer with the Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
Quartet. From 1990 until 1995 he held the piano chair in the Phil Woods
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer.-Biography:...
Quintet. In 1996 he re-joined the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as pianist and composer-in-residence, a position that he still holds. From 1998 to 2003 he was chief conductor of the DR Big Band
DR Big Band
The Danish Radio Big Band , often referred to as the Radioens Big Band is a jazz big band founded in Copenhagen in 1964, when the Copenhagen jazz scene was particularly active, and the city was regularly visited by prominent jazz artists from the USA.- Band history :Originally called The New Radio...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark, and is currently artist-in-residence with the HR (Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the German state of Hesse. The main offices of HR are in Frankfurt am Main. HR is a member of the ARD.- Studios :...
) Big Band in Frankfurt, Germany. He continues to appear as guest with many of Europe's leading jazz orchestras such as The Metropole Orchestra (The Netherlands) and The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra (Sweden). Jim also leads his own tentet, his own trio, and appears as soloist at concerts and festivals worldwide. He has recorded more than a dozen CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
under his own name, earning nine Grammy nominations between 1997 and 2006. In 2008, he was awarded a Grammy with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for their album Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard (Planet Arts).
McNeely serves on the faculties of Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
, William Paterson University
William Paterson University
William Paterson University is a comprehensive public institution located in Wayne, New Jersey serving nearly 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students through five colleges: , , , , and ....
, and is musical director of the BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Jazz Composers Workshop.
From 2011 on McNeely will conduct the hr-Bigband, the bigband of the Hessische Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
He resides in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. He has two siblings, a younger sister and a younger brother.
Selected discography
- Rain's Dance, SteepleChase RecordsSteepleChase RecordsSteepleChase Records is a jazz record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time...
, 1976 - The Plot Thickens, Muse RecordsMuse RecordsMuse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
, 1979 - Pure Getz, Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
, 1982 - From the Heart, Owl Records, 1984
- Winds of Change, SteepleChase, 1989
- East Coast Blow Out (w/WDR Big Band), Lipstick Records, 1989
- Jigsaw (w/Stockholm Jazz Orch.), Dragon Records, 1991
- Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 20, Concord Jazz, 1992
- Sound Bites (w/Stockholm Jazz Orch.), Dragon Records, 1997
- Lickety Split (w/Vanguard Jazz Orch.), New World Records, 1997
- Nice Work (w/Danish Radio Big Band), Dacapo Records, 2000
- Group Therapy (Jim McNeely Tentet), OmniTone, 2001
- The Power and the Glory (w/Danish Radio Big Band), Storyville RecordsStoryville RecordsStoryville Records is a large international record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializing in jazz and blues music. Besides its original material, Storyville Records has licensed and reissued many vintage jazz recordings that previously appeared on such labels as Paramount Records,...
, 2001 - Play Bill Evans (w/Danish Radio Big Band), Stunt Records, 2002
- In This Moment (w/Adam Nussbaum, Lennart Ginman), Stunt Records, 2003
- Up From the Skies (w/Vanguard Jazz Orch.), Planet Arts Recordings, 2006
- Dedication Suite (w/Danish Radio Big Band), Cope Records, 2006
- Paul Klee (w/Swiss Jazz Orch.), Mons Records, 2006
- Boneyard (w/Kelly Sill, Joel Spencer), Origin Records, 2006
- Remember the Sound (w/George Robert Jazztet), TCB Records, 2008
- A Single Sky (Dave Douglas & Frankfurt Radio Big Band), Greenleaf Music, 2009
- Quest for Freedom (David Liebman, Richie Beirach & Frankfurt Radio Big Band), Sunnyside Records, 2010