Articles

The Legacy of Jimmy Giuffre and Lennie Tristano (1961 - 1969)

by Russell Perry
January 7, 2020

Clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre and pianist Lennie Tristano were heavily influential in the musical explorations of the 1960s. The Jimmy Giuffre Trio recorded a series of records in the early 1960s now seen as significant milestones in improvisational music, although they made no commercial impact at the time. His trio-mates-- pianist Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow--have been major players in the decades since. Lennie Tristano dropped out of sight in 1960, but his protégés Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh carried ...

Emanem Tidies Up

by John Eyles
December 19, 2016

As well as releasing contemporary recordings of improv, Martin Davidson's Emanem label has played a vital role in documenting the history of the music by releasing, re-releasing or re-curating recordings that are decades old. In the process, Davidson has sometimes worked tirelessly to improve the sound quality of recordings that were never intended for release, and has been relentless in his pursuit of vital recordings that plugged gaps in the discographies of important musicians. In a 2001 interview, Derek Bailey ...

Jimmy Giuffre: New York Concerts

by Hrayr Attarian
May 13, 2014

Saxophonist and clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre was a first rate innovator who restlessly reinvented his art without losing its signature character. Despite leaving behind a large recorded legacy Giuffre remains far from being a household name known mostly in hardcore jazz aficionado circles. In 2012 producer Zev Feldman of Elemental Music came across two unreleased Guiffre tapes from 1965. Both were cut in New York at, now defunct, venues. Feldman was taken by the freedom of the music and ...

The Jimmy Giuffre 3: 7 Pieces

by Greg Simmons
May 21, 2011

Fame can be fickle, meaning that someone like Jimmy Giuffre can fade into relative obscurity, remembered and appreciated by fellow musicians and a few hardcore jazz fans, while never having reached into the broader public consciousness in any measurable way. As a multi-reed artist, Giuffre was certainly one of the most original and creative visionary forces in jazz. Perhaps Giuffre's best known ensemble was his first: a combo that was unorthodox in its day, featuring Giuffre, Jim Hall ...

In Memoriam: Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008)

by AAJ Staff
June 15, 2008

Jimmy was quite an addition to my life. He was kind of a father figure to me, especially since my old man split when I was seven. I learned so much from Jimmy musically. For instance, if he had written something and he wanted the melody phrased a certain way, he would say, “Try to make those notes string together" so it sounded more like a wind instrument though played by guitar. Especially because I would be playing lines along ...

Jimmy Giuffre: The Life of a Trio: Saturday & Sunday

by Matthew Miller
June 3, 2007

Jimmy Giuffre made waves in 1961-62 with the release of Fusion (Verve, 1961), Thesis (Verve, 1961) and Free Fall (Columbia, 1962). With pianist Paul Bley and a 20-year-old Steve Swallow on upright bass, the Third Stream innovator created the best music of his career--telepathic performances that continue to astound and inspire more than four decades later. As with so many great things however, the trio was short lived--it would be thirty years before group that quietly rocked the jazz scene ...

Jimmy Giuffre: Cool One

by Nic Jones
September 12, 2006

Within the archetypal West Coast sound, Jimmy Giuffre always had his own thing going on, and in the case of both The Four Brothers Sound (Atlantic) and Tangents In Jazz (Capitol), the two dates brought together here from the mid-1950s, that point seems obvious.

He was of course a tenor saxophonist every bit as influenced by Lester Young as Zoot Sims, but as with that master, his take on Young's legacy was an individual one, and even at this comparatively ...