Jimmy Woode was a jazz
bassistThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
. His father, also named Jimmy Woode, was a music teacher and pianist who played with Hot Lips Page. Woode studied piano and bass in Boston at
Boston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and at the Conservatory of Music, as well as at the Philadelphia Academy.
He played and/or recorded in bands with
Flip PhillipsFlip Phillips was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1946 to 1957.-Biography:...
,
Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
,
Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
,
Nat PierceNat Pierce was an American jazz pianist and arranger born in Somerville, Massachusetts, perhaps best-known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 1951–1955...
,
Sidney BechetSidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
,
Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
,
Jaki ByardJaki Byard was an American jazz pianist and composer who also played trumpet and saxophone, among several other instruments. He was noteworthy for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz...
,
Earl HinesEarl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
,
Jimmy WitherspoonJimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
and
Miles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
.
He joined the
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
Orchestra in 1955, appearing on many of Ellington's recordings, including
Such Sweet ThunderSuch Sweet Thunder is a Duke Ellington album, released in 1957 . The record is a twelve part suite based on the work of William Shakespeare.-Track listing:#"Such Sweet Thunder" - 3:22...
and
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington SongbookElla Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song book is a 1957 album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the Duke Ellington orchestra, focusing on Ellington's songs....
, both from 1957, as well as the historic 1956
Newport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
session. He stayed with the Orchestra until 1960, when he left to live in Europe.
Jimmy Woode's song "Just Give Me Time" was covered by Carola in 1966, first released on her album
Carola & Heikki Sarmanto Trio, reaching the Finnish charts in 2004.
An original member of
The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big BandThe Kenny Clarke–Francy Boland Big Band was one of the most noteworthy jazz big bands formed outside the United States.It was formed in 1961, when, with the help of producer Gigi Campi, the US drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist and composer Francy Boland and ex-Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode...
, in 1995 he also toured with
Lionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
's Golden Men of Jazz.
In 2003, Woode formed a trio with renowned drummer
Pete YorkPete York is a rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s.-Early life:...
and German jazz musician/comedian
Helge SchneiderHelge Schneider is a German comedian, jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist, author, film and theatre director, and actor....
, reaching a younger generation of listeners on a tour through
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with his interpretation of jazz classics such as "Georgia" and "Summertime". As a consequence of his co-operation with Schneider, Woode also starred in the 2004 feature film
Jazzclub. In the role of Steinberg, a struggling jazz bassist, he showed considerable
actingActing is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
skills.
He died in April 2005 of a heart attack at age 78.
As sideman
With
Kenny ClarkeKenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
and
Francy BolandFrançois Boland was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist.He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like Bobby Jaspar, and in 1955 he joined Chet Baker's quintet...
- The Golden 8
The Golden 8 is an album by American jazz drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian jazz composer and pianist Francy Boland recorded in Köln in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label...
(Blue Note, 1961)
With
Eric DolphyEric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
- Stockholm Sessions (Enja, 1979) rec. 1961
With
Mal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
- Black Glory
Black Glory is a live album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in Munich 1971 and released on the Enja label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "Waldron is in excellent form.....
(Enja, 1971)
- Mal Waldron Plays the Blues
Mal Waldron Plays the Blues is a live album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in Munich in 1971 and released on the Enja label.-Reception:...
(Enja, 1971)
- A Touch of the Blues (Enja, 1972)
- One-Upmanship
ne-Upmanship is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron with soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded in 1977 and released by the Enja label...
(Enja, 1977)