JIMMY GIUFFRE CHRONOLOGY

1921 Born April 26, 1921 to a Sicilian-American family in Dallas, Texas.

1930 With the encouragement of his parents, begins clarinet lessons at the age of nine. Notably, this was some years before acknowledged influence, Benny Goodman, gained national stardom.

1934 At age of thirteen, performs unaccompanied clarinet solos for YMCA campfire rallies at Camp Crockett in Denton, Texas.

1935 Inspired perhaps by Lester “Prez” Young, takes up the tenor sax in addition to the clarinet.

1942 Earns a Bachelor of Music degree from North Texas State University. While enrolled at NTSU, rooms with jazz guitarist and future collaborator, Herb Ellis, and plays with local bands. (In Los Angeles, studies composition for eight years with composer, and Nobel-nominated scholar of Eastern mysticism, Wesley La Violette.)

1944 Plays the clarinet and tenor sax in the American Air Force Band specializing in lush Andre Kostelanetz-like arrangements.

1946 Following the war and military duty, resumes civilian musical career. Plays the tenor sax for a performance of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

1947 Now based in Los Angeles, plays a one-week stint as a substitute reed player in the progressive big band of Boyd Raeburn. Following the Raeburn gig, works with Jimmy Dorsey’s band for six months with whom he plays tenor and writes arrangements.

1948 Works as instrumentalist and arranger with drummer Buddy Rich’s band.

1949 Hired as instrumentalist and arranger by clarinetist Woody Herman for his forward-leaning “Second Herd.” Herman commissions the tune “Four Brothers,” scored for three tenors and baritone sax. The song is a hit. The Gene Roland-inspired melody and sound of the sax chorus create a sensation, and spawns other Giuffre-penned tunes like “Four Mothers” and “Four Others.”

1951/1952 Founds the Lighthouse All Stars with Howard Rumsey, a seminal group in the emerging West Coast Jazz scene. Married, during this period, to wife, Marty Giuffre, who encourages him to become a more daring and interactive player. Following intermittent musical studies at UCLA, studies composition for eight years with composer, and Nobel-nominated scholar of Eastern mysticism, Wesley La Violette. Inspired by La Violette, Giuffre adopts a contrapuntal approach to jazz composition, thus freeing him from strict chord structure.

1953/1955 Begins association with trumpeter Shorty Rogers and his Giants as composer, arranger and tenor sax player. Adds baritone sax to his instruments. Plays alongside other outstanding proponents of “cool jazz” like Art Pepper, Shelley Manne, Hampton Hawes, and others. With Rogers and others, performs on the soundtrack of the Brando film, “The Wild One.” Plays in various groups with trumpeter/comedian Jack Sheldon. Works with West Coast players like Buddy Collete, Jimmy Rowles, Harry Edison.

1956 Riding the crest of the West Coast Jazz wave, works prolifically as a composer for other Southern California musicians, and as leader of his own small groups. Inspired by the sound textures of Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Celeste and Harp, begins the first of his chamber-trios; The Jimmy Giuffre 3, with guitarist Jim Hall (veteran of the “chamber jazz” quintet of Chico Hamilton) and bassist Ralph Pena (a fellow veteran of Rogers’ Giants, and an in-demand West Coast bass player). The group practices regularly in the leader’s garage, and establish a rare musical rapport. Like fellow L.A.-based players, Buddy Collete and Eric Dolphy, Giuffre gains reputation as a multi-instrumentalist, and is featured on the cover of the trio’s first Atlantic disc wielding the clarinet, tenor and baritone saxes.

1957 Records alongside clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, accompanied by a traditional rhythm section. Meets valve-trombone player Bob Brookmeyer with whom her works for over a year with Hall in a new version of the trio. Subject of a cover story in Down Beat magazine which is the first of a three-issue profile of Giuffre and his trio. (Towards the end of the decade, devotes more time to teaching (Lenox School in Massachusetts). Writes for “Third Stream” proponent, Gunther Schuller.) Jim Atlas?

1958 Works again with Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer.

1959 Records in a trio with Jim Hall and Red Mitchell on bass. Later with Ray Brown in place of Mitchell.

1960 The Giuffre trio’s performance of this composition “The Train and the River” at the Newport Jazz Festival is used behind the opening credits of Bert Stern’s concert film, “Jazz on a Summer’s Day.”

1961 Marries second wife, Juanita, a painter. In Baden-Baden, records with the strings of the Sudwestfunk Orchestra conducted by Wolfram Kohrig. Forms a new trio with pianist Paul Bley, and 19-year old Steve Swallow on contra-bass. Perform and record some unconventional compositions by Bley’s then wife, and Swallow’s future wife, Carla Bley. With the new trio, and its more classical and dissonant leanings, Giuffre changes the mouthpiece on his clarinet and leaves the warmth and sweetness of the charmeleau range for a more dry and glacial sound. Intervals. “Fusion” and “Thesis” recorded for Verve. Tour Europe, no microphones used.

1962 The Guiffre/Bley/Swallow trio records “Free Fall” for Columbia. Anticipating Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles, the players all grow mustaches for the album shoot. The dissonance and free playing prove too much for audiences, and the group disbands after a night when each was paid 35 cents from money collected at the door. Awarded a “coronet” by the Penguin Book of Jazz. After the breakup of the experimental trio, Giuffre severely cuts down on his performances to devote time to reflection and teaching. Continues to specialize on the clarinet, but studies flute with Jimmy Politis.

1965 Performs live in Paris.

1966 Composes “Hex” for orchestra, used for the ballet “Manikins”.

1967 Continues composing classical academic pieces, and scores the ballet “The Castle.”

1969 Performs his composition “Orb” for clarinet and classical quartet at the Whitney Museum in New York.

1974 Composes a cantata for male and female choir with treble voices, “Life’s Music,” for the Church of St. Luke in New York. At this time, writes soundtracks for films “This Island, “ “Sighet-Sighet” and “Smiles.” Publishes two books on music theory. Mid-seventies, records “Quiet Song with Bley and Bill Connors. JG on flute. Electronic experimentations. Pete Levin. Forms a new trio

To be continiue...