Jimmy Woode R.I.P.

[Durium]

Two days ago Jimmy Woode died of cancer.

Two great double bass players died this month. Last week Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and yesterday Jimmy Woode.

One-and-a-half year ago I heard 75 years old Jimmy Woode playing like a young man, in a great concert with the great vocalist Roberta Gambarini. If you love to see some images from the concert: Two great double bass players !!

Link to the concert I visited

Jimmy Woode was a great double bass player.

Former Ellington bassist James Bryant Woode, who began his professional career in 1946 with his own band died yesterday in his home at Lindenwold, NJ from cancer. Among his early musical associates were Nat Pierce, Flip Phillips and Zoot Sims, and he was also accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. In the early 50s Woode was a member of the house band at

George Wein's Storyville Club in Boston, where he played with numerous visiting jazz stars.

By 1955 his reputation was such that he was invite to join Duke Ellington, a job he held for five years ("5 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 2 days"). After leaving Ellington he settled in Europe (first in Sweden), later on becoming a member of the Clarke-Boland Big Band throughout most of its existence (1961-70). A solid section player, Woode continued drawing the respect of his fellow

musicians till the near end.

James Bryant Woode, born September 23, 1928 in Philadelphia, PA, died April 23, 2005 in Lindenwold, NJ

[EKE BBB]

Sad news for the Ellingtonians... and for jazz in general.

What a week!

[EKE BBB]

Jimmy Woode in Dortmund, 1969

[mikeweil]

There is an earlier thread about this sad news here.

[J.A.W.]

  mikeweil said:

There is an earlier thread about this sad news here.

Quite.

[agriffith]

Another great basso profundo gone. RIP Mr. Woode.

That great tune "Blues In Blueprint" off of Ellington's "Blues In Orbit" album just came to mind. The first part with Carney on bass clarinet playing unison with Woode's bass; what a sound!