Jimmy Woode’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

James Bryant Woode (September 23, 1926 – April 23, 2005) was an American jazz bassist.

Biography

Woode was born in Philadelphia. His father, also named Jimmy Woode, was a music teacher and pianist who had played with Hot Lips Page. Woode studied piano and bass in Boston at Boston University and at the Conservatory of Music, as well as at the Philadelphia Academy.

He played and/or recorded in bands with Flip Phillips, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Nat Pierce, Sidney Bechet, Billie Holiday, Jaki Byard, Earl Hines, Jimmy Witherspoon, Clark Terry and Miles Davis.

He joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1955, appearing on many of Ellington’s recordings, including Such Sweet Thunder and Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook, both from 1957, as well as the historic 1956 Newport Jazz Festival 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 Band, in 1995 he also toured with Lionel Hampton’s Golden Men of Jazz.

In 2003, Woode formed a trio with renowned drummer Pete York and German jazz musician/comedian Helge Schneider, reaching a younger generation of listeners on a tour through Germany 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 acting skills.

He died in April 2005 at age 78 at his home in Lindenwold, New Jersey, of post-surgical complications.

Discography

As leader

• The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode (Argo, 1958)

As sideman

With Kenny Clarke

• The Golden 8 (Blue Note, 1961)
• Jazz Is Universal (Atlantic, 1962) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Americans in Europe (Impulse!, 1963)
• Handle with Care (Atlantic, 1963) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Now Hear Our Meanin’ (Columbia, 1963 [1965]) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Swing, Waltz, Swing (Philips, 1966) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Sax No End (SABA, 1967) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Out of the Folk Bag (Columbia, 1967) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• 17 Men and Their Music (Campi, 1967) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• All Smiles (MPS, 1968) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Faces (MPS, 1969) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Latin Kaleidoscope (MPS, 1968) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• All Blues (MPS, 1969) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• More Smiles (MPS, 1969) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1 (Tréma, 1969 [1992]) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• Off Limits (Polydor, 1970) – with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
• November Girl (Black Lion, 1970 [1975]) – with Carmen McRae and the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band

With Ted Curson

• Urge (Fontana, 1966)

With Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Johnny Griffin

• Tough Tenors Again ‘n’ Again (MPS, 1970)

WIth Nathan Davis

• The Hip Walk
• Peace Treaty
• Happy Girl

With Eric Dolphy

• Stockholm Sessions (Enja, 1961)

With Duke Ellington

• Blue Rose (Columbia, 1956) with Rosemary Clooney

With Art Farmer

• Gentle Eyes (Mainstream, 1972)

With Paul Gonsalves

• Cookin’ (Argo, 1957)

With Johnny Griffin

• Night Lady (Philips, 1964)

With Jim Hall

• It’s Nice to Be With You (MPS, 1969)

With Johnny Hodges

• Creamy (Norgran, 1955)
• Ellingtonia ’56 (Norgran, 1956)
• Duke’s in Bed (Verve, 1956)
• The Big Sound (Verve, 1957)
• Blues-a-Plenty (Verve, 1958)
• Not So Dukish (Verve, 1958)

With John Lewis and Svend Asmussen

• European Encounter (Atlantic, 1962)

With Mythologie

• Live At »Domicile« Munich (BASF, 1971)

With Sahib Shihab

• Summer Dawn (Argo, 1964)
• Seeds (Vogue Schallplatten, 1968)
• Companionship (Vogue Schallplatten, 1964-70 [1971])
• Commitment’ (1970)

With Sunbirds

• Sunbirds (BASF, 1971)
• Zagara (Polydor/Finger, 1973)

With Clark Terry

• Out on a Limb with Clark Terry (Argo, 1957)

With Mal Waldron

• Black Glory (Enja, 1971)
• Mal Waldron Plays the Blues (Enja, 1971)
• A Touch of the Blues (Enja, 1972)
• One-Upmanship (Enja, 1977)