Jimmy Giuffre, 86, music pioneer of classically inspired jazz
Matt Schudel
Washington Post
Apr. 30, 2008 12:00 AM

Jimmy Giuffre, a jazz musician who composed a popular big-band anthem of the 1940s and became an innovator of a minimalist form of classically inspired jazz, died Thursday at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass.

He had Parkinson's disease and would have turned 87 last Saturday.

Giuffre had his greatest early fame as the composer of Four Brothers, a popular instrumental hit for Woody Herman's big band in 1947. Later, after a stint in the saxophone section of Herman's big band, Giuffre formed a series of trios that explored what he called "blues-based folk jazz."

His groups, invariably called the Jimmy Giuffre 3, often included guitarist Jim Hall and blended advanced musical techniques with a homespun, back-porch feeling. Giuffre, who played clarinet, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone in the 1950s, gained modest popularity in the late 1950s and was featured in the documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.

Later, as his ideas reached beyond the mainstream, Giuffre lost his audience and concentrated on teaching and composing. In the past 10 years, however, as his early recordings were re-released, he was recognized as a subtle and forward-thinking jazz pioneer.

After early experience in jazz bands, Giuffre took an interest in counterpoint, fugues and other elements of classical music.

He became identified with John Lewis, George Russell, Gunther Schuller and other musicians who sought to blend jazz and classical music in a style known as Third Stream.

James Peter Giuffre was born in Dallas on April 26, 1921.

Take a listen and enjoy a more serene time...