Jimmy Woode – Bass

Woode was born September 23, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. His father, also named Jimmy Woode, was a music teacher and pianist who had played with Hot Lips Page. The younger Woode studied piano and bass in Boston at Boston University and at the Conservatory of Music, as well as at the Philadelphia Academy.

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 performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival issued on Ellington at Newport. He stayed with the Orchestra until 1960, when he left to live in Europe.

An original member of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, in 1995 he also toured with Lionel Hampton’s Golden Men of Jazz.

He died April 23, 2005, at age 78 at his home in Lindenwold, New Jersey, of complications following a surgery for a stomach aneurysm.

Woode was born on the same day, the same month, the same year as saxophonist John Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967).

(biographical information from Wikipedia)

This track is the exquisite ‘Sunset And The Mockingbird’ from the 1976 recording ‘The Ellington Suites’ and comes from ‘The Queen’s Suite’. The Suite was written by Ellington and his right hand man, Billy Strayhorn, for Queen Elizabeth II and a single record was cut and given to her. The Suite was not released until after Duke Ellington had passed away in 1974. Now THAT’S class!