Jimmy Raney
James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 9, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist born in Louisville, Kentucky,[1] known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) and, during the same time period, with Stan Getz. In 1954 and 1955, he won the Down Beat Critics' Poll for guitar.[2] Raney worked in a variety of jazz mediums, including cool jazz, bebop, post bop, hard bop, and mainstream jazz.
Jimmy Raney | |
---|---|
Birth name | James Elbert Raney |
Born | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | August 20, 1927
Died | May 9, 1995 67) Louisville, Kentucky | (aged
Genres | Jazz, cool jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1944–1994 |
Labels | Prestige, Xanadu, Criss Cross |
Associated acts | Stan Getz, Red Norvo |
In 1946, he worked for a time as guitarist with the Max Miller Quartet at Elmer's in Chicago, his first paying gig. Raney also worked in the Artie Shaw Orchestra and collaborated with Woody Herman for nine months in 1948. He also collaborated and recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Al Haig and later on with Bob Brookmeyer. In 1967 alcoholism and other professional difficulties led him to leave New York City and return to his native Louisville.[3] He resurfaced in the 1970s and also did work with his son Doug, who was also a guitarist.[4]
Raney suffered for thirty years from Ménière's disease, a degenerative condition that led to near deafness in both ears, although this did not stop him from playing. He died of heart failure in Louisville on May 10, 1995. His obituary in the New York Times called him "one of the most gifted and influential postwar jazz guitarists in the world".[5]
Discography
As leader
- 1953 Jimmy Raney Plays (Prestige)
- 1954 Jimmy Raney and Sonny Clark Together! (Xanadu)
- 1954 Jimmy Raney Visits Paris (Vogue)
- 1954 Too Marvelous for Words (Vogue)
- 1954 Quartet (New Jazz)
- 1954 Swingin' in Sweden (Prestige)
- 1954 Jimmy Raney Quintet (Prestige)
- 1954 Jimmy Raney Ensemble (New Jazz)
- 1954 Together! (Xanadu)
- 1955 Jimmy Raney Quartet (New Jazz)
- 1955 A (Prestige)
- 1956 The Fourmost Guitars (ABC-Paramount)
- 1956 Jimmy Raney featuring Bob Brookmeyer (ABC-Paramount)
- 1957 Jimmy Raney in Three Attitudes (ABC-Paramount)
- 1957 2 Guitars (Prestige) with Kenny Burrell
- 1964 Two Jims and Zoot (Mainstream)
- 1972 Strings & Swings (Muse)
- 1974 Momentum (MPS)
- 1975 The Influence (Xanadu)
- 1976 Live in Tokyo (Xanadu)
- 1976 Solo (Xanadu)
- 1979 Jimmy and Doug Raney Quartet (Steeplechase)
- 1979 Duets (SteepleChase)
- 1979 Stolen Moments (Steeplechase) with Doug Raney
- 1979 Jim and I with Attila Zoller
- 1980 Here's That Raney Day (Black and Blue)
- 1981 Raney '81 (Criss Cross)
- 1983 The Master (Criss Cross)
- 1983 Nardis (Steeplechase)
- 1985 Wisteria (Criss Cross)
- 1990 But Beautiful (Criss Cross)
- 1997 Guitar Moments (Steeplechase)
- 2004 In Paris (Fresh Sound)
- 2007 At Bradley's 1974 (Gambit)[6]
As sideman
With Manny Albam
- 1959 Something New, Something Blue
- 1962 Jazz Goes to the Movies (Impulse!)
With Bob Brookmeyer
- 1955 The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer (Prestige)
- 1957 The Street Swingers (World Pacific)
- 1962 Trombone Jazz Samba (Verve)
- 1963 Samba Para Dos (Verve)
- 1964 Revelation
With Teddy Charles
- 1951 New Directions (OJC, 1951–53)
- 1952 Collaboration West (Prestige)
- 1956 The Teddy Charles Tentet
- 1956 Word from Bird (Atlantic)
- 1959 On Campus!
With Stan Getz
- 1950 The Complete Roost Recordings (Roost, 1950–54)
- 1951 At Storyville (Blue Note)
- 1952 Stan Getz Plays (Norgran)
- 1955 West Coast Jazz
- 1968 Prezervation
With Dave Pike
- 1962 Limbo Carnival (New Jazz)
- 1962 Dave Pike Plays the Jazz Version of Oliver! (Moodsville)
With Cal Tjader
- 1963 Several Shades of Jade (Verve)
- 1964 Warm Wave (Verve)
With others
- 1949 Artie Shaw: The Artistry of Artie Shaw (Fresh Sound)
- 1954 Red Norvo: Trio (OJC)
- 1954 Al Cohn, Mr. Music (RCA Victor) – credited as Sir Osbert Habedasher
- 1955 Al Cohn, Bill Perkins, and Richie Kamuca: The Brothers! (RCA Victor, 1955) – as Sam Beethoven
- 1955 Urbie Green: Blues and Other Shades of Green (ABC-Paramount)
- 1957 Barbara Lea: Lea in Love
- 1958 Mary Ann McCall: Detour to the Moon (Jubilee)
- 1959 Irene Kral: SteveIreneo! (United Artists)
- 1962 Lalo Schifrin: Lalo = Brilliance (Roulette)
- 1962 Eddie Harris: Bossa Nova (Vee-Jay)
- 1963 Gary McFarland: Point of Departure (Impulse!)
- 1963 Terry Gibbs: Hootenanny My Way
- 1963 Oliver Nelson: Full Nelson
- 1965 Helen Merrill: The Artistry of Helen Merrill (Mainstream)
- 1965 Dannie Richmond: "In" Jazz for the Culture Set (Impulse!)
- 1965 Shirley Scott: Latin Shadows (Impulse!)
- 1975 Al Haig: Strings Attached
- 1976 Charles McPherson: Live in Tokyo (Xanadu)
- 1985 Ted Brown: In Good Company
References
- Kernfield, Barry (Ed.): The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. London Macmillan. 2nd ed. 2002, Vol. 3 p. 357
- "Down Beat Critics Poll". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
- "Jimmy Raney". Classic Jazz guitar. Archived from the original on October 25, 2006.
- All Music
- Watrous, Peter (May 16, 1995). "Jimmy Raney, 67, a Guitarist Known for Versatility in Jazz". Nytimes.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- "Jimmy Raney | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
External links
- Jimmy Raney discography at Discogs
- Jimmy Raney at AllMusic
- Jimmy Raney website