News & Updates — Jimmy Giuffre

The reedsman (especially clarinet) Jimmy Giuffre was an innovator in experimental jazz, namely "third stream" (or "chamber jazz") and free improv. He moved from his native Texas to the West Coast around '50, becoming a major part of the scene and the development of "cool jazz". He played tenor & baritone with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars until '53 and played for a minute in the band of ex-Lighthouser Shorty Rogers before going out on his own with his avant-garde music. His drummerless trios consisted of reeds/bass/guitar, reeds/trombone/guitar and clarinet/piano/bass formats, in the process exploring free improvisation much earlier than...