Jimmy Raney

James Elbert Raney, known as Jimmy Raney ( born August 20, 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, † May 10, 1995 ibid ) was an American guitarist of modern jazz.

Life and work

Jimmy Raney is a leading guitarist between cool jazz and bebop and was apostrophized as a kind of Lee Konitz guitar ( Martin Kunzler ).

His father was a sports reporter, his mother played guitar; she brought him to learn classical guitar at the age of ten years. With 13 years Raney had his first encounter, when he learned with the Jazz at a local jazz great, guitarist Hayden Causey, jazz guitar. This led him to the work of Charlie Christian one, especially through its inclusion Solo Flight in 1939 From then on Raneys jazz career began. ; four years later (1944 ) he played in the New York band of Jerry Wald. He then worked with various jazz orchestras in Chicago, where she learned to know Lee Konitz. In 1947 his first career move when he joined the band of Woody Herman, the Second Herd on the side of Stan Getz. With him Raney played in the early 1950s that are important for the Cool Jazz Roost Recordings, in fact he saw himself as a bebop musician in a row with Tal Farlow and Billy Bauer from the school of Lennie Tristano. Raney was also a model for the music of Charlie Parker. Teddy Charles commented: Jimmy was one of the first who understood the lyrical character in Parker's music and has put into his own, long phrasing. ( Kunzler )

In 1953 he became successor in the valley Farlow Trio of Red Norvo and traveled with him to Europe in 1954. From then on, his field of work shifted away from the jazz clubs to go to Broadway or studio work: he played from 1953 to 1960 in the quartet of Don Elliott in the Broadway performance of Thurber Carnival. Until 1964 he remained in New York, then he retired to his birthplace to Kentucky, where he played cello and worked as a teacher. Only in 1975 he returned to the jazz scene and took a number of important LPs for Criss Cross and Steeple Chase Records on, sometimes accompanied by his son Doug Raney ( born 1957 ), jazz guitarist was also. Throughout his career, Jimmy Raney also played with Artie Shaw, Buddy DeFranco, Bob Brookmeyer, Ralph Burns, Teddy Charles, Al Cohn, Al Haig, Edmond Hall, Dick Katz and Herbie Stewart.

Effects had Raneys play on guitarists like Barney Kessel, Jim Hall and Attila Zoller, who recorded three Duoplatten with him.

Discography

As a leader

As a sideman

Collection

• The Complete Recordings of the Stan Getz Quintet with Jimmy Raney - ( 1951-53 ) - ( Mosaic - 1990 ) - 4 LPs, 3 CDs with Al Haig, Teddy Kotick, Tiny Kahn, Horace Silver, Leonard Gaskin, Roy Haynes, Duke Jordan, Bill Crow, Frank Isola, Hall Overton, Red Mitchell