Jim Hall, a jazz guitarist who for more than 50 years was admired by critics, aficionados and especially his fellow musicians for his impeccable technique and the warmth and subtlety of his playing, died on Tuesday at his home in Greenwich Village. He was 83. The cause was heart failure, his wife, Jane, said.
Jim and Jane. Cute.
The list of important musicians with whom Mr. Hall worked was enough to
earn him a place in jazz history. It includes the pianist Bill Evans,
with whom he recorded two acclaimed duet albums, and the singer Ella
Fitzgerald, as well as the saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Paul Desmond,
the drummer Chico Hamilton and the bassist Ron Carter, his frequent
partner in a duo.
But with his distinctive touch, his inviting sound and his finely
developed sense of melody, Mr. Hall made it clear early in his career
that he was an important musician in his own right.
He was an influential one as well. Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and John
Scofield are among the numerous younger guitarists who acknowledge him
as an inspiration. Mr. Hall, who never stopped being open to new ideas
and new challenges, worked at various times with all three.
What an impressive catalogue of musicians.
Like most of his guitar-playing peers, he was influenced by the first two great jazz guitar soloists: Charlie Christian, best known for his work with Benny Goodman, and the Belgian Gypsy Django Reinhardt. But he derived as much inspiration from saxophone players as he did from other guitarists.
He was from Cleveland.
Moving to Los Angeles, where he studied classical guitar, he became a charter member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet, one of the first and most successful exemplars of the soft-spoken style known as cool jazz. (Mr. Hamilton died last month.) He then worked with the clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Jimmy Giuffre, whose adventurous approach to both composition and improvisation had a lasting impact on Mr. Hall’s own music.
No comments:
Post a Comment