Musician. Born James McLane Moody, he was a celebrated jazz saxophonist and flutist best known for his solo improvisation classic, "Moody's Mood for Love." After serving in a US Army Air Force band during World War II, he briefly teamed with Dizzy Gillespie and then made a recording with his own group, "James Moody and His Bebop Men," in 1946. In the late 1940s, he moved to Europe, where he performed with artists Count Basie, Don Byas, and Miles Davis, and recorded his version of "I'm in the Mood for Love" (1952). Resettling in New York City in the mid-1950s, for the next five decades, he played in various ensembles and made a series of recordings for Argo with his James Moody Quartet. He was also a founding member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, which performed at jazz festivals worldwide until Gillespie's death in 1993. He was a multiple Grammy Award nominee and was chosen an NEA Jazz Master in 1998.
Musician. Born James McLane Moody, he was a celebrated jazz saxophonist and flutist best known for his solo improvisation classic, "Moody's Mood for Love." After serving in a US Army Air Force band during World War II, he briefly teamed with Dizzy Gillespie and then made a recording with his own group, "James Moody and His Bebop Men," in 1946. In the late 1940s, he moved to Europe, where he performed with artists Count Basie, Don Byas, and Miles Davis, and recorded his version of "I'm in the Mood for Love" (1952). Resettling in New York City in the mid-1950s, for the next five decades, he played in various ensembles and made a series of recordings for Argo with his James Moody Quartet. He was also a founding member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, which performed at jazz festivals worldwide until Gillespie's death in 1993. He was a multiple Grammy Award nominee and was chosen an NEA Jazz Master in 1998.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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NEA JAZZ MASTER
FABULOUS HUSBAND, AMAZING FATHER,
MAGNIFICENT HUMAN BEING
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