Multi Instrumentalist/Composer: Jimmy Giuffre

Tonight's Jazz Feature spotlights a unique talent who explored various styles of Jazz throughout a long career. Jimmy Giuffre played all the saxophones and most famously, the clarinet. In his early years his clarinet style in which he focused on the lower register of the clarinet (the chalumeau register) was his unique achievement and hallmark. He later explored the clarinet's full register when he turned to more free form Jazz. Of the many styles he performed, tonight's Jazz Feature focuses on his first trio called The Jimmy Giuffre Three. It had Giuffre on tenor and baritone saxophones plus his low register clarinet with the great Jim Hall on guitar and bassist Ralph Pena. This living room sized band explored Giuffre's compositions and dipped into blues and folk music. It's first recording done in Los Angeles on December 3 & 4 1956 was an early masterpiece and issued by Atlantic Records. There was really nothing on the Jazz horizon like this music at this time and this album was greeted warmly by the critics and fans. Enjoy The Jimmy Giuffre Three as tonight's Jazz Feature.