53rd Annual Grammy Award WINNERS JAZZ for 2011

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Chucho Valdes, Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, James Moody, Jazz, Stanley Clarke

New Artist: Esperanza Spalding

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “Crazy Love,” Michael Buble

Latin Jazz Album: “Chucho’s Steps,” Chucho Valdes and The Afro-Cuban Messengers

Contemporary Jazz Album: “The Stanley Clarke Band,” The Stanley Clarke Band

Jazz Vocal Album: “Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From >Dee Dee,” Dee Dee Bridgewater

Jazz Instrumental Album: “Moody 4B,” James Moody

Improvised Jazz Solo: “A Change is Gonna Come,” Herbie Hancock

Large Ensemble Jazz Album: “Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard,” Mingus Big Band

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: “Imagine,” Herbie Hancock and Larry Klein, arrangers (Herbie Hancock, Pink, Seal, Jeff Beck, India.Arie, Konono No 1 & Oumou Sangare)

Pop Instrumental Album: “Take Your Pick,” Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto

..:: SOURCE: CBSNEWS.com ::..

Saxophonist James Moody dies of pancreatic cancer

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African American, James Moody, Jazz, Saxophone

James Moody

SAN DIEGO – Jazz saxophonist James Moody is best known for his 1949 “Moody’s Mood for Love,” but when he recorded the hit that eventually was elected into the Grammy Awards’ Hall of Fame, he said, he was just “trying to find the right notes.”

“People later said to me: ‘You must have been very inspired when you recorded that.’ And I said: ‘Yeah I was inspired to find the right notes!'” Moody told the San Diego Union-Tribune in February.

The song later was recorded by Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Amy Winehouse and others. Longtime fan and confidante Bill Cosby called it a “national anthem.”

Moody, who recorded more than 50 solo albums as well as songs with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and B.B. King, died Thursday at San Diego Hospice after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife said. He was 85.

“James Moody had a sound, an imagination and heart as big as the moon. He was the quintessential saxophone player, and his ‘Moody’s Mood for Love’ will forever be remembered in jazz history side by side with Coleman Hawkins’ classic ‘Body and Soul,'” friend and collaborator Quincy Jones said in a statement Thursday. “Today we’ve lost not only one of the best sax players to ever finger the instrument, but a true national treasure.”

His last album, “Moody 4B,” was recorded in 2008 and released in 2010, receiving a Grammy nomination earlier this month for best jazz instrumental album.

New Music by the Legendary Saxophonist James Moody 4B, Coming August 25th

Tags

African American, Flute, James Moody, Jazz, Kenny Barron, Saxophone

James Moody 4B – James Moody-tenor saxophone, Kenny Barron-piano, Todd Coolman-bass, Lewis Nash-drums (IPOC1017)

James Moody - 4b (Dig)

NEA Jazz Master James Moody returns to the recording scene with his sixth appearance on IPO, Moody 4B, the swinging sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed Moody 4A. Made in New York City in July of 2008 the disc marks Moody’s 60th year as a recording artist. Of the many great records that he’s made during those six decades he considers these among his most special. Moody says, “This recording was a total pleasure because producer Bill Sorin let me be me, musically. So many of the previous producers of my albums wanted a “concept.” Well, how about the concept being “Moody”? Bill is wonderful!!” And so is the record. With the spotlight focused on Moody’s brilliant playing, without the demands of trying to squeeze his ingenious improvisations into someone else’s preconceived model, we hear this jazz icon at his imaginative peak, free to be totally creative playing the music he loves the most.