Biography
James Moody (March 26, 1925 – December 9, 2010) was an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, and occasional vocalist best known for his work in bebop and hard bop and for the classic “Moody’s Mood for Love.”[2][3] Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised by his mother in Newark, New Jersey, he was partially deaf from birth yet took up the alto saxophone at 16 after receiving the instrument from an uncle, with his interest in jazz sparked by a trumpet‑playing father who worked with Tiny Bradshaw.[1][4] He received his first formal musical training in the segregated U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, playing in a “Negro” band, and after his discharge in 1946 joined Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, quickly becoming associated with the forefront of the new bebop movement.[1][2][4]
In 1948 Moody made his first recordings for Blue Note and, feeling scarred by racism in the United States, relocated to Europe, spending three years in Paris and Scandinavia and recording the improvisation on “I’m in the Mood for Love” in Sweden in 1949 that would later become famous as “Moody’s Mood for Love.”[3][4] Returning to the U.S. in 1952, he led his own bands for decades while recording for labels such as Prestige, working with musicians including Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and many others, and gradually expanding his arsenal to include tenor and alto saxophones, flute, and later clarinet.[3][4] In the 1960s he rejoined Gillespie in small‑group settings, then spent much of the 1970s in Las Vegas show bands before resettling in New York and later San Diego, where he remained active as a soloist, bandleader, and member of all‑star touring groups like the Philip Morris SuperBand and Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra.[3][4][5] His style blended virtuosic bebop lines, a warm, vocal‑like sound, humor, and a willingness to experiment, including later use of strings and synthesizers.[2][4]
Over a career spanning more than six decades, Moody became an international jazz star and was widely regarded as both a master improviser and an engaging entertainer, known for his charm onstage and generosity toward younger musicians.[2][4] He received four Grammy nominations during his lifetime, appeared on influential projects such as Manhattan Transfer’s “Vocalese,” and earned major honors including the 1998 NEA Jazz Masters Award and honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Florida Memorial College.[2][4][5] The vocalese hit “Moody’s Mood for Love” — based on his 1949 solo and first popularized by Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure — became his signature number and a standard within and beyond jazz.[1][3][4] After a long, distinguished career, Moody died of pancreatic cancer in San Diego on December 9, 2010, leaving a legacy celebrated in tributes, recordings, and the annual James Moody Jazz Festival in Newark.[2][3][4]
Fun Facts
- James Moody was born partially deaf yet became renowned for his precise intonation and fluid improvisation on multiple instruments, including tenor and alto saxophones and flute.[1][2][4]
- His iconic “Moody’s Mood for Love” began not as a song but as an improvised solo on “I’m in the Mood for Love” recorded in Sweden in 1949; only later did Eddie Jefferson add lyrics and King Pleasure turn it into a 1952 hit.[1][3][4]
- Dizzy Gillespie once said that playing with James Moody was like playing with “a continuation of myself,” underlining how closely Moody’s voice was intertwined with Gillespie’s conception of bebop.[2]
- Moody appeared in Clint Eastwood’s film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” set in his birthplace of Savannah, Georgia, effectively bringing his career full circle back to his hometown.[1][2]
Associated Acts
- James Moody and His Modernists
- James Moody and His Orchestra
- James Moody Quartet
- The Dizzy Gillespie United Nation All Star Orchestra
- Tubby Hayes and The All Stars
- James Moody and His Swedish Crowns - original, saxophone
- Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars - flute
- Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars - tenor saxophone
- All Star Big Band
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Dizzy Gillespie - Primary musical mentor; Moody joined Gillespie’s big band after WWII and later his small groups, absorbing bebop language and approach. (Dizzy Gillespie big band recordings (late 1940s); Dizzy Gillespie Quintet and small‑group recordings and tours (1960s, later United Nations Orchestra).) [1946–1948; rejoined 1960s; toured again in the 1990s.[1][3][4]]
- Tom McIntosh - Composer–trombonist who taught Moody music theory and chord changes when Moody was transitioning from primarily ear‑playing to more formal understanding. (Work together in The James Moody Orchestra during the Brook Benton Revue period.) [Early–mid 1950s.[3]]
Key Collaborators
- Dizzy Gillespie - Bandleader and close musical associate; Moody was often described by Gillespie as an extension of his own musical voice. (Dizzy Gillespie big band (1940s); Dizzy Gillespie Quintet and small groups (1960s); Dizzy Gillespie United Nations Orchestra tours (1990s).) [Intermittently from 1946 into the 1990s.[1][3][4]]
- Gene Ammons - Co‑leader and fellow tenor saxophonist in multi‑tenor ensembles, exploring hard‑swinging small‑group jazz. (Three‑tenor band with Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt; various mid‑century club and recording collaborations.) [1950s–1960s.[4]]
- Sonny Stitt - Partner in the noted three‑tenor saxophone band, juxtaposing different bebop saxophone styles. (Three‑tenor sax band with Gene Ammons and James Moody.) [1950s–1960s.[4]]
- Gene Harris - Bandmate in the Philip Morris SuperBand, which toured internationally as an all‑star ensemble. (Philip Morris SuperBand tours and recordings led by Gene Harris.) [Late 1980s–early 1990s.[3][5]]
- Manhattan Transfer - Moody appeared as a featured soloist, helping power their celebrated vocalese project. (Album “Vocalese,” for which his playing earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.) [Mid‑1980s (notably 1985). [5]]
Artists Influenced
- Quincy Jones - While better known as a peer and admirer, Jones publicly hailed Moody as a “national treasure,” reflecting Moody’s influence on subsequent arrangers, producers, and jazz musicians. (General influence through Moody’s bebop saxophone and flute work and his standard “Moody’s Mood for Love.”) [Jones’s comments and advocacy from at least the late 20th century onward.[2]]
- Vocalese and jazz singers (e.g., Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, later vocalese artists) - Moody’s 1949 solo on “I’m in the Mood for Love” became the melodic basis for Eddie Jefferson’s lyric and King Pleasure’s hit “Moody’s Mood for Love,” shaping the entire vocalese tradition and inspiring later singers. (Original 1949 recording of “I’m in the Mood for Love”; subsequent vocal versions titled “Moody’s Mood for Love.”) [From the early 1950s vocalese boom onward.[1][3][4]]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| At The Jazz Workshop | 1998-01-01 | Album |
| Body and Soul | 2008-05-01 | Album |
| My Desire | 2019-03-05 | Album |
| Tenor Contrasts (Remastered 2016) | 2016-12-01 | Album |
| James Moody | 1959-01-01 | Album |
| The World Is A Ghetto | 2005 | Album |
| Moody's Mood For Love | 1998-01-01 | Album |
| Moody Plays Mancini | 1997-08-22 | Album |
| Visiting Paris | 2009-12-14 | Album |
| Dizzy Gillespie & James Moody With Gil Fuller & The Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra | 2008-01-01 | Album |
| 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005 | 2025-05-16 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Moody's Mood For Love (I'm In The Mood For Love) (Q's Jook Joint)
- I'm In the Mood for Love (Body and Soul)
- Disappointed (At The Jazz Workshop)
- I'm in the Mood for Love (My Desire)
- Moody's Mood For Love (I'm In The Mood For Love) (At The Jazz Workshop)
- I'm in the Mood for Love - Remastered (Tenor Contrasts (Remastered 2016))
- Moody's Mood For Love (I'm In The Mood For Love) (From Q, With Love)
- First Thing In The Morning (The World Is A Ghetto)
- I'm In The Mood For Love (Moody's Mood For Love)
- Si jolie (Visiting Paris)
External Links
Tags: #bebop, #hard-bop, #jazz
References
Heard on WWOZ
James Moody has been played 2 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 7, 2025 | 21:09 | Tin Tin Deofrom Afro Blue Explore The Roots & Rhythms Of Jazz | Spirits of Congo Squarew/ Baba Geno | |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 18:01 | MOODY FLOOTYfrom COOKIN' THE BLUES (1965) - THE COMPLETE ARGO COLLECTION | Jazz from Jax Breweryw/ Maryse Dejean |