submitted on Thu, 07/05/2007 - 02:29 in Jazz Group by zorg 
Improv legacy
James Moody carries on tradition of friend, collaborator Dizzy Gillespie
By R.J. DELUKE, Special to the Times Union
First published: Thursday, June 21, 2007
Dizzy Gillespie once said playing with the saxophonist James Moody was like playing with a continuation of himself.
The admiration remains mutual 14 years after Gillespie's death. "There will never be another Dizzy," said Moody.
The sax player is one of the many titans in the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, an act that's been touring the world for the past two years, bringing the music of the legendary jazz trumpeter to the people.
Moody probably spent more time around Gillespie than any other musician. He first appeared in the trumpeter's historic 1947 big band, and kept up an off-and-on association in smaller combos until 1992.
At 82, Moody remains one of the greats on tenor saxophone and flute. This year alone, he received the Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend Award and the President's Medal Award from the Juilliard School.
He's also highly respected by his peers, including ace vocalist Roberta Gambarini, who will sing Sunday with the Gillespie Big Band at the Freihofer's Jazz Festival.
Gambarini calls Moody a mentor, and praises him not just as an instrumentalist but as an influence to those who sing jazz. On her Grammy-nominated 2006 CD, "Here's to Love" (Groovin High), the two tastefully trade scat phrases on the jazz chestnut "Centerpiece."
Gambarini said Moody was one of the innovators of an improvisatory manner of scat singing. The approach "was created first through Louis Armstrong, but then Dizzy and Moody," she said last month at the Spa Little Theatre. Moody "is a vocal master. And on top of it all, he is one of the greatest saxophone players ever."
Sunday's gig isn't Moody's only appearance in Spa City this week: He'll also lead a quartet including pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Todd Coolman and drummer Adam Nusbaum in concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Skidmore College's Bernhard Theater as part of the college's Summer Jazz Institute.
Other than his tenure with Gillespie, Moody is best known for his classic jazz improvisation, "Moody's Mood for Love," a song he wrote based on the changes to the standard "I'm in the Mood for Love."
Moody spoke recently from New York's Blue Note nightclub, where the Gillespie band was about to start a four-night stint. The group had just returned from a tour that included Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, England, Belgium, Luxembourg and Russia.
"It's a wonderful band," Moody said. "I'm tired, but it's nice. ... Every night we play this great music."
When Moody thinks back on his time with Gillespie, historical significance is the last thing on his mind: "At the time, you just did it. I didn't think about it. But to look back, you see how important it was, and the music was important. His influence was so great on everyone."
"Sometimes even today playing music, I'll think, 'Oh, that's what he meant,' Moody said with a chuckle.
Moody wants to share that kind of recognition. Gillespie's music, he said, "should be out there and should be heard, because ... what he did cannot be duplicated. (The band) is not really to keep his name alive, but to keep the music out there and present it to people. There's a lot of music out there today that's kind of ridiculous. It's important for people to keep hearing this music."
Moody's thick sound comes in part from the early influences on the Georgia-born, New Jersey-raised musician: tenor sax giants Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. Moody also cites Charlie Parker and even Tommy Dorsey as influences.
In 1946, following military service, Moody joined Gillespie's seminal bebop big band. Moody recorded with Milt Jackson for Dial Records in 1947; the next year, he made his recording debut as a leader with "James Moody and His Bop Men" for Blue Note. He has recorded continually ever since, and played extended stints in Las Vegas with the likes of Bill Cosby, Ann-Margaret and Lou Rawls. In 1990, Moody and Gillespie received a Grammy nomination for their rendition of Gillespie's "Get the Booty," which showcased both of them scatting.
Throughout his career, invention and improvisation mark Moody's mood. It's easier for him to put it into notes than into words.
"Well, there's a lot that goes into it," he said. "Some questions can't really be answered just like that. Think about walking. It's easy, right? But it's not, really. Your brain is telling you what to do and your muscles are working, your heart is beating, and your blood is flowing through.
"... Improvising has all kinds of things you just do with your fingers, but also with your mind, trying to play through the chord changes. But it's hard to explain."
R.J. DeLuke is a freelance writer from Saratoga Springs and a regular contributor to the Times Union.
