Jim Hall (1930-2013)

Guitarist-composer-arranger Jim Hall died December 10 of heart failure at the age of 83. He is known for his subtle and understated playing that has served as an effective counterpoint to some of the great musicians of the last 60 years. He was an inspiration to younger guitarists, many of whom have performed with him.

James Stanley Hall was born on December 4, 1930 in Buffalo, and moved to Cleveland at a young age. He took up the guitar at age 9, and knew he wanted to be a musician after hearing a solo by Charlie Christian when he was 13. He majored in music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was thoroughly grounded in classical music.

After moving to Los Angeles, he became a charter member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet, a cool jazz group that integrated jazz with classical music. (Chico Hamilton died a couple of weeks ago.) Two years later, he joined clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre's equally experimental trio, which at one time consisted of clarinet, guitar and trombone (Bob Brookmeyer). He was a member of Sonny Rollins' quartet, beginning with Sonny's 1961 “comeback” album, The Bridge. 

He also joined in critically acclaimed collaborations with trumpeter Art Farmer, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, and pianist Bill Evans. I've selected "My Funny Valentine" from the Evans-Hall LP Undercurrent, but both his albums with Evans are currently available in full on You Tube.

In the late '60s, he was a band member on Merv Griffin's television show, which put bread on the table, but which he compared to retiring from music. From that point on, he performed and recorded primarily as the leader of his own group, or in equal partnerships with musicians such as Ron Carter, Pat Metheny and Joe Lovano. He had long and fruitful relationships with the Concord and Telarc labels, which allowed him to develop his talents as composer and arranger, sometimes for large ensembles. One of his last appearances was at Newport last summer with young guitarist Julian Lage. Here is a 1996 version of “In a Sentimental Mood” with Joe Lovano, along with Scott Colley, bass, and Yoron Israel, drums.

In an interview, he explained his use of space in a solo, first, with characteristic modesty, as due to lack of technique, but more seriously, as an opportunity for listeners to reflect on what they have heard before moving on to the next idea. Hall often explained his ability to collaborate with other musicians as a result of his being a good listener.

Between 1963 and 2002, Jim Hall was voted the top guitarist in the Down Beat Critics' Poll 15 times, and 5 times in the Readers' Poll. He received the Jazz Masters award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.

Fortunately, Jim Hall's career is well documented. I recommend this hour-long documentary that was released to accompany his 1998 CD By Arrangement. Some of the same territory is covered in more depth (but without the music) in a 2009 Library of Congress interview with Larry Appelbaum.

You may also be interested in reading:

Chico Hamilton (1921-2013)

Johnny Smith (1922-2013)