James Walker is an American flutist and educator. He is the former Principal Flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the founder of the jazz quartet Free Flight. Since 1984, he has focused most of his attention on jazz performance and flute pedagogy.

Biography

Early life

Walker was raised in Greenville, Kentucky and graduated from Central City High School in

Central City, Kentucky Central City is a home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,978 at the 2010 census. It is also the largest city in the county and the principal community in the Central City Micropolitan Sta ...

. He attended the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

. After graduation, Walker joined the United States Military Academy Band at

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

; at the same time, he studied flute with Harold Bennett, principal flutist of the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

Orchestra. Other significant teachers have been Sarah Fouse, Francis Fuge, James Pellerite, and Claude Monteux. In 1969, he joined the

Pittsburgh Symphony The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an Americ ...

as associate principal flutist. After eight years in Pittsburgh, he was appointed by

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

as principal flutist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a position he held from 1977 until 1984. He also played principal flute for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

(under Mehta) for that orchestra's 1982 South American tour.

Jazz career

In 1980, Walker organized a jazz quartet featuring flute, piano, bass and drums. This group later become known as Free Flight. In 1984, he left the Los Angeles Philharmonic to concentrate on his work with the quartet and to do freelance work in Southern California and beyond. "After 15 years as a classical player, it was enough", Walker said in 1987. "In the beginning, I felt I was playing honest, wonderfully inspiring music. But after hundreds of repetitions, it wasn't so inspiring." He has collaborated with many other flutists including

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outsta ...

and

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the Western concert flute, flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th ce ...

, and has also worked with other well-known musicians including

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

, Leonard Bernstein,

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

and many others in concert and recordings.

Educational positions

Walker is currently on the faculty of the

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

and the

Colburn School The Colburn School is a private music school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Dance Academy. It is located adjac ...

. He has been visiting professor at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

, the University of North Texas,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

, and Arizona State University. He has conducted flute master classes and clinics in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Korea, Japan and Russia.

Recordings

Walker's discography includes with Free Flight the albums ''The Jazz/Classical Union'' (1982), ''Soaring (1983)'', ''Beyond the Clouds'' (1984), ''Illumination'' (1986) and ''Slice of Life'' (1989), Free Flight 2000 (1999), A Free Flight Christmas (2002), and Free Flight: Forever (2012). Walker's solo albums are ''Freeflight'' (1987), ''Private Flight'' (1990), ''Music for Flute and Piano'' (1995), ''Jim Walker Plays the Classics'' (with Sara Davis Buecher on piano), ''Dancing Hearts: The Music of Bryan Pezzone'' (with Bryan Pezzone on piano), ''Dancing Hearts'' (Bryan Pezzone on piano) and ''D'Drum''. Walker has recorded with pianist

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight and The Smashing Pumpkins. Early career Garson went to Lafayette High School in Brookly ...

on duo albums ''Flight of the Dove'' (1983), ''Reflections'' (1985), ''Flute Solos for the Performing Artist'' (1994), ''Walker & Garson Play Gershwin'' (1999), ''Pied Piper'' (2010), and ''The Music of George Gershwin'' (2012). Lee Ritenour and

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

invited Walker to play on two tracks by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first ...

on their 2006 album '' Two Worlds'' A live concert video is still being played on the Bravo and Arts & Entertainment (A&E) networks. Walker appeared with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) on their 1998 album ''L.A.G.Q.'', performing on Chick Corea's " Spain (song)Spain" and on their 2002 album ''LAGQ Latin'' (2002), featured on a new composition entitled "SZSYGY". He joined classical guitarist Scott Tennant on his 1998 album ''Wild Mountain Thyme (Celtic Music for Guitar)'', performing Ian Krouse's "Da Chara (Two Friends)”. More recent Free Flight recordings are ''Free Flight 2000'' (1996) on Warner Bros. Publication. Two additional CDs are available as part of the Yamaha Disklavier catalog: ''Free Flight 2004'' and ''A Free Flight Christmas''. Walker's flute solos are included in movie soundtracks, including ''

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

'' (1980), '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992), ''

Far and Away ''Far and Away'' is a 1992 American epic Western romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. This was the last cinematography cr ...

'' (1992), '' Nell'' (1994), ''

Two If by Sea ''Two If by Sea'' (also known in the United Kingdom as ''Stolen Hearts'') is a 1996 American romantic comedy film directed by Bill Bennett, and starring Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary. The screenplay, written by Leary and Mike Armstrong, is based ...

'' (1996), '' Amistad'' (1997), '' The River'' (1997), '' Seven Years in Tibet'', ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'', '' A Beautiful Mind'' (2001), '' Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), ''

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

'' (2002) and ''

Memoirs of a Geisha ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and ...

'' (2005). He is one of four performing artists (with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

and

Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born October 19, 1941) is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet. Early life, family and education Daniel ...

) to be named as members of the Board of Advisors for "Smartmusic", a computer program which provides music accompaniments. Walker is a member of the Board of Directors of the

National Flute Association The National Flute Association (NFA) is the largest flute organization in the world, with roughly 5,000 members from more than 50 countries. It is an association in the United States with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Members include soloists ...

. He is a Featured Artist for Burkart Flutes and Piccolos, performing on a solid 10K gold Elite model flute. He was given the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from the

, and was named the first "Alumni Fellow" from the university's School of Music. Walker recently made his debut at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington, where he appeared as guest soloist with the Phoenix and Thunderbird honor bands.

Discography

;Solo * ''Freeflight'' (1987, Voss Records) * ''Private Flight'' (1990, Tall Tree Records) * ''Music for Flute and Piano'' (1995) * ''Jim Walker Plays the Classics'' (with Sara Davis Buecher on piano) * ''Dancing Hearts: The Music of Bryan Pezzone'' (Bryan Pezzone on piano) * ''D'Drum'' ;With Free Flight * ''The Jazz/Classical Union'' (1982) * ''Soaring'' (1983,

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

) * ''Beyond the Clouds'' (1984, Palo Alto, Hindsight) * ''Illumination'' (1986, Columbia) * ''The Best of Free Flight'' (1988, compilation) * ''Slice of Life'' (1989, Columbia) * ''Free Flight 2000'' (1999, CPP) * ''A Free Flight Christmas'' (2002) * ''Free Flight: Forever'' (2012) ;Duos with pianist

* ''Flight of the Dove'' (1983) * ''Reflections'' (1985, Reference Recordings) * ''Flute Solos for the Performing Artist'' (1994,

Alfred Publishing Company Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York City ...

) * ''Walker & Garson Play Gershwin'' (1999) * ''Tranquility'' (2000) * ''Jim Walker Plays the Music of Mike Garson'' (2007) * ''Pied Piper'' (2010) * ''The Music of George Gershwin'' (2012)

References

External links

Website: Jim Walker Online
www.jimwalkerflute.com
USC Thornton School - James Walker profile

* ttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/jim-walker-mn0000851786/biography Jim Walker biography by Eugene Chadbourne, discography and album reviews, credits & releasesat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Jim Walker discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Jim Walker albums to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Free Flight biography by Scott Yanow, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

Free Flight discography, album releases & credits
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jim (musician) American classical flautists American jazz flautists People from Greenville, Kentucky University of Louisville alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty Living people People from Central City, Kentucky Jazz musicians from Kentucky Free Flight (band) members 1944 births