James Edward Wormworth III (born August 14, 1937, in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

) is an American jazz drummer. He was described by

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

in 1960 edition of ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'' as "One of the most promising young drummers on the New York scene." He is the father of drummer

James Wormworth James Wormworth is an American drummer and percussionist. Wormworth is a member of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band on the TBS (U.S. TV channel), TBS Late-night talk show, late night comedy program, ''Conan (talk show), Conan''. Wormworth oft ...

and bassist

Tracy Wormworth Tracy Ann Wormworth (born December 15, 1958) is an American bass guitarist. Wormworth is a member of the B-52s. She has recorded and toured with the band since the Cosmic Tour of 1990. She played on their sixth studio album, 1992's '' Good Stuf ...

Biography

Born in Utica, New York, Jimmy Wormworth was the son of the African-American jazz drummer and pianist James Wormworth II and Ann Mariani, the sister of the Utica tenor saxophonist Dick Mariani.Feather, Leonard, ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'', New York: Horizon Press, 1960, p. 469. He began studying drums with George Claesgens in Utica in 1947 and was playing professionally in upstate New York while still in his teens.Hamilton College
Jazz Archive Interviews
transcript of interview conducted with Jimmy Wormworth in New York City on January 6, 2002, by Monk Rowe, director of the Hamilton College Jazz Archive. Wormworth went on to tour Europe with American combos in 1956 and 1957, toured with

Nellie Lutcher Nellie Rose Lutcher (October 15, 1912 – June 8, 2007) was an American R&B and jazz singer and pianist, who gained prominence in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Lutcher was most recognizable for her diction and exaggerated pronunciation a ...

from February 1958, began working with Les Jazz Modes in 1958 and with

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

and

Phineas Newborn Phineas Newborn Jr. (December 14, 1931 – May 26, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, whose principal influences were Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Bud Powell. Biography Newborn was born in Whiteville, Tennessee, and came from a musical fami ...

from 1958 until 1959. Between January and May 1959 he worked with

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

in the house band at the New York club the

Five Spot 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awar ...

and began touring with

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their f ...

in October 1959. Wormworth's discography as a sideman includes recordings in the late 1950s with the Jazz Modes (

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Wash ...

and

Julius Watkins Julius Watkins (October 10, 1921 – April 4, 1977) was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the ''Down Beat'' critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for Mi ...

, the early 1960s with

and

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and rep ...

, the 1970s with

Al Haig Alan Warren Haig (July 19, 1922 – November 16, 1982) was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop. Biography Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Nutley. In 1940, he majored in piano at Obe ...

, J. R. Monterose,

Allen Eager Allen Eager (January 10, 1927 – April 13, 2003) was an American jazz tenor and alto saxophonist who also competed in auto racing and took part in LSD experiments. Early life Allen Eager was born in New York City on January 10, 1927. He grew up ...

Hod O'Brien Walter Howard "Hod" O'Brien (January 19, 1936 – November 20, 2016) was an American jazz pianist. O'Brien was born in Chicago. He attended the Hotchkiss School and then studied at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music (1954� ...

and, in this century, albums with

Annie Ross Annabelle McCauley Allan Short (25 July 193021 July 2020), known professionally as Annie Ross, was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Early life Ross was born in Surr ...

, Tardo Hammer, Charles Davis, John Marshall and the German pianist Joe Haider. Wormworth met and began working with

in 1969 and performed with him regularly from about 1974 until Haig's death in 1982. He taught workshops and master classes at the Konservatorium Wien in 2012. He was also a featured contributor for '' No One but Me'', a 2012 documentary film produced by ConnectFilm about jazz singer

Discography

As sideman

With

and

*''

The Jazz Modes ''The Jazz Modes'' is an album by horn player Julius Watkins and saxophonist Charlie Rouse recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Atlantic label.Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

* ''Light-Foot'' (Blue Note, 1958) With

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert (American jazz vocalist), Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The grou ...

* ''Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing Ellington'' (Columbia, 1960) * L, H & R Flying High with the Ike Isaacs Trio (Columbia, 1961) With

* ''Evolution of the Blues Song'' (Columbia, 1960) With

* ''Serendipity'' ( King Records, 1977) *''

Manhattan Memories ''Manhattan Memories'', is an album by jazz pianist Al Haig featuring trio and quartet recorded in 1977 and released on the short-lived Sea Breeze label in 1983.

'' (Sea Breeze, 1977

983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byza ...

With J. R. Monterose * ''Welcome Back, J.R!'' ( Progressive, 1979) With

* ''Bits and Pieces'' ( Uptown, 1982) With

* ''Renaissance'' (Uptown, 1982) With Tardo Hammer * ''Tardo’s Tempo'' ( Sharp Nine Records, 2004) * ''Simple Pleasure'' ( Cellar Live Records, 2013) With John Marshall * ''Frisky'' ( Organic Music, 2005) * ''Waltz for Worms'' (Organic, 2010) With

* ''Let Me Sing'' (CAP, 2005) With Stephanie Nakasian * ''I Love You'' (Spice of Life, 2006) With

Gil Coggins Gilbert Lloyd "Gil" Coggins (August 23, 1924 – February 15, 2004) was an American jazz pianist. Coggins was born to parents of West Indian heritage.

* ''Better Late Than Never'' ( Smalls Records, 2007) With

Charles Davis (saxophonist) Charles Davis (May 20, 1933 – July 15, 2016) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Davis played alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, and performed extensively with Archie Shepp and Sun Ra. Biography Born in Goodman, Mississippi, Davis w ...

* ''Land of Dreams'' (Smalls, 2007) With Joe Haider * ''A Moment in Montreux'' ( Sound Hills, 2013)

Compilations

* ''They All Played Bebop'' (Columbia, 1977)

References

External links

Jimmy Wormworth at All About Jazz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wormworth, Jimmy 1937 births Living people African-American drummers American jazz percussionists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people