Jim Hall

Known for his harmonically sophisticated, cool-toned, and understated approach to the guitar, Jim Hall served as a key influence on numerous players of the instrument, even those whose own sounds bore no resemblance to his, among them Bill Frisell. His training encompassed studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music as well as classical guitar instruction in Los Angeles under Vicente Gómez. An original member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet from 1955 to 1956, he subsequently performed with the Jimmy Giuffre Three between 1956 and 1959. After touring with Ella Fitzgerald in 1960-1961 and occasionally forming duos with Lee Konitz, Hall joined Sonny Rollins' dynamic quartet for 1961-1962, contributing to the recording of The Bridge. He co-led a quartet alongside Art Farmer from 1962 to 1964, made occasional recordings with Paul Desmond throughout 1959-1965 whose complete quartet performances later appeared in a Mosaic box set, and afterward established himself as a New York studio musician. In the years that followed he primarily worked as a leader, releasing projects on World Pacific/Pacific Jazz, MPS, Milestone, CTI, Horizon, Artist House, Concord, MusicMasters, and Telarc while also cutting two classic duet albums with Bill Evans. A self-titled collaboration with Pat Metheny appeared in 1999. A series of studio albums, reissues, and compilations emerged over the ensuing years, among which the standout Jim Hall & Basses highlighted the bass/guitar duet format. Jim Hall passed away at his apartment in Manhattan on December 10, 2013, at the age of 83.