Biography
A trombonist and arranger whose most prominent associations came through work alongside Chico Hamilton and Duke Ellington, Jimmy Cheatham also pursued careers as a jazz educator and bandleader, with his wife Jeannie guiding the Sweet Baby Blues Band across nearly five decades. Born in Birmingham, AL, on June 18, 1924, he reached his late teens before his family moved to Buffalo, NY. Between 1942 and 1946 he served in the U.S. Army, performing in a military ensemble that included saxophonist Lester Young and drummer "Papa" Jo Jones, the latter eventually succeeded by drummer Hamilton and thereby beginning a partnership that extended intermittently over many years. Following his discharge he enrolled at the New York Conservatory of Music and subsequently spent three years at Hollywood's Westlake College of Music. A favored pupil of famed arranger Russell Garcia, Cheatham later performed with groups directed by Gerald Wilson and Benny Carter before returning to Buffalo in 1955 to join saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson. There he encountered singer/pianist Jeannie Evans in 1956; the pair wed three years afterward, having already established their enduring Sweet Baby Blues Band, which maintained the conventions of classic Kansas City-style jazz and blues.
The Cheathams shifted to New York City in 1961, after which Jimmy served nearly ten years as Hamilton's musical director and arranger while also appearing with Ornette Coleman and Lionel Hampton and gaining recognition as a versatile session musician. In the early '70s he completed multiple engagements with Ellington, meanwhile instructing in jazz at Vermont's Bennington College and at the University of Wisconsin prior to joining the faculty at the University of California-San Diego in 1978. The Sweet Baby Blues Band cultivated a devoted local audience through its weekly jam sessions, and in 1984 the Cheathams released their debut LP on the Concord label, likewise titled Sweet Baby Blues. Further well-received recordings ensued; in addition to those projects and related touring, Cheatham stayed active on the UCSD campus until his retirement in 1993, though he retained the directorship of the university's jazz ensemble through 2005. Heart surgery in December 2006 preceded his death a few weeks afterward at age 82.
The Cheathams shifted to New York City in 1961, after which Jimmy served nearly ten years as Hamilton's musical director and arranger while also appearing with Ornette Coleman and Lionel Hampton and gaining recognition as a versatile session musician. In the early '70s he completed multiple engagements with Ellington, meanwhile instructing in jazz at Vermont's Bennington College and at the University of Wisconsin prior to joining the faculty at the University of California-San Diego in 1978. The Sweet Baby Blues Band cultivated a devoted local audience through its weekly jam sessions, and in 1984 the Cheathams released their debut LP on the Concord label, likewise titled Sweet Baby Blues. Further well-received recordings ensued; in addition to those projects and related touring, Cheatham stayed active on the UCSD campus until his retirement in 1993, though he retained the directorship of the university's jazz ensemble through 2005. Heart surgery in December 2006 preceded his death a few weeks afterward at age 82.
Albums
