would bend close to the strings and listen. They ran through Show Me the Way Jimmy Giuffre to Go Home, n piece they had not jet performed in public. As they played, the room door opened slowly, and two By Dom Cerulli teenage girls entered. When the trio fin. ished, one of the girls said, “That «Jimmy Giuffre* says he has a lot of “It’s miraculous,” he says, “that a sounded the end. Is it okay if we persons to thank for the position he ’s in group comes so close in a meeting of listen?” today. the minds in music. I don’t know if Giuffre said it was all right, and the Among them are his parents, who there’s a handful of musicians who group ran the piece down again. As encouraged his interest in music; his would want to play as we play. they played, one of the girls whispered, In bo wife, Marty; , college “And it’s such an advantage to have “Who are they?” Told the group was the same home base.” , recorded on At­ roommate who introduced him to Boyd quint* Although Giuffre might have wanted lantic Records, they tiptoed out of the Raeburn; Nesuhi Ertegun, who records top ji his trio; of the Modern to experiment further with the group room. As they walked down the hall, which cut Tangents in Jazz for Capi­ the voice of one of them trailed back, US C Quartet; Dr. Wesley LaViolette, his erusa< tol, he foresaw the problems of getting almost in a chant: “The Jimmy Giuffre music teacher; , and where those musicians to go on the road with 3, . The Jimmy Giuffre . Thi him and in obtaining adequate substi­ 3, Atlantic Records.” Both Manne and Rogers helped him for p when work was tough to get. Both tutes for them if he did go without Later, as the group wbs loading the them. bus outside the hotel, the girls came * r.ig helped him even further than that. bility Somehow, he combined with along, and one pointed to the trio and h*rd- “Shelly was the first who allowed me and his sensitive amplified guitar and repeated, “The Jimmy Giuffre 3, At­ Du to just write any way I wanted and Ralph Pena and his big-toned bass. lantic Records.” Holly who encouraged me,” Giuffre recalls. “It could have been any two instru­ Giuffre laughed and remarked, “Loda he ut “This was while I was playing with ments,” Jimmy’ says. “But the impor­ like we’ve made a friend.” them in the group. It really helps a not e tant thing was I found two men who DURING THE rehearsal in Ralph'« lot to get that from someone you like think my way. So, that’s how the trio the ci and respect. room, the three discussed balance. "1 in ge is.” wasn’t playing as musically as I “And Shorty allowed me to play WI Any place is rehearsal place. While could,” Jimmy explained, “because I Mt the way I wanted and with he in at the in New York, I couldn’t blend.” They discussed the the rhythm section in a way that felt ions the group rehearsed in Ralph’s hotel tempo, and Giuffre decided to “brinf comfortable for me. That was good of hell room, or in Don Shirley’s apartment, it down, just a hair.” Shorty, and it helped me discover the or in the club on afternoons. At Lenox, While thumbing through the book way I want to do things.” Mass., where Jimmy taught at the Why for the next tune, Jimmy told Hall and the i IT ALSO RESULTED in some stir­ School of Jazz, they rehearsed in his Pena, “On the ensemble passages, try they ring clarinet solos, such as the Giuffre huge room with its picture-look view of to make it .is relaxed and casual u just 1 outing on 10 Cents a Dance in Rogers’ the rolling Berkshires rising around a possible. Leave out notes, or play juit for g recent RCA Victor album, Shorty Rog­ pleasant lake. a skeleton of what’s written there. Let’s “One day,” Jimmy said, pointing out Ye ers Plays Richard Rodgers. make it af relaxed as the ad-lib sec­ his window at Lenox, “we watched a Gillei Further, Jimmy was encouraged to tions.” Ame take the steps necessary to form his rainstorm just coming along slowly Hall offered, “The ad-lib section« “N from the hills, over the lake, and right own group, to play his own kind of didn’t seem to build. I don’t say thu jazz music. to us. It was a pretty wonderful thing to appear negative, but it seems we belie “Shorty had a wonderful attitude to see.” could work a little on it.” THE PICTURE HAS no doubt been chan toward me,” Giuffre says. “He said, “Think it might help if we did it musi ‘you’re a musician; play the way you tucked aw ay in Giuffre’s memory, along again?” usked Giuffre. Hall and Pen* want to.’” with other images and vignettes en­ and agreed it would. be d< The association with Rogers goes countered in his travels across the Giuffre this time moved in very clo«e country, perhaps one day to emerge as coun back to the Herman Herd days, when to the others as he played, until thr anyt Giuffre, Shorty, and trombonist Ollie a piece for the trio. three were playing at each other in • lipst Wilson rode together in the Herman In midafternoon early in August, tight little group. When they finished. Jimmy rehearsed the trio in some new ever; bus. They were the first ones off the Giuffre laughed. natic buF at its destination and out looking works and some older ones they were “That’s coming along,” he said. polishing into shape. The group was powt for inexpensive lodging and decent res­ “It’s a lot better,” Ralph agreed. Let’f taurants. appearing for a few days then at “Jazz than “We had to,” Juniny says with a under the Stars,” in New York City’t THEY WERE ABOUT to play Ths In grin. “We were the married cats.” Central park. Green Country, a piece inspired by the audi It has been the two large factors The music was assembled carefully New England countryside. Giuffre said, the of Jimmy’s marriage and his stimulat­ in loose-leaf notebooks, one to each “It’s hard to get away from that De­ and ing studies with LaViollette that have member. Hall sat on the edge of the bussy woodsy feeling, but we’ll try hotel bed, with his speaker mounted on to do it here." ten© given him the strength of conviction to heat pursue what he feels is right in music. a chair next to him. Pena stood by the They played the piece through, stop­ “J It is obvious from conversations with dresser, propping up his bass, and ping several times for minor correc­ men Giuffre that he draws stability and pur­ reading his score, which was placed on tion.- and explanations. It was as light top of Hall’s speaker. and airy as a June morning. told pose from his marriage. He credits his l*Of wife with having made him aware of Giuffre faced them, and had his music At one point, they stopped at Hall’* HUS the world around him, the world beyond spread open on the bed beside his insistence. music. baritone and clarinet. He blew tenor, “I missed a note,” he said. “I wm his They live in an apartment at Her­ swaying =tiffly with the music. His eyes trying to loosen it up a little, and I man an mosa Beach, near the Lighthouse and were shut tight as he played. He seemed got hung up.” thro ’s thriving jazz scene. to be concentrating intensely. Hall Giuffre smiled broadly, “That’s it Aim They have a pet cheetah named Zorro, played, glancing from his music to though. Loosen it up until it sounds like peoj which they raised from a cub. Giuffre to Pena. Ralph stood and rocked you.” Ti IT WAS IN THIS Los Angeles area slightly, glancing at Jimmy and at his And that pretty well sums up Giuf- rent that the Jimmy Giuffre 3 was born, and book, but mostly looking straight ahead ire’s music philosophy, too. Jimmy terms the birth “miraculous.” as he played. From time to time, he (This is the last of three articles.) wan jhni 14 Down Bm* Ort-