James Moody dies at 85
James Moody dies at 85
SAN DIEGO – Jazz saxophonist James Moody is best known for his 1949 "Moody's
Mood for Love," but when he recorded the hit that eventually was elected into
the Grammy Awards' Hall of Fame, he said, he was just "trying to find the right
notes."
"When I made that record, I was a tenor saxophonist playing alto for the first
time on record and I was trying to find the right notes, to be truthful. People
later said to me: 'You must have been very inspired when you recorded that.' And
I said: 'Yeah I was inspired to find the right notes!'" Moody told the San Diego
Union-Tribune in February.
The song was later recorded by Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Amy Winehouse and
others. Bill Cosby, a longtime fan and confidante, called it a "national
anthem."
On Thursday, Moody, who recorded more than 50 solo albums as well as songs with
the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and B.B. King, died at San Diego Hospice after a
10-month battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife said. He was 85.
"James Moody had a sound, an imagination and heart as big as the moon. He was
the quintessential saxophone player, and his 'Moody's Mood for Love' will
forever be remembered in jazz history side by side with Coleman Hawkins' classic
'Body and Soul,'" friend and collaborator Quincy Jones said in a statement
Thursday. "Today we've lost not only one of the best sax players to ever finger
the instrument, but a true national treasure."
His last album, "Moody 4B," was recorded in 2008 and released in 2010.
Moody was nominated for four Grammies. He received a 1998 National Endowment for
the Arts Jazz Masters award and a 2007 Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend award.
He has also been inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame.
Moody was "a titan of our music" who was "just impeccable, his musicianship, his
soul, his humor," Wynton Marsalis said.
"Moody's Mood for Love," his interpretation of the 1935 ballad "I'm in the Mood
for Love," was recorded in Sweden. In 2001, it was elected into the Grammy
Awards' Hall of Fame in 2001.
Moody sang the song with Nancy Wilson on an episode of "The Cosby Show" in the
1980s. Cosby also featured the song in the 2004 movie "Fat Albert."
"He has taught me integrity, how to express love for your fellow human beings,
and how to combine and contain manhood and maturity," Cosby told the San Diego
Union-Tribune.
"James Moody is one of the blueprints that you measure yourself up against,"
said Laurie Ann Gibson, creative director for Interscope Records and
choreographer for several lady Gaga music videos.
Moody, born in Savannah, Ga., joined Dizzy Gillespie's all-star big band in the
1940s. He was featured in the first episode of the PBS series "Legends of Jazz,"
and walked an invisible dog in the 1997 film "Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil" when he was cast by longtime fan Clint Eastwood.
Moody performed on stages around the world, including the White House, Carnegie
Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and London's Royal Festival Hall. His last public
performance was Jan. 28 at a Grammy-sponsored show in Seal Beach.
Moody's talent wasn't confined to jazz — he was a member of the Las Vegas Hilton
Orchestra in the 1970s, sharing the spotlight with everyone from Glenn Campbell,
Liberace and the Osmonds to Lou Rawls and Elvis Presley.
Many of those artists sang "Moody's Mood for Love."
"James Moody is one of the blueprints that you measure yourself up against,"
said Laurie Ann Gibson, creative director for Interscope Records and
choreographer for several Lady Gaga music videos.
A public funeral service is scheduled Dec. 18 at Greenwood Memorial Park,
followed by a public celebration of his life at Faith Chapel in Spring Valley.
Moody is survived by Linda Moody, his third wife; daughter Michelle Bagdanove;
sons Patrick, Regan and Danny McGowan; brother Lou Watters; four grandchildren
and one great grandson.