Jimmy Rowles

Jimmy Rowles (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996) was an American jazz pianist who was best known as an accompanist. He also released a number of albums under his own name, and explored various idioms including swing and cool jazz. Born in Spokane, Washington, Rowles studied at the University of Washington, Seattle. After moving to Los Angeles, he joined Lester Young's group in 1942. He was known as a young protege of Ben Webster, with whom he recorded many classic jazz albums in the '50's. Rowles also worked with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, and Tony Bennett, and as a studio musician. In the 1950s and 1960s, he frequently played behind Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee, and in the 1980s he worked with Ella Fitzgerald. Mr. Rowles was part of the elect few white musicians who were invited to substitute in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1973, Rowles settled in New York City, where he performed and/or recorded with Zoot Sims and Stan Getz, among others. In the '80's, Mr. Rowles could often be found performing in fine fettle in New York City at the Knickerbocker Saloon. He composed several jazz pieces, the best known being The Peacocks, which can be heard on the Stan Getz album of the same name. Rowles also performs on this album. The song is also featured on Gary Foster's upcoming release "Perfect Circularity". In 1994, he accompanied jazz singer Jeri Brown on the only album containing only his own compositions, "A Timeless Place". Jimmy Rowles' daughter, Stacy Rowles, plays fluegelhorn. He died from cardiovascular disease in Los Angeles, California at the age of 78. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.