Artist Talk with Jim McNeely: The Music of Thad Jones

Please join the Jazz Department and Pianist and composer Jim McNeely for an artist talk titled "The Music of Thad Jones".

Jim McNeely was born in Chicago. In 1975 he received his B.Mus. in composition from the University of Illinois and moved to New York City. He joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in 1978 and spent six years as a featured soloist with that band and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (now The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra). In 1981 he began a 4- year tenure as pianist/composer with the Stan Getz Quartet, and from 1990-95 he held the piano chair in the Phil Woods Quintet. He currently leads his own tentet, his own trio, and appears as soloist at concerts and festivals worldwide. 

Jim’s reputation as composer/arranger and conductor for large jazz bands has earned him a Grammy Award and several Grammy nominations. In 1996 he re-joined The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as pianist and Composer-in Residence. He is the former chief conductor, and now composer-in-residence, with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, where he has collaborated with artists including Dave Holland, John Scofield, Luciana Souza, Branford Marsalis, Dave Douglas and Ambrose Akinmusire. Other work includes projects with the Danish Radio Big Band (where he was chief conductor for five years), the Metropole Orchestra, the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Jazz Orchestra of the Conertgebouw. Jim’s music has been called “exhilarating” (The New York Times) and “eloquent enough to be profound.” (DownBeat). 

Jim has appeared as sideman on numerous recordings led by major artists such as Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, and Phil Woods. He has numerous albums under his own name, including the recent Rituals, with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and Chris Potter, which received five stars from DownBeat.

Jim is professor emeritus in jazz composition at Manhattan School of Music and has held positions at William Paterson University and New York University. He was involved with the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop for 24 years, including 16 years as musical director. He has done clinics and major residencies at dozens of institutions in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and Egypt.