Jimmy Knepper
b. 22 November 1927, Los Angeles, California, USA. Knepper learned to play trombone as a small child, later studying intensively. In the early '40s he played in local dance bands, playing jazz with various small groups. From the late '40s and into the early '50s he played with numerous name bands, including those led by Freddie Slack, Roy Porter, Charlie Spivak, Charlie Barnet, Woody Herman and Claude Thornhill. Later in the '50s Knepper worked extensively with Charles Mingus and also with Art Pepper and Stan Kenton. During the '60s he was with Mingus again, Benny Goodman and he also began a long-lasting if intermittent association with Gil Evans. Towards the end of the '60s he began another long-term musical relationship, this time with the Thad Jones- Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. In the '70s he was a member of the nine-piece band led by Lee Konitz and also worked with Mingus Dynasty. He made several records under his own name, including CUNNINGBIRD which featured such distinguished jazz musicians as Al Cohn, Roland Hanna and Richard Davis. A virtuoso performer, Knepper's bop-influenced style is technically on a par with that of J.J. Johnson, one of the few other trombonists to adapt wholly to bop. Nevertheless, Knepper's style is very much his own, with few obvious direct influences. His remarkable technical dexterity allows him to develop solo lines of startling ingenuity and imagination. In the '80s, Knepper was active on both sides of the Atlantic, renewing interest among older fans and finding a new audience for his exceptional skills and talent.