Trombonist Jimmy Cleveland Dies at 82

Jimmy Cleveland, a trombonist whose recording credits included work for Quincy Jones, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, James Brown, Oscar Peterson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lucky Thompson, Oscar Pettiford and others, died August 23 in Lynwood, Calif. He was 82. Born in Wartrace, Tennessee in 1926, Cleveland recorded a number of albums as a leader for the EmArcy label in the 1950s, but most of his contributions were made on others’ recordings. In addition to the above, Cleveland worked with Cannonball Adderley, Art Farmer, Gene Krupa, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Rushing, Jimmy Smith, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Gerry Mulligan and Dinah Washington. He played in Thelonious Monk’s 1967 octet and then went on to play in the house band for The Merv Griffin Show on TV.

Originally Published September 3, 2008