Legendary Tenor Jimmy Anderson

[ja-ga]

"Legendary Tenor Jimmy Anderson".

I like that. I am honored and pleased.

My name is Gregg Anderson. Jimmy Anderson or JA was my father.

I have been looking for years for photos, any recordings and ANY information on him.

My father passed in May 1992 shortly after the birth of my son and his namesake.

I attended his tribute held at Newark Symphony Hall, "A Jam for JA" which was hosted by Amiri Baraka. I was presented with a plaque from Mayor Sharpe James proclaiming the day, Jimmy Anderson Day.

The event was filmed but I was unable to obtain a copy. That was the last time I had any contact with people who knew my father, with the exception of one man I met about five years ago, who played with him, Mark Polishook.

Please, anyone who can tell me about my father, can provide me with photos, copies of his work or people he recorded with/for, I would seriously appreciate it.

[Niko]

wish i could help you more... i recently bougt jimmy ponder's album jump which features a tenor player Jimmy Anderson who i guess is your dad ("JA teaches in the Newark public school system" it says in the liner notes) it can still be had cheaply from some amazon sellers

http://www.amazon.com/Jump-Jimmy-Ponder/dp...1992&sr=8-1

(so don't forget to buy copies for your future grandchildren ) it's a fine cd with several nice solo spots for JA.... looking at this amg listing there seem to be two more albums, one by gloria coleman, one by freddie roach, that feature him

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...gzftxqy5ld6e~T4

neither is readily available but both reviews say a nice word about your dad...

edit: sorry link does not work and i can't fix it, the albums are Freddie Roach's My People (Soul People) and Gloria Coleman's My Organ Sings and Swings look up the reviews on www.allmusic.com...

Edited March 21, 2008 by Niko

[ja-ga]

Thank you.

I'm familiar with Ponder. He was in my father's address book. I will check out his stuff.

I thought he recorded with Gloria Lynne not Coleman. I couldnt locate any info looking for Lynne anyway.

I am trying to locate and obtain as much as possible for my children and future grands so that they can see that they descend from musical royalty.

Thank you again.

[Aggie87]

Hi Gregg -

I'm guessing you probably already know about the Big John Patton album that is dedicated to your father, "This One's for JA":

Some mention of this album in the John Patton thread.

Also, Woody Shaw gives credit to Jimmy: "I'm about 16 now. I'm growing up. I run into musicians like Buddy Terry and Art Williams. Art Williams, who later passed away, took an interest in me. He was a bassist and used to play in different spots around Newark. There was another gentleman by the name of Jimmy Anderson who taught me about chords. When I was about 16 or 17 he said, "Well, you've got to learn piano." So I started working on piano. In the process I discovered I had perfect pitch. At this point I was thoroughly engulfed in music and really into Lee Morgan even more than Clifford Brown. To me, nobody played better than Lee Morgan. I was also into Donald Byrd. Dizzy, of course, had always been my man. I was also starting to discover people like Clark Terry and Maynard Ferguson."

Edited March 21, 2008 by Aggie87

[bertrand]

I think Gloria Coleman is still around. I'm not sure how to find her.

Did Grachan Moncur III know your dad? He was friends with John Patton. He is easy to track down in Newark. Good luck!

I think it is wonderful that you are trying to teach your kids about your father's legacy.

Bertrand.

Edited March 21, 2008 by bertrand

[Niko]

here is the discographical entry (from the gloria coleman leader discography at www.jazzdiscography.com)

Date: 1965

Location: Record Plant, New York City

Label: Mainstream

Gloria Coleman (ldr), James Anderson (ts), Ray Copeland (fh), Dick Griffin (tb), Ted Dunbar (g), Gloria Coleman (org, v), Charlie Davis (d)

a. a-01 Bugaloo For Ernie - 05:25 (Gloria Coleman)

b. a-02 Sunday, Monday Or Always - 02:18 (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)

c. a-03 Fungii Mama - 03:58 (Richard 'Blue' Mitchell)

d. a-04 You Better Go Now - 03:10 (Forse Beamon)

e. a-05 Blues For Youse - 03:52 (Gloria Coleman)

f. b-01 Blue Bossa - 06:39 (Kenny Dorham)

g. b-02 Love Nest - 03:29 (Otto Harbach, Louis Hirsch)

h. b-03 Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) - 05:15 (Bart Howard)

All titles on: - Mainstream LP 12": MRL 322 - Gloria Coleman Sings And Swings Organ

- Mainstream LP 12": 872 - Gloria Coleman Sings And Swings Organ

Omit Ray Copeland (fh) on a, c, e, h. Omit Dick Griffin (tb) on a, c, e, h.

have you dug out the woody shaw quotes where he cites your dad as an important influence? just google "woody shaw" "james anderson" iirc he mentioned your dad in several inteviews

[Harold_Z]

I'm from Passaic NJ and in the 70s and 80s I would occasionally find myself on a gig that your father was on. Usually around Newark. I remember the both of us gigging with a big band that Joe Thomas had. Some of the other guys on that band were Gene Phipps Sr, Billy Phipps, Leo Johnson, Al Paterson, Herb Robertson, Phillip Harper, etc.

He was always ready to play when a club would have a jam night or he could sit in. I remember him at Gulliver's and The Three Sisters in West Paterson, The Small World when it was in Ironbound and any of the joints on Branford Place. He was always a beautiful guy and a beautiful burnin' player.

Last time I saw him was sometime in the 80s with Big John Patton at Jones' Chateau in Plainfield.

He was a world class player. No exageration.

[Soul Stream]

From Harold Z:

Last time I saw him was sometime in the 80s with Big John Patton at Jones' Chateau in Plainfield.

Love to hear about that gig Harold. Do you remember much about it?

[ja-ga]

I want to THANK YOU ALL for this.

When he would play Jones' he'd call me and I'd go down with my friends. He played Lily Greenleeves in Plainfield also. I KNOW Jones' is gone. I dont know about Lily's. I havent been in Plainfield in years.

I'll pick up Patton's CD.

I saw last night that Baraka wrote a book called Eulogies. It popped up when I was searching for Pop's (as my wife and I called him) name. I'm assuming Pop is in there.

I had an old number for Baraka but I lost it over the years. I'd like to contact him also.

If anyone has any pix of my father, please email them to me. Postal mail them to me and I'll scan and return them.

I showed these replies to my kids. They think it's cool their grandfather is famous.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I once read that my father was called the bulldozer of Jazz. Anyone have any comments on that???!!

Love to hear it.

[kh1958]

This One's for Ja is on a Japanese label, DIW, so it could be hard to find. However, this site appears to have it for sale.

http://db.cadencebuilding.com/search/

[Harold_Z]

From Harold Z:

Last time I saw him was sometime in the 80s with Big John Patton at Jones' Chateau in Plainfield.

Love to hear about that gig Harold. Do you remember much about it?

Jones' was a neighborhood bar with the bandstand behind the bar. I was working some private parties with (how's this for unusual) with a jazz group led by Ernie Scott - a great pianist and singer. The other band members were Yusef Ali and Herbie Morgan. Ernie lived in Plainfield and would suggest stopping by Jones' to hangout whenever we were near enough to get there before closing. So this particular night we made the last set. I remember it was Jimmy A., Big John, Geary Moore and a drummer whose name I don't recall. I think it was the drummer's gig and he didn't particularly impress me...

The rest of the band was smokin'!! Big John was literally smokin'. He had a cigarette going constantly.

I once read that my father was called the bulldozer of Jazz. Anyone have any comments on that???!!

Love to hear it.

I hadn't heard that before but I would speculate that it is a reference to your father's ability to play through a "not happening" rhythm section or drummer. Your father's rhythm was strong and he would just sail right through. Gene Phipps Sr. was like that too. Strong.

[ja-ga]

I found "This one's for JA" both in Japanese ($58.) and domestically ($28.). I'm thinking about getting them both.

I have a few good pictures of Pop but I cant load them here. Does anyone have anything I can copy or scan?

[kh1958]

I found "This one's for JA" both in Japanese ($58.) and domestically ($28.). I'm thinking about getting them both.

I have a few good pictures of Pop but I cant load them here. Does anyone have anything I can copy or scan?

It's $25 at the site I linked to above. Except for a few domestic releases on Columbia (and I don't think this was one), all DIW's are in Japanese, so I imagine the $56 one is the same as the lower priced one.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I found "This one's for JA" both in Japanese ($58.) and domestically ($28.). I'm thinking about getting them both.

I have a few good pictures of Pop but I cant load them here. Does anyone have anything I can copy or scan?

It's $25 at the site I linked to above. Except for a few domestic releases on Columbia (and I don't think this was one), all DIW's are in Japanese, so I imagine the $56 one is the same as the lower priced one.

The nicer Japanese issue was first released as a very hefty mini-lp style gatefold ... very much made to look like a mini CTI album. The less expensive one's are a secondary issue in a jewel case.

I think liners are by Harvey Pekar.

[Niko]

no idea about the seller, shipping etc but a copy of the Gloria Coleman LP is available here

http://www1.gemm.com/item/GLORIA--COLEMAN-...N/GML465325848/

(btw i just ordered a copy of this one's for ja too )