AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Moody

Artist:James Moody

Song:Moody's Mood for Love

Album:Four Classic Albums

Jazz saxophonist James Moody started out in the late 40s and was active until his 2010 death. He was a bebop stalwart. Probably his best known song is this vocalese version of the standard I'm in the Mood for Love titled Moody's Mood for Love. It's like when Clark Terry did Mumbles. Moody was a great musician but he's best known for a novelty song. He was born Mar. 26, 1925 in Savannah, GA. His father played trumpet in Tiny Bradshaw's band. Moody was raised by his mom in Newark, NJ. After listening to guys like Lester Young and Buddy Tate, Moody's uncle bought him an alto sax for his 16th birthday. Moody was self taught. He learned to play by listening to records. Moody joined the US Army in 1943. When they found out that he had a sax, he was put in the Army's "negro band". After WWII, Moody joined Dizzy Gillespie's band for two years. He moved to Europe and first recorded I'm in the Mood for Love in Sweden in 1949. That song was written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields and Frances Langford sang it in the 1935 film Every Night at Eight. It became her signature song. When jazz singer Eddie Jefferson heard Moody's solo, he added an improvised vocal on a 1952 recording. This version is usually sung as a duet. This led to the rise of vocalese when King Pleasure and Blossom Dearie recorded it. Jimmy McHugh sued but Moody worked out a split royalty deal with him. Moody version was now called Moody's Mood for Love. He took Jefferson on the Road and they recorded Moody's Mood for Love on the 1957 album Moody's Mood for Love. This was Moody's second album for the Chess owned jazz label Argo. Moody mostly plays flute on the album. Jefferson sings on two songs including Moody's Mood for Love. Other musicians are Johnny Coles on trumpet, Donald Cole on trombone, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Jimmy Boyd on piano, John Latham on bass and Clarence Johnston on drums. This and three other albums are on this budget CD from Avid. The other three albums are Hi-Fi Party (1955) with Moody playing sax instead of flute, Wail, Moody, Wail (1956) and Flute 'n the Blues (1956). The band is the same on all four albums. Moody also recorded for Blue Note, Prestige, Scepter, Milestone, Perception, Muse, Paula, Vanguard, Novus, Warner Bros., and Savoy. Moody retired after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he died on Dec. 9, 2010 at age 85. Here's James Moody with Patti Austin performing Moody's Mood for Love at Quincy Jones' 75th Birthday Party at the 2008 Montreux Jazz Festival.