Jazz great James Moody dies at age 85

Jazz great James Moody dies at age 85

2010-12-11 11:12:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEW) — Jazz saxophonist James Moody on Thursday died at the age of 85 after a 10-month battle against cancer, a family member said Friday.

Famous for his improvised interpretations of the 1935 song "I'm in the Mood for Love," which became a well-known hit in the 1950s, Moody toured the jazz scene for more than six decades.

Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia on March 26, 1925, and grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania and Newark, New Jersey. Despite being partially deaf, he began playing the alto sax at the age of 16. He later decided to take up the tenor as well after being inspired by Buddy Tate and Don Byas when he witnessed their performances along with the Count Basie Band at the Adams Theatre in Newark, where he grew up.

After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Moody joined the legendary Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 during the bebop movement, and by 1949, he had moved to Europe, recording an album in Stockholm, Sweden. It was during that session when Moody suggested recording "I'm in the Mood for Love" after the producer asked him for one more song to wrap up the album.

Moody died at a hospice in San Diego, California from pancreatic cancer.

Moody is survived by Linda Moody, his third wife; daughter Michelle Bagdanove; sons Patrick, Regan and Danny McGowan; brother Lou Watters; four grandchildren and one great grandson. A public memorial service will be held in San Diego on December 18.

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