The article I chose to read in Down Beat magazine was called “Moody’s Mood for Life”. It was a very interesting article about an incredible saxophone player named James Moody. Mr. Moody passes away recently and this article was in honor of his life, and all the lives he touched through his amazing music. Moody played jazz saxophone for nearly 65 years and he played with great musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Jimmy Heath. He was actually one of the first players to play with Dizzy in his very first big band in the summer of 1946.
This article didn’t only talk about Moody’s music but it also went into great detail about how kind hearted, and loving he was. Down Beat magazine interviewed great musicians, like Phil Woods, and asked them how they felt about Moody, and everyone couldn’t say enough about how loving of a person he was. Phil Woods in fact told a story about how every time Moody would walk into a room he would kiss every single person in the room. And Woods said “His horn and, indeed, his very persona exuded warmth and love. He was the only man whose kisses I welcomed.”
Religion was a big part of Moody’s life too. He converted to Baha’i in the 60’s and people said that when he converted he became the “humanistic person.” He loved everything and everyone and I believe that having that attitude allowed him to be so successful as a musician. I would have loved to meet Mr. James Moody because he sounds like an amazing musician, but more importantly an incredible human being. RIP Moody
