The first time I met Jimmy Macbride he was 8 years old. I hooked him up with a gig at the Avon Rotary Club in hopes of getting him some scholarship support to attend Litchfield Jazz Camp.  His father, a classical pianist/composer at Haart School, had already persuaded me he was ready for Camp: he’d been drumming since he was 3.  I said a conditional ok but there were caveats. Jimmy  had to really want to come, be mature enough to hack a demanding program, and pass the Rotary “audition.”  To ensure that happened, he came with sidemen in tow. They called the band Jimmy and the Has Beens (his dad and professor chums). They wowed them at the Rotary Club and Jimmy wowed me even though he was barely visible over the ride.

Jimmy came to camp that year (he was 9 by then) and held his own and then some.  He never lacked confidence.  One day, as he was walking through the cafeteria wearing a cap bearing someone’s logo, pianist-instructor Dave Berkman called out “Hey Jimmy!  You got and endorsement ??!!! Without missing a beat (I promise I did not  intend a pun), he cocked his head and replied, “Not yet.”  He was 12.

Age brought humility and mad skills.  Now an active musician in NYC and at festivals around the world (you can catch him on any of five occasions in NYC in June alone according to his web itinerary), he holds a degree from Juilliard where he was mentored by Carl Allen and plays regularly in a number of ensembles.  I heard him with the remarkable saxophonist Roxy Koss at Music Mountain last summer and was blown away by the group and Jimmy’s unifying force.  He also performs regularly with Nir Felder, Samora Pinderhughes’ Transformations Suite,  Lucas Pino’s Nonet. He enjoys pushing the envelope and plays with many forward-thinking artists, including Lage Lund, Ben Street, Kevin Hays, Fabian Almazan, Matt Brewer, Michael Rodriguez, and Dayna Stephens. Jimmy has also appeared on over 20 albums to date.

Jimmy will on this years Litchfield Jazz Festival, with Chad L-B Quartet and Randy Brecker (Chad Lefkowitz Brown was also a Litchfield Jazz Camper). This is Jimmy Macbride’s second appearance at Litchfield: he appeared with Julian Shore’s Quintet in 2017. Having already performed with Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Jimmy Greene, and Adam Rogers, we can expect great things from Jimmy and a long, long career.  Think Jimmy Heath and Jimmy Cobb.  Jimmy — it’s a good-luck moniker.

Vita West Muir, Founder/Executive Director