Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

MUNDY, Jimmy

(b 28 June 1907, Cincinnati, Ohio; d 24 April 1983, NYC) Violinist, tenor sax; arranger and composer. One of the best arrangers of the Swing Era: he sold some charts to Earl Hines ('Cavernism', 'Copenhagen'), worked for him until '36; for Benny Goodman from '35 ('Swingtime In The Rockies', 'Jumpin' At The Woodside', 'Solo Flight', 'Air Mail Special', others). He lled own big band briefly '39, freelanced for Count Basie ('Super Chief', 'Queer Street', 'Blue Skies'), many others. He worked as music director for the Barclay label in France from '59; later back to NYC and more freelance work. A Goodman CD Plays Jimmy Mundy on Hep has 22 swing classics.

Mundy sometimes recycled himself; the shout chorus for 'A Zoot Suit' (for Paul Whiteman, 1942) reappeared in 'Tea For Two' (for Artie Shaw, 1945). He was a savvy businessman, as composers and arrangers still have to be. Harry James was 'burned' in the late '40s when he learned that what he thought were exclusive arrangements for him were also being played on the radio by Basie, reported Alan Matheson, who conducted CBC Radio tributes to Whiteman in the 1990s, and enjoyed playing unrecorded Mundy arrangements such as 'Tangerine' and 'Take The A Train'.