James Spaulding

James Ralph Spaulding

(July 30, 1937 - Presemt)

Jimmy Spaulding lived near the Ridley brothers in Lockefield Gardens and attended School 42 where his musical education began.  His father was a professional jazz guitarist who traveled with the Brown Buddies and who exposed his son to the best jazz music of the time. He was drum major for the high school band but longed to play the saxophone and managed to purchase one for $10 from a student who had lost interest in the instrument. 

Spaulding entered military service in 1955, stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison.  While there, Larry Ridley recruited him to join the Jazz Contemporaries.  When advertising the musicians in the group in the Indianapolis Recorder, Spaulding was “Brother Spee Abdul Malik” so the military would be unaware of his musical moonlighting. Discharged from the service in 1957, Spaulding relocated to Chicago taking music theory courses at the Cosmopolitan School of Music.  He was introduced to Sun Ra, auditioned, and was hired on the spot.  Spaulding freelanced as a studio musician and sideman between Chicago and Indianapolis until he moved to New York somewhere between 1962 and 63.    

In the 1960s, he worked as a studio musician at Blue Note Records, recording with Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and Stanley Turrentine.  He has been a sideman with many notable jazz legends including the Freddie Hubbard Quintet, Duke Ellington Big Band, David Murray Octet, and Big and the World Saxophone Quartet.  He went on to work with some post-bop musicians such as Max Roach, Randy Weston, and Woody Shaw.  Under the leadership of Mercer Ellington, in the 1970s, Spaulding played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In the 1980s, Spaulding worked with Ricky Ford and, as part of an octet, with David Murray.