Jimmy Amadie
Philadelphia born Jimmy Amadie is a veteran jazz pianist, called a serious keyboard talent by Billboard Magazine and one of America's leading jazz educators by Jazz Forum Magazine. While Amadie's skill and musicianship have been compared to Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones, his determination to overcome devastating obstacles has equally inspired.
Jimmy Amadie is known today as a musician and music educator, but his first love was competitive sports. Jimmy was a good athlete and participated in the citywide Sand Lot Sports League playing baseball, the Pop Warner Conference for football, and learned to box at Lighthouse Boys Club. Sports related injuries prevented Amadie from further competition. He then devoted all of his time to music.
Amadie studied classical piano at the Brahms Conservatory of Music. He came to jazz piano in his early twenties when he toured with The Woody Herman Band, accompanied Mel Torme, and played with legends like Red Rodney, Charley Ventura, and Coleman Hawkins. He was the leader of the house trio at the famous Red Hill Inn in Pennsauken, NJ for three years and later brought his trio to New York's Copacabana.
During these years, playing up to 70 hours a week, Amadie's hands developed a severe form of tendonitis. His condition was so extreme that he could not play for over thirty years. This resulted in the loss of his livelihood as a performer. He then turned to writing. He authored two textbooks, Harmonic Foundation for Jazz and Popular Music (1981) and Jazz Improv: How to Play It and Teach It (1990). Amadie's books are widely utilized and sections have been translated into Italian, French, German, and Japanese.
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Extended Analysis
Album Review
- Let's Groove! by Jim Santella
Multiple Reviews
Album Review
- Live at Red Rock Studio: A Tribute to Tony Bennett by Joshua Weiner
- In A Trio Setting by Jim Santella
Interview
Album Review
- Savoring Every Note by Jack Bowers
December 16, 2013
Pianist and Educator Jimmy Amadie Passes Away at Age 76 After Long...
August 23, 2010
The Jazz Session #193: Jimmy Amadie
April 08, 2010
Pianist Jimmy Amadie Features Three Saxophone Giants, Lee Konitz, Joe...
February 28, 2003
Jimmy Amadie - In A Trio Setting: A Tribute To Frank Sinatra
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