Jimmy Woode, born James Bryant Woode on September 23, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American jazz double bassist. He studied piano and bass in Boston at Boston University and the Conservatory of Music, as well as at the Philadelphia Academy. From 1955 to 1960, he was a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra, appearing on albums including Such Sweet Thunder (1957), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957), and Ellington at Newport (1956). In 1958, he released his solo album, The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode. Woode relocated to Europe in 1960, becoming an original member of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and later touring with Lionel Hampton's Golden Men of Jazz in 1995. In 2003, he formed a trio with drummer Pete York and Helge Schneider, touring Germany and starring in the comedy film Jazzclub (2004). Woode died on April 23, 2005, in Lindenwold, New Jersey, from complications following surgery.
