Jim Hall
- Born:
- , Buffalo, New York, USA
- Died:
- , New York City, New York, USA
- Instrument:
- Guitar
- Notable collaborations:
- Chico Hamilton, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Ornette Coleman
- Genres:
- Jazz, Latin, Blues, Folk, World, & Country, Rock, Funk / Soul, Stage & Screen, Pop, Classical, Electronic
- Styles:
- Cool Jazz, Bop, Post Bop, Contemporary Jazz, Swing, Vocal, Big Band, Modal, Hard Bop, Bossa Nova
Jim Hall is a guitarist whose understated approach and harmonic vocabulary made him one of jazz’s most influential instrumentalists. His career demonstrates a consistent focus on chamber jazz and intimate settings: from his early work with the Chico Hamilton Quintet in the late 1950s to his pivotal collaborations with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, captured on landmark albums like “The Bridge”. His style emphasized space, melody, and interaction over virtuosic display, making him a preferred partner for artists like Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, and Ornette Coleman. He worked extensively across Cool Jazz, Post Bop, and Free Jazz contexts, and his leadership on labels like Pacific Jazz, CTI Records, and later Telarc produced a substantial catalog of duo and trio recordings that highlighted his compositional abilities.
Essential Jim Hall Albums
Undercurrent
Bill Evans, Jim Hall
1962
Cool Jazz
Concierto
Jim Hall
1975
Bop
Intermodulation
Bill Evans, Jim Hall
1966
Post Bop
Big Blues
Art Farmer, Jim Hall
1979
Contemporary Jazz
To Sweden With Love
Art Farmer Quartet, Jim Hall
1964
Bop
Studio Trieste
Chet Baker, Jim Hall, Hubert Laws
1982
Fusion
Good Friday Blues: The Modest Jazz Trio
Jim Hall, Red Mitchell, Red Kelly
1960
Bop
...Where Would I Be?
Jim Hall
1972
Cool Jazz
Jim Hall Live!
Jim Hall
1975
Post Bop
Hemispheres
Jim Hall, Bill Frisell
2008
Contemporary Jazz
Similar Artists
Top Labels
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| Verve Records | 97 |
| Blue Note | 42 |
| Atlantic | 35 |
| RCA Victor | 26 |
| RCA | 24 |
| Columbia | 23 |
| Pacific Jazz | 20 |
| CTI Records | 17 |
| Concord Jazz | 15 |
| Universal Music Group | 14 |
Jim Hall Collaborations
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Terry Clarke | Drums | 11 |
| Art Farmer | Flugelhorn | 8 |
| Steve Swallow | Bass | 7 |
| Red Mitchell | Bass | 6 |
| Scott Colley | Bass | 6 |
| Walter Perkins | Drums | 4 |
| Art Farmer | Trumpet | 4 |
| Pete La Roca | Drums | 4 |
| Steve Gadd | Drums | 4 |
| Steve LaSpina | Bass | 4 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Connie Kay | Drums | 15 |
| Red Mitchell | Bass | 14 |
| Chico Hamilton | Drums | 13 |
| Gus Johnson | Drums | 12 |
| Mel Lewis | Drums | 11 |
| Wilfred Middlebrooks | Bass | 11 |
| Zoot Sims | Tenor Saxophone | 10 |
| Percy Heath | Bass | 9 |
| Dave Bailey | Drums | 9 |
| Ron Carter | Bass | 9 |
Key Personnel
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 54 |
| Richard Bock | Producer | 17 |
| Ella Fitzgerald | Leader | 17 |
| Creed Taylor | Producer | 13 |
| Paul Desmond | Leader | 13 |
| The Jimmy Giuffre Trio | Leader | 12 |
| Bill Evans | Leader | 12 |
| The Chico Hamilton Quintet | Leader | 11 |
| George Horn | Mastered By | 9 |
| John Lewis | Leader | 9 |
Discography
Total: 472 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Stewart, Jim Hall | The Dublin Concert | Livia Records | Leader | Bop | 2024 |
| The Modest Jazz Trio | Good Friday Blues: The Modest Jazz Trio | - | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Jim Hall | Uniquities Vol 1 + 2 | ArtistShare | Leader | Post Bop | 2023 |
| Noël Akchoté | Resolution (A Few More Standards) | Noël Akchoté Downloads | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2023 |
| Liam Noble, Geoff Simkins | Lucky Teeth | FMR Records | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2023 |
| Guido Di Leone, Dario Deidda | In Duo: Live At Duke Jazz Club | Abeat Records | Sideman | 2023 | |
| The Jimmy Giuffre Trio, The Gene Krupa Quartet | In Concert - Falkoner Centret Copenhagen, Denmark May 21, 1959 | SteepleChase | Sideman | Bop | 2023 |
| Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, June Christy, Stan Kenton And His Orchestra, Shelly Manne & His Men, The Jimmy Giuffre Trio, Jim Hall | West Coast In Amsterdam | Nederlands Jazz Archief | Leader | 2022 | |
| Dylan Kirk | King Of The Hop | Emerald Records | Sideman | Rock & Roll | 2022 |
| Yoko Kobayashi, Yuta Omino, Sadanori Nakamure | 10フランの幸せ | Time Machine Record | Sideman | 2022 | |
| Noël Akchoté | Loving Highsmith | Ayler Records | Sideman | Free Improvisation | 2022 |
| The Airmen Of Note, Peter Bernstein, Chris Potter | The 2021 Jazz Heritage Series | Not On Label | Sideman | Big Band | 2021 |
| Sonny Rollins | Saxophone Colossus | - | Sideman | 2021 | |
| The Bill Evans Trio | On A Friday Evening | Craft Recordings | Sideman | Modal | 2021 |
| Manfred Junker, Dani Solimine | Guitarists Only | Mochermusic | Sideman | 2021 | |
| Peter Bernstein & Guido Di Leone Quartet | Tribute To Jim Hall | Abeat Records | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2020 |
| Jorge Rossy, Sergio Wagner, Danny Ziemann, Marton Juhasz | Luna | Fresh Sound New Talent | Sideman | 2020 | |
| Noël Akchoté | Loving Highsmith (Teaser) | Noël Akchoté Downloads | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2020 |
| Art Farmer Quartet, Jim Hall | From Sweden With Love - Live | Dragon | Leader | Bop | 2020 |
| Sadanori Nakamure | Detour Ahead (Live At Airegin) | Chitei Records | Sideman | 2020 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Cool Jazz | 90 | 8.3% |
| Bop | 77 | 7.1% |
| Post Bop | 48 | 4.4% |
| Contemporary Jazz | 45 | 4.1% |
| Swing | 32 | 2.9% |
| Vocal | 25 | 2.3% |
| Big Band | 21 | 1.9% |
| Modal | 18 | 1.7% |
| Hard Bop | 16 | 1.5% |
| Bossa Nova | 14 | 1.3% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 368 | 33.8% |
| Latin | 11 | 1% |
| Blues | 10 | 0.9% |
| Folk, World, & Country | 10 | 0.9% |
| Rock | 9 | 0.8% |
| Funk / Soul | 9 | 0.8% |
| Stage & Screen | 7 | 0.6% |
| Pop | 7 | 0.6% |
| Classical | 5 | 0.5% |
| Electronic | 3 | 0.3% |