Guitarist Jimmy Wyble passed away last week. His is a pretty remarkable story. Not only was he a Western Playboy but he was a member of Red Norvo's trio/quartet/quintet for a good long stretch at the end of the 1950s. In fact, he is featured in glorious technicolor in Ocean's Eleven (1960).
As a memorial, I've posted a couple of clips that are very close to my heart. Both are from "Screaming Mimi" a 1958 Gerd Oswald film that definitely falls into the exploitation/"B" category. I've seen the film - watchable mostly for the scenery. This not includes a pre-La Dolce Vita Anita Ekberg, but also several exterior shots of the International Settlement neighborhood in San Francisco. More on that another time. For now, dig on Red Norvo and his quartet and savor the brief glimpses of Jimmy's playing.
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4 comments:
Thank you for noting the passing of my uncle, Jimmy Wyble. Besides being a great guitar player, he was a wonderful human being and is greatly missed. He was preceded in death by my aunt Lily, who was the love of his life and to whom he wrote some pieces.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment here. My sincere condolences to your family. I plan to put the spotlight on more of his music and accomplishments on this weblog at a later date.
Nick,
Thanks so much for this glimpse into Jimmy Wyble's life. I actually stumbled onto your blog from watching a "Kings Go Forth" clip on YouTube. My uncle, Richie Kamuca, was the tenor player with Red in that scene, and I realized how little I knew about Jimmy, and what a great player he was. Hope to check out his etudes and other works for guitar.
Thanks Juan. I know your Uncle's playing very well. Delighted to see his name here. Wyble is one of those musicians who that more I listen to the greater my understanding of his depth is. He really is something else. If you want to dig deeper, I highly suggest reading this lengthy interview with him here http://www.davidoakesguitar.com/pdf/interview.pdf and of course checking out those great records he made with Red.
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