Robert Henry Timmons (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during two separate periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961). Between these times, he was part of Cannonball Adderley’s band. Some of Timmons’ songs written during these years—such as "Moanin’," "Dat Dere," and "This Here"—became popular and increased his recognition. In the early and mid-1960s, he led several piano trios that performed and recorded widely.
Timmons was closely connected to the soul jazz style, which he helped develop. His association with this style, along with struggles with drug and alcohol use, led to a decline in his career. Timmons died at the age of 38 from cirrhosis. Many critics have noted that his contributions to jazz are not fully appreciated.
Early life
Timmons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a minister. He had a sister named Eleanor. His parents and many aunts and uncles played the piano. From an early age, Timmons studied music with his uncle, Robert Habershaw, who also taught McCoy Tyner. Timmons first performed at the church where his grandfather was a minister. This experience influenced his later jazz playing. He grew up in the same area as other future musicians, such as the Heath brothers (Jimmy, Percy, and Tootie) and Lee Morgan. Timmons' first professional performances were in his local area, often as a trio that included Tootie Heath on drums. After graduating from high school, Timmons received a scholarship to study at the Philadelphia Musical Academy.
1954 to spring 1961
Timmons moved to New York in 1954. In 1956, he played with Kenny Dorham and made his first recording with the trumpeter during a live performance in May of that year. He later performed and recorded with Chet Baker in 1956–57 (bassist Scott LaFaro was part of this group for a time), Sonny Stitt in 1957, and Maynard Ferguson in 1957–58. He also played as a supporting musician with horn players Curtis Fuller, Hank Mobley, and Morgan for Blue Note Records in 1957.
Timmons became best known as a member of Art Blakey’s band, the Jazz Messengers. He first joined the group from July 1958 to September 1959, including a tour of Europe. Saxophonist Benny Golson recruited him, saying, “He was inventive… He could play bebop and he could play funky—he could play a lot of things, and I thought it was the element that Art needed. He hadn’t had anybody quite like Bobby, who could go here or go there, rather than walking in a single corridor.” By late 1958, Timmons shared an apartment with bandmate Morgan on East Sixth Street. The pair bought a piano, allowing Timmons to practice and Morgan to work on composing. Around the time he joined Blakey, Timmons, along with some band members, used heroin. After leaving Blakey, Timmons joined Cannonball Adderley’s band in October 1959.
During this time, Timmons was also known as a composer. The Encyclopedia of Jazz states that his compositions “Moanin’” (from the 1958 album of the same name), “This Here,” and “Dat Dere” helped create the gospel-tinged “soul jazz” style of the late 1950s and early 1960s. “Moanin’” was written when Timmons first joined Blakey; the others were composed while he was with Adderley. “This Here” (sometimes called “Dis Here”) became a surprise hit for Adderley. Recorded in concert in 1959, it was released as part of The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco album while the band was still on tour. They discovered its popularity when they returned to New York and found crowds waiting outside the Village Gate, where they were scheduled to perform.
Timmons reportedly felt unhappy about the money he received from “This Here” and left Adderley in February 1960 to return to Blakey’s band after being offered higher pay. He later appeared on well-known albums with Blakey, including A Night in Tunisia, The Freedom Rider, and The Witch Doctor. His first solo album, This Here Is Bobby Timmons, was released in 1960 and included his earliest versions of his most famous compositions. In the same year, he played on recordings led by Nat Adderley, Arnett Cobb, and Johnny Griffin, among others. On Work Song, Timmons did not appear on all tracks because he had been drinking heavily.
Summer 1961 to 1974
In June 1961, Timmons left Blakey for the second time. He was inspired by the success of his music, including the song "Dat Dere," which Oscar Brown later recorded with added lyrics. Timmons then formed his own bands, first with Ron Carter on bass and Tootie Heath on drums. They traveled across the United States, including the West Coast, but performed most often in and around New York. At the start of this group, Timmons admired the musical styles of trios led by Red Garland and Ahmad Jamal. Tootie Heath noted that Timmons was very famous at this time but struggled with heroin addiction, using much of the band’s income to support his habit.
In 1963, Timmons played with Lewis Powers on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. A Washington Post reviewer described his playing as "adaptable and creative" and noted that his music included sounds similar to church music and spirituals. In 1965, the same reviewer observed that Timmons was using musicians with less skill, suggesting that his lack of passion might be due to his band members. Timmons began playing the vibes in the mid-1960s. He sometimes played the organ but only recorded one song on that instrument: a 1964 version of "Moanin’" on the album From the Bottom. He continued to lead recordings, usually in trios or quartets, but after joining Milestone Records around 1967, his album Got to Get It! featured him in a nonet, with arrangements by Tom McIntosh.
Timmons’ career declined rapidly in the 1960s, partly because of drug use and alcoholism, and also because he was often seen as a composer and performer of simple music. In 1968, he made his second and final recording for Milestone, Do You Know the Way? The next year, he played in a quartet led by Sonny Red, which included Dexter Gordon during one of his temporary returns to the United States from Europe, and in a trio supporting vocalist Etta Jones. Timmons continued performing in the early 1970s, mostly in small groups or with other pianists, primarily in New York.
According to saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Timmons joined Clark Terry’s big band for a European tour in 1974. He was unwell and drank alcohol on the plane to Sweden. He fell while drinking at a bar before the band’s first concert in Malmö, Sweden. Because of his health, he was sent back to the United States. On March 1, 1974, Timmons died from cirrhosis at the age of 38 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York. He had been in the hospital for a month before his death. He was buried in Philadelphia and was survived by his wife, Estelle, and his son, Bobby.
Playing style and influence
Timmons was known for using block chords, a style in which the right hand plays the melody and the left hand follows the rhythm of the right hand, changing only when needed for chord changes. His use of block chords was more forceful and less melodic compared to Red Garland’s approach. The Penguin Guide to Jazz described Timmons’ style as having a rolling, gospel-like energy, possibly more focused on power than on complex musical structures. Scott Yanow noted that Timmons’ style remained similar to his playing in 1960. Gary Giddins pointed out other strengths in Timmons’ music, such as his rich, clear, and direct musical phrases inspired by Bud Powell. Carter also mentioned Powell as a major influence on Timmons and noted that his trio partner was very supportive, loyal, and played with great dedication every night.
The energetic aspects of Timmons’ playing influenced other pianists, including Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis, and Benny Green. Timmons is often considered underappreciated. In 2008, jazz writer Marc Myers wrote that Timmons’ contributions to jazz—as a performer, composer, leader, and creator of a new sound—are widely overlooked and undervalued.
Compositions
Giddins said Timmons wrote "a steady stream of infectious funky tunes." Timmons said he was not trying to be a composer on purpose: "I'm not a professional composer. I have never intentionally sat down to write a song." He explained that his way of creating new songs might include "whistling, experimenting with notes, or at a club. He might ask one musician to play a note and another a different note, and they would improvise together." Golson described how "Moanin'" was created: Timmons had the first eight bars of the song, which he often played between other tunes. Golson encouraged him to add a bridge, and then Timmons completed the full song.
Personality
Tootie Heath said that during a tour, when Timmons was using heroin, he often told lies and sometimes took out a knife to scare people. However, Ron Carter, the bassist on that tour, said that Timmons encouraged his bandmates to try new things and get better with each performance. He also said that Timmons "had many talents and was a kind and sweet person." Golson added that Timmons "did not have an ego, was always positive, and never said bad things about others unless it was for humor."