James Mundell Lowe was born on April 21, 1922, and died on December 2, 2017. He was an American jazz guitarist who played music for radio, television, film, and recorded sessions.

In the 1970s, he created music for movies and TV shows, including the soundtrack for Billy Jack and the music for Starsky and Hutch. In the 1990s, he worked with André Previn’s Trio.

Early life, family and education

Lowe was born to a Baptist minister and grew up on a farm in Shady Grove, Smith County, Mississippi, which is close to Laurel. He began playing the guitar at the age of eight, with his father and sister serving as his first teachers.

Career

When he was thirteen years old, he left home to play in bands. His father sometimes found him, brought him back, and warned him about the dangers of whiskey. At sixteen, Lowe worked in Nashville on the Grand Ole Opry radio program. He was part of the Jan Savitt orchestra before serving in the military during World War II.

At basic training, he became friends with John Hammond, who organized weekend jam sessions. He performed in an Army dance band while stationed in Guadalcanal. After leaving the military, he contacted Hammond for work, and Hammond sent him to Ray McKinley. He spent two years with McKinley’s big band in New York City. He joined the Benny Goodman orchestra and later worked at Café Society and other clubs in New York.

In 1950, he was hired by NBC as a staff musician. He and Ed Shaughnessy were part of the Today Show band for over ten years. Lowe acted in an episode of the Armstrong Circle Theatre television show that included Walter Matthau and live music by Doc Severinsen.

On weekends, he played jazz, sometimes getting permission from NBC to leave for six-month periods. In the jazz world, he played with Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, Red Norvo, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, and Lester Young. He composed and arranged music for NBC. He helped introduce pianist Bill Evans to record producer Orrin Keepnews, which led to Evans’s first recordings as a leader.

In 1965, he moved to Los Angeles and worked for NBC as a staff guitarist, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for the TV shows Hawaii Five-O, Starsky & Hutch, and The Wild Wild West, and the movies Satan in High Heels (1962), A Time for Killing (1967), Billy Jack (1971), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972), Sidewinder 1 (1977), and Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977). He recorded with Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan. During the 1980s, he worked with André Previn, Tete Montoliu, and the Great Guitars. He taught at the Guitar Institute of Technology and taught Film Scoring at the Grove School of Music to students like Gary Stockdale. For several years, he was the music director of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

During his career, he worked with Benny Carter, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Lee Konitz, Peggy Lee, Fats Navarro, Shirley Scott, Dinah Washington, and Ben Webster. In his later years, he often collaborated with flautist Holly Hoffmann. At age 93, he released the album Poor Butterfly.

Lowe was married to singer Betty Bennett, his third wife, for 42 years. In his final years, the couple lived in San Diego. He died on December 2, 2017, at the age of 95.

Discography

• The Mundell Lowe Quartet was released by Riverside in 1955
• Guitar Moods was released by Riverside in 1956
• New Music of Alec Wilder was released by Riverside in 1956
• A Grand Night for Swinging was released by Riverside in 1957
• Porgy & Bess was released by RCA Camden in 1959
• TV Action Jazz! was released by RCA Camden in 1959
• Themes from Mr. Lucky, The Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz was released by RCA Camden in 1960
• Satan in High Heels was released by Charlie Parker in 1961 and Blues for a Stripper was released by Charlie Parker in 1962
• California Guitar was released by Famous Door in 1973
• Guitar Player was released by Dobre in 1977
• Sweet 'n' Lovely 1 was released by Fresh Sound in 1991
• Sweet 'n' Lovely 2 was released by Fresh Sound in 1991
• Mundell's Moods was released by Nagel Heyer Records in 2000