Trombonist Jimmy Knepper was born in Los Angeles on November 22, 1927, the second son of a nurse and a police officer. His parents divorced shortly after his birth Jimmy and his older brother were sent to several boarding and military schools. He picked up his first instrument, an alto horn, at the age of six , but his music teacher persuaded him to put aside the alto and pick up the trombone because, as he said, he had a "trombone mouth". He played his first professional gigs in Los Angeles at the age of 15.

Knepper married Maxine Helen Fields, a trumpet player with the all-female jazz band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm while he was on a tour with the Maynard Ferguson band. In 1959 Knepper toured Africa with Herbie Mann and in 1962 traveled to the Soviet Union as member of Benny Goodman’s ensemble. Jimmy played trombone in the pit orchestra for the entire original run of the Broadway show “Funny Girl,” and was an original member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra beginning in 1965 and remaining with the group until the mid-1970s.

During his career Knepper collaborated with numerous jazz greats including Gil Evans, Clark Terry, Kenny Burrell, Lee Konitz and Dizzy Gillespie, but he may be best remembered for his stormy relationship with bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus, with whom he had several less-than-pleasant encounters. At one point Knepper sued Mingus for assaulting him. However, after Mingus’ death, Knepper led the Mingus Dynasty Orchestra for a time.

In 1980 Knepper received a Grammy Award nomination, for “Best Jazz Instrumentalist Performance, Soloist,” and he was named “Best Trombonist” in the DownBeat Reader’s Poll from 1981 through 1984. Jimmy Knepper passed away in 2003 of complications from Parkinson’s Disease.

Here is a link to Jimmy Knepper appearing on Italian television in the 1980s:

"IN SAN REMO"