Autumn Leaves – 1987

Jimmy Gourley

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Guitarist Jimmy Gourley (1926-2008) has often been mistakenly thought of as French because he moved to Paris in 1951 and spent the rest of his life in France.

Gourley, who was actually from St. Louis, was a major part of the French jazz scene for many decades, not only playing bop-based music with the top European players but also performing and recording with a long list of major American jazz artists when they were passing through France.

For this 1987 version of “Autumn Leaves,” Gourley is joined by tenor-saxophonist Barney Wilen (1937-96) who performed with Miles Davis in 1957 when the trumpeter was in France, bassist Dominique Lemerle, and drummer Philippe Combelle.

Gourley and Wilen take forceful solos, trade off, and star during the concise performance.

-Scott Yanow

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