It was reported by The New York Timeson Thursday that jazz composer Jim McNeely passed away on Sept. 26 in his Manhattan home. The news was announced and confirmed by his daughter Claire, who said he passed away due to bile duct cancer, a rare type of cancer that affects the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine. He was 76 years old.
The Grammy-winning musical artist played piano with prominent ensembles like the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Stan Getz Quartet and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. But he was also a well-known composer, best known for his work in creating big-band compositions.
McNeely was a composer-in-residence for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra from 1978 to 1984, then again from 1996 until his death. He was also the chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band from 2010 to 2022, and composed for jazz orchestras all throughout Europe. In addition, he served as the musical director of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop for the past 14 years, where he mentored young writers and musicians.
Two weeks before his death, McNeely attended the sold-out “Celebrating Jim McNeely” concert, which was a celebration of his music by an 18-piece big band at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Manhattan. Daniel Jamieson, the founder and artistic director of JazzComposersPresent.com, who co-produced the show, wrote in a statement after his death that “Jim was a teacher, a mentor, a friend and sometimes even a therapist…We all know he was an extraordinary composer, but the lessons he passed on about being a good person and a professional artist are just as important.”
Throughout his long career, McNeely received 12 Grammy nominations and won one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, for the Vanguard orchestra’s 2008 recording Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard. The release featured performances of several composers’ works, including McNeely’s, from the band’s Monday dates at that storied Manhattan jazz club.
The jazz musician was born and raised in Chicago. He began taking piano lessons at the age of six. McNeely earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, then moved to New York City in 1975. In 1978, he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, where he spent six years as a featured soloist with that band and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra — now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
He retired to Owls Head, Maine, until he was diagnosed with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Marie McNeel; his daughter, Claire; two other children, Grace and Peter McNeely; his brother, Tom McNeely; his sister, Connie McNeely and his grandson.
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