Jim McNeely


Jim McNeely was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and academic.

Life and career

McNeely was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 18, 1949. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. In 1978, he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band. He spent six years as a featured soloist with that band and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra.
In 1981, he began a four-year tenure as pianist/composer with the Stan Getz Quartet. From 1990 until 1995, he was the pianist in the Phil Woods Quintet. In 1996, he re-joined the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as pianist. He was still associated with the Vanguard Orchestra as composer-in-residence.
From 1998 to 2002, McNeely was chief conductor of the DR Big Band in Copenhagen, Denmark.
, he was chief conductor of the HR Big Band in Frankfurt, Germany. He was their Composer-in-Residence. He appeared as guest with many of Europe's leading jazz orchestras such as the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, the WDR Big Band, the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra and the Swiss Jazz Orchestra. McNeely also led his own tentet, his own trio, and appeared as soloist at concerts and festivals worldwide. He recorded more than 20 albums as leader, receiving twelve Grammy Award nominations between 1997 and 2019.
As part of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, he received a Grammy Award for the album Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard in 2008.
McNeely was professor emeritus at Manhattan School of Music, and was former musical director of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop.
A former resident of Montclair, New Jersey, and Maplewood, New Jersey, he retired to Owls Head, Maine, until he was diagnosed with cancer. He died in New York City on September 26, 2025, at the age of 76.

Selected discography

As leader
With Ted Curson
With Stan Getz
With Mel Lewis
With Rufus Reid
  • Seven Minds
With Phil Woods
  • ''Flowers for Hodges''