Jim Beard

For other people with similar names, see James Beard (disambiguation).

Jim Beard
Beard (center) performing with Steely Dan in 2017
Background information
Birth name	James Arthur Beard
Born	(1960-08-26)August 26, 1960 Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2024(2024-03-02) (aged 63) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz fusion
Occupations	Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument	Keyboards
Years active	1985–2024
Formerly of	Steely Dan, Mahavishnu Orchestra
Website	jimbeard.com

James Arthur Beard (August 26, 1960 – March 2, 2024) was an American jazz pianist and keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer who worked with Steely Dan, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Dennis Chambers, and Bob Berg, among others. First performing professionally in college alongside a bar band, Beard then became the pianist of McLaughlin's band, Mahavishnu, after moving to New York in 1985. He also produced seven albums from 1990 through 2019, and wrote several compositions for jazz artists.

Early life

Beard was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania on August 26, 1960.^[1] He developed a keen interest in music from an early age.^[2] He first learned to play the piano at the age of 6, before playing and later studying about other instruments, including the bass, clarinet, and saxophone.^[3][4] As a teenager, he studied arranging with Don Sebesky, and piano with Roland Hanna, and George Shearing for several years.^[5][6][7]

Beard took his first overseas tour at the age of sixteen with the American Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Hal Schiff.^[8] He attended Indiana University, studying jazz under David Baker and classical piano under John Ogdon.^[8] In college, he performed professionally with Slide Hampton and Red Rodney and was in a bar band whose members included Jon Herington, Shawn Pelton, Kenny Aronoff, Robert Hurst, and Chris Botti.^[8] His musical influences in college were Herbie Hancock, Wynton Kelly, and Prince.^[8]

Music career

Beard moved to New York in 1985 and became the pianist of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu,^[9] started working relationships with Bill Evans and Mike Stern and had recorded with Dave Liebman.^[10][11] He also began producing many successful recordings for artists such as Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Evans and Eliane Elias.^[10] In 1986, he began a working relationship with Wayne Shorter that lasted until 2000.^[12] In 1988, he became a member of John Scofield's band and toured the world with Pat Metheny from 1992–1993.

During his early New York period, he wrote compositions for Michael Brecker and John McLaughlin.^[13] Many of Beard's compositions have been recorded by top jazz artists, such as "The Wait," by John McLaughlin; "Riddle Me This," by Bob Berg; "In the Hat," by Victor Bailey; "The Gentleman and Hizcaine," by Michael Brecker; and "I'll Miss You," by Bill Evans.^[14]

Albums and awards

Beard's albums include Song of the Sun (1990), which features Wayne Shorter and Michael Brecker; Lost at the Carnival (1995); Truly (1997); Advocate (2000); Revolutions (2008); Show of Hands (2013); and Chunks and Chairknobs (2019).^[15]

His music productions and compositions have been nominated for seven Grammy Awards. He won a Grammy in 2007 as a featured performer on Some Skunk Funk (Randy and Michael Brecker).^[10]

Later life and death

Beard taught at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, and the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York.^[16] He had taught graduate-level arranging, composing, and improvisation.^[17]

Beard died at a hospital in New York City, on March 2, 2024, at age 63.^[10]

Discography

• Song of the Sun (CTI, 1990)^[15]
• Lost at the Carnival (Lipstick, 1994)^[18]
• Truly (Escapade, 1997)^[19]
• Advocate (JVC Victor, 1999)^[20]
• Revolutions with Vince Mendoza & The Metropole Orkest (Intuition, 2008)[SACD]^[21]
• Show of Hands (Moosicus, 2013)^[22]
• Chunks and Chairknobs (Jazzline, 2019)^[23]

See also

• Russell Ferrante
• List of jazz arrangers
• Lyle Mays
• Joe Zawinul

References

1. Kaufman, Gil (March 6, 2024). "Jim Beard, Steely Dan Keyboardist, Dies at 63". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
2. Sinha, Seema (March 7, 2024). "Jazz Icon Jim Beard Passes Away At 63, Leaving Behind Rich Musical Legacy: All You Need To Know About Departed Musician". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
3. Del Rosario, Alexandra (March 6, 2024). "Jim Beard, longtime keyboardist for Steely Dan, dies at 63". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
4. Perry, Kevin E. G. (March 6, 2024). "Steely Dan keyboardist Jim Beard dead at 63". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
5. Gallucci, Michael (March 6, 2024). "Jim Beard, Steely Dan Keyboardist, Dies at 63". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
6. "Jim Beard, keyboardist who made his mark in jazz-rock, is dead at 63". WRTI. March 7, 2024. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
7. "Tributes to Jim Beard". Marlbank. March 6, 2024. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
8. Roy, Arkaprovo (March 7, 2024). "Who Was Jim Beard? Tributes Pour In For Steely Dan Musician". Times Now. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
9. "Mahavishnu displays hard and soft sides". Record-Journal. September 12, 1986. p. 29. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
10. Evans, Greg (March 6, 2024). "Jim Beard Dies: Steely Dan Keyboardist Was 63". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
11. "Jim Beard". Inside MusiCast. August 26, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
12. Rogerson, Ben (March 7, 2024). "Steely Dan pianist and keyboard player Jim Beard has died, aged 63: "He was the glue and such a great presence on so many projects," says drummer Peter Erskine". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
13. "Jim Beard, Steely Dan Keyboardist, Dead at 63". AOL. March 6, 2024. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
14. Ruggieri, Melissa (March 6, 2024). "Steely Dan keyboardist Jim Beard dies at 63 after sudden illness". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
15. "Jim Beard Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
16. Garcia, Thania (March 6, 2024). "Jim Beard, Steely Dan Keyboardist, Dies at 63". Variety. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
17. "JIM BEARD, 1960–2024". HITS Daily Double. March 6, 2024. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
18. "Lost at the Carnival – Jim Beard". Allmusic. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
19. "Truly – Jim Beard". Allmusic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
20. "Advocate – Jim Beard". Allmusic. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
21. "Revolutions – Jim Beard". Allmusic. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
22. Larkin, Cormac (November 1, 2013). "Jim Beard: Show of Hands". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
23. "Jim Beard/Jon Herington – Chunks And Chairknobs". London Jazz News. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.

External links

• Official site
• Interview at Jazz Dimensions, 1999
• Jim Beard at IMDb
• Jim Beard discography at Discogs