Dallas-born jazz clarinet and saxophone player Jimmy Giuffre died late last week on Thursday, April 24, of pneumonia and complications of Parkinson's disease.

After learning to play the clarinet at the age of 9, Giuffre began performing in local bands. Later Giuffre was drawn into the big band world and eventually transitioned into jazz music with his self--named trio, with which he earned acclaim as an "adventurous" jazz composer and arranger. In his later years, Giuffre served as an instructor and teacher at New York University, Rutgers University and the New England Conservatory of Music.

The 86-year-old musician died just two days shy of his 87th birthday. --Pete Freedman