Dennis Budimir
Birth nameDennis Matthew Budimir
Born(1938-06-20)June 20, 1938
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 2023(2023-01-10) (aged 84)
GenresJazz, pop, rock, soul
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar

Dennis Matthew Budimir (June 20, 1938 – January 10, 2023) was an American jazz and rock guitarist. He was considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew.[1]

Biography

Budimir learned to play piano and guitar in his youth and first played professionally when he was fourteen years old. In Los Angeles in the mid-1950s he played in a quartet with La Monte Young, Billy Higgins, and Don Cherry.[2] In the late 1950s he worked in the bands of Ken Hanna, Keith Williams, Harry James, and Chico Hamilton.[3] In 1960–1961 he worked with Bud Shank and accompanied Peggy Lee, then entered into military service in 1961.

After his discharge in 1963 he toured Japan with Bobby Troup and returned to the Los Angeles area, where he played as a studio musician for the next several decades.[4] He recorded in this capacity with Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, Brian Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Ravi Shankar, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt, Julie London, Dusty Springfield, Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones, David Axelrod, Lalo Schifrin, Marty Paich, Don Ellis, Gil Melle, Tom Waits, Harry Nilsson, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Johnny Mathis, Cher, and Doris Day.[5] In jazz idioms he worked with Ella Fitzgerald, Milt Jackson, Stan Getz, Jimmy Smith in the 1970s and with Ray Brown and Johnny Mandel. He recorded with the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut in the 1990s. As a session player he also played on more than 900 movie soundtracks from the early 1960s until the 2000s.[6]

Budimir died on January 10, 2023, at the age of 84.[7][8][9]

Discography

As leader[edit]

As sideman[edit]

With The 5th Dimension

With Alessi Brothers

With Bobby Caldwell

With Bill Conti

With Michael Feinstein

With Chico Hamilton

With Milt Jackson

With Quincy Jones

With Peggy Lee

With Jon Lucien

With Henry Mancini

With Sergio Mendes

With Harry Nilsson

With Robert Palmer

With The Partridge Family

With Linda Ronstadt

With Tom Scott

With Bud Shank

With The Singers Unlimited

With others

References

  1. ^ Hartman, Kent, The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2012, pp. 207-208, 245, 254
  2. ^ "La Monte Young". Dlib.openlib.org. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Norman Mongan, "Dennis Budimir". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.
  4. ^ Carlton, Jim (2009). "Guitar's Eclectic Wizard". Conversations with Great Jazz and Studio Guitarists. Mel Bay Publications. pp. 117–128. ISBN 978-0786651238.
  5. ^ Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, 1999, p. 92.
  6. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Bill Frisell, Bob Bain and Dennis Budimir, Part 3 | Fretboard Journal". YouTube.
  7. ^ "We have learned that guitarist Dennis Budimir has passed away...", The Wrecking Crew. Facebook.com, Retrieved 12 January 2023
  8. ^ Buckley, Bill (12 January 2023). "Passings". Soul & Jazz & Funk. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  9. ^ "In Memoriam, January 2023: David Crosby, Jeff Beck, Lisa Marie Presley, Robbie Bachman and others". Project M Group LLC. Feb 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Discography of the Mainstream Label" (PDF). Bsnpubs.com. July 15, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "The Soul of Dennis Budimir: Album Info". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Improvisations, Ravi Shankar - Shop Online for Music in Australia". Fishpond.com.au.

External links

Authority control databases
Categories