Jim Bob Floyd

Jim Bob Floyd
Born
James Robert Floyd

(1929-06-02)June 2, 1929
Tyler, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 26, 2026(2026-04-26) (aged 96)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
AvocationConcert pianist
Collegiate music educator
IdiomClassical
Avant-garde
Experimental
Academic
Positions
Chairman of Keyboard Performance
Chairman of Keyboard Performance
Head of the Piano Department
Chairman of the Fine Arts Division
Piano Instructor
Websitewww.jbfloyd.com

Jim Bob Floyd (né James Robert Floyd; June 2, 1929 – April 26, 2026), also known as JB Floyd, was an American concert pianist (jazz, classical, experimental, avant-garde, and the like), composer and music pedagogue at the collegiate level. Before retiring in 2013, Floyd spent 64 years as a music educator in higher education, including as chairman of keyboard performance at Northern Illinois University from 1962 to 1981 and chairman of keyboard performance at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music from 1982 to 2013. Floyd was a Yamaha artist.

Early life and education

James Robert Floyd was born in Tyler, Texas on June 2, 1929. He earned a Bachelor of Music in 1948 and a Master of Music in 1950 from the University of North Texas (College of Music). While at North Texas, he studied piano with Isabel and Silvio Scionti. In the 1950s, at the University of Corpus Christi, Floyd became head of the Department of Music, then Chairman of the Fine Arts Division. In Fall 1949, Floyd joined the music faculty of the University of Kentucky as piano instructor. He also served on the music faculty of Sam Houston State University.

Career

Floyd, in 1949, was a grand winner of the National Guild of Piano Teachers Young Artist Competition at Town Hall in New York City. The award led to a sponsored solo recital at Town Hall, Wednesday, 8:30 pm, April 9, 1952. Harold C. Schonberg (1915–2003), a music critic for The New York Times, reviewed the performance. Floyd went on to earn a DMA in 1961 from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.

In 1962, Floyd joined the music faculty at the University of Northern Illinois. In 1981, Floyd joined the faculty at the University of Miami. He taught there for 32 years, retiring as Chair Emeritus in 2013 while serving as Chair of the University of Miami's Department of Keyboard Performance.

Death

Floyd died in Portland, Oregon on April 26, 2026, at the age of 96.

Selected discography

  • JB Floyd Trio at the Catacombs (jazz). JB Floyd (piano); Fred Atwood (bass); Dave Merrifield (drums); Tony Calzaretta, vocalist. Claremont Records (1966). Claremont Jazz Series CLP–666, Castle Productions, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
  • Suitable for Framing. David Rosenboom, JB Floyd, and Trichy Sankaran, A.R.C. Records (1975). OCLC 979580623 (all editions).
  • Vol. 18, CDCM Computer Music Series, The Composer in the Computer Age–III. Centaur Records (1994). OCLC 31869526 (all editions). (Note: CDCM is an acronym for the Consortium to Distribute Computer Music).
  • Vol. 19, CDCM Computer Music Series, The Composer in the Computer Age-IV: A Larry Austin Retrospective, Centaur Records (1995). OCLC 778855783 (all editions).
  • Salvatore Martirano: "O, O, O, O, That Shakespeherian Rag. New World Records (1996). OCLC 162136581 (all editions).
  • A Transporting Transmittance (CD), Mutable Music, label of Thomas Buckner (May 2003); OCLC 166266796 (all editions).
  • In Crossing The Busy Street (CD), Mutable Music (2009); OCLC 457181264.
  • Another Time And Place (CD), Mutable Music (2011); OCLC 773026916 (all editions).

Selected publications

Bibliography

Notes

References

  • J.B. Floyd Trio (1966). At the Catacombs (LP vinyl record). Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: Castle Productions. Claremont Records. Claremont Jazz Series – CLP–666 – via Discogs release no. 10524085. J.B. Floyd (piano); Fred Atwood (né Fred Connell Atwood; born 1937) (bass); Dave Merrifield (né David Kay Merrifield; born 1937) (drums); Tony Calzaretta (né Anthony John Calzaretta; born 1940), vocalist (Claremont was a label of Vernon Charles Castle; 1928–2008).