View source for Bobby Timmons

{{Short description|American jazz pianist and composer (1935–1974)}}
{{good article}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Bobby Timmons
| image           = Bobby_Timmons.jpg
| caption         =
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Robert Henry Timmons
| alias           =
| birth_place     = {{nowrap|[[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.}}
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1935|12|19}}
| death_place     = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1974|3|1|1935|12|19}}
| origin          =
| instrument      = {{hlist|Piano|vibraphone}}
| genre           = Jazz
| occupation      = {{hlist|Musician|composer}}
| years_active    = 1950s–1970s
| label           = {{hlist|[[Riverside Records|Riverside]]|[[Prestige Records|Prestige]]|[[Milestone Records|Milestone]]}}
| past_member_of  = [[The Jazz Messengers]]
| website         =
| current_members =
| past_members    = 
}}

'''Robert Henry Timmons''' (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American [[jazz]] pianist and composer. He was a [[sideman]] in [[Art Blakey]]'s Jazz Messengers for two periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961), between which he was part of [[Cannonball Adderley]]'s band. Several of Timmons' compositions written when part of these bands – including "[[Moanin' (song)|Moanin']]", "[[Dat Dere]]", and "This Here" – enjoyed commercial success and brought him more attention. In the early and mid-1960s he led a series of [[Jazz trio|piano trios]] that toured and recorded extensively.

Timmons was strongly associated with the [[soul jazz]] style that he helped initiate. This link to apparently simple writing and playing, coupled with drug and alcohol addiction, led to a decline in his career. Timmons died, aged 38, from [[cirrhosis]]. Several critics have commented that his contribution to jazz remains undervalued.{{efn|See [[#Playing style and influence|Playing style and influence]] section for examples.}}

==Early life==
Timmons was born in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], the son of a minister.<ref name="Grove">Kernfeld, Barry [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J450300 "Timmons, Bobby"]. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 29, 2013. (Subscription required.)</ref> He had a sister, Eleanor.<ref name="TP2">Panken, Ted [http://tedpanken.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/for-the-78th-birthday-anniversary-of-bobby-timmons-1935-1974-a-liner-note-and-five-interviews-conducted-for-it/ "For the 78th Birthday Anniversary of Bobby Timmons (1935–1974), a Liner Note and Five Interviews Conducted for It"]. (December 19, 2013). Transcript of interview with Tootie Heath. tedpanken.wordpress.com</ref> Both of his parents, and several aunts and uncles, played the piano.<ref name="Comp" /> From an early age Timmons studied music with an uncle, Robert Habershaw, who also taught [[McCoy Tyner]].<ref name="Comp" /><ref>Taylor, Leon (June 5, 2000), [https://web.archive.org/web/20131005001305/http://articles.philly.com/2000-06-05/news/25601688_1_rice-pudding-sheila-wright-pastor-emeritus "Elsie Wright Loved Kids, Fussed at Their Noisy Play"], philly.com Retrieved July 30, 2013.</ref> Timmons first played at the church where his grandfather was minister;<ref name="TP1">Panken, Ted. In ''The Best of Bobby Timmons'' [Liner notes]. Fantasy. Reprinted at [http://tedpanken.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/for-the-78th-birthday-anniversary-of-bobby-timmons-1935-1974-a-liner-note-and-five-interviews-conducted-for-it/ "For the 78th Birthday Anniversary of Bobby Timmons (1935–1974), a Liner Note and Five Interviews Conducted for It"]. (December 19, 2013), tedpanken.wordpress.com.</ref> this influenced his later jazz playing.<ref name="Grove" /> He grew up in the same area as other future musicians, including the Heath brothers ([[Jimmy Heath|Jimmy]], [[Percy Heath|Percy]], and [[Albert Heath|Tootie]]) and [[Lee Morgan]].<ref name="TP1" /> Timmons' first professional performances were in his local area,<ref name="Feather" /> often as a trio that included Tootie Heath on drums.<ref name="TP2" /> After graduating from high school Timmons was awarded a scholarship to study at the [[University of the Arts (Philadelphia)|Philadelphia Musical Academy]].<ref name="Comp" />

==1954 to spring 1961==
Timmons moved to New York in 1954.<ref name="Grove" /> He played with [[Kenny Dorham]] in 1956,<ref name="Feather" /> making his recording debut with the trumpeter in a live set in May of that year. He went on to play and record with [[Chet Baker]] in 1956–57 (bassist [[Scott LaFaro]] was part of this band for a time<ref>Williams, Martin (1992), ''Jazz Changes'', p. 108. Oxford University Press.</ref>), [[Sonny Stitt]] in 1957, and [[Maynard Ferguson]] in 1957–58.<ref name="Grove" /><ref name="Feather" /> He also recorded as a [[sideman]] with hornmen [[Curtis Fuller]],<ref>Erlewine, Stephen Thomas [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-opener-mw0000463973 "Curtis Fuller: The Opener: Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2013.</ref> [[Hank Mobley]],<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/hank-mw0000758266/credits "Hank Mobley: Hank: Credits"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2013.</ref> and Morgan.<ref>Yanow, Scott [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cooker-mw0000743794 "Lee Morgan: The Cooker: Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2013.</ref> all for [[Blue Note Records]] in 1957.

Timmons became best known as a member of [[Art Blakey]]'s band the Jazz Messengers, which he was first part of from July 1958 to September 1959, including for a tour of Europe.<ref name="Grove" /> He was recruited for the Messengers by saxophonist [[Benny Golson]], who said that "He was inventive, [...] He could play [[bebop]] and he could play funky – he could play a lot of things, and I thought it was the element that Art needed. He hadn't had anybody quite like Bobby, who could go here or go there, rather than walking in a single corridor."<ref name="TP1" /> By late 1958 Timmons was sharing bandmate Morgan's East Sixth Street apartment and the pair had bought a piano, allowing Timmons to practice and Morgan to work on composing.<ref name="JSM">McMillan, Jeffery S. (2008), ''DelightfuLee: The Life and Music of Lee Morgan''. University of Michigan Press.</ref>{{rp|88}} From around the time he joined Blakey, Timmons, along with some of his fellow band members, was a heroin user.<ref name="JSM" />{{rp|90}} After leaving Blakey, Timmons joined [[Cannonball Adderley]]'s band, in October 1959.<ref name="Grove" />

Timmons was also known as a composer during this period: ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'' states that his compositions "[[Moanin' (song)|Moanin']]" (from [[Moanin'|the 1958 album of the same title]]), "This Here", and "[[Dat Dere]]" "helped generate the gospel-tinged '[[soul jazz]]' style of [the] late '50s and early '60s."<ref name="Feather" />{{rp|646}} The first was written when Timmons was first with Blakey; the others were composed when he was with Adderley.<ref name="All">Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (eds) (2002), ''The All Music Guide to Jazz'', p. 1245. Backbeat Books.</ref> "This Here" (sometimes "Dis Here") was a surprise commercial success for Adderley: recorded in concert in 1959, it was released as part of ''[[The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco]]'' album while the band was still on tour, and they discovered its popularity only when they arrived back in New York and found crowds outside the [[The Village Gate|Village Gate]], where they were due to play.<ref name="Dis">Sheridan, Chris (2000), ''Dis Here: A Bio-Discography of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley'', pp. 81–83. Greenwood Press.</ref>

Timmons was reported to be dissatisfied with the money he had received from "This Here", and was enticed in February 1960 into leaving Adderley and returning to Blakey's band by the offer of more pay.<ref name="Grove" /><ref name="Dis" /> Timmons then appeared on further well-known albums with the drummer, including ''[[A Night in Tunisia (1960 album)|A Night in Tunisia]]'', ''[[The Freedom Rider]]'' and ''[[The Witch Doctor (album)|The Witch Doctor]]''.<ref name="TP1" /> His own recording debut as sole leader was ''[[This Here Is Bobby Timmons]]'' in 1960, which contained his first versions of his best-known compositions.<ref name="Myers" /> In the same year, he played on recordings led by [[Nat Adderley]],<ref name="Penguin" />{{rp|13}} [[Arnett Cobb]],<ref name="Penguin" />{{rp|307}} and [[Johnny Griffin]],<ref name="Penguin" />{{rp|670}} among others; on the first of these, ''[[Work Song (Nat Adderly album)|Work Song]]'', Timmons did not appear on all of the tracks, because he had been drinking heavily.<ref>Mathieson, Kenny (2012), ''Cookin': Hard Bop and Soul Jazz 1954–65''. Canongate Books.</ref>

==Summer 1961 to 1974==
Timmons left Blakey for the second time in June 1961,<ref name="Grove" /> encouraged by the success of his compositions, including [[jukebox]] plays of "Dat Dere", which [[Oscar Brown]] had recorded after adding lyrics.<ref name="TP1" /> Timmons then formed his own bands, initially with [[Ron Carter]] on bass and Tootie Heath on drums.<ref>Walker, Jesse H. (September 30, 1961), "Theatricals", ''New York Amsterdam News'', p. 19.</ref> They toured around the US, including the West Coast, but played most in and around New York.<ref name="TP2" /> In the initial stages of this trio, Timmons liked the group sounds of the trios led by [[Red Garland]] and [[Ahmad Jamal]].<ref name="TP3">Panken, Ted [http://tedpanken.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/for-the-78th-birthday-anniversary-of-bobby-timmons-1935-1974-a-liner-note-and-five-interviews-conducted-for-it/ "For the 78th Birthday Anniversary of Bobby Timmons (1935–1974), a Liner Note and Five Interviews Conducted for It"]. (December 19, 2013). Transcript of interview with Ron Carter. tedpanken.wordpress.com</ref> According to Tootie Heath, Timmons was at the peak of his fame at that point, but was addicted to heroin, and used a lot of the money that the band was paid maintaining his habit.<ref name="EI">Iverson, Ethan (November 2009), [http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/interview-with-albert-tootie-heath.html "Interview with Albert "Tootie" Heath"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212035021/http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/interview-with-albert-tootie-heath.html |date=December 12, 2010 }}. dothemath.typepad.com</ref>

In 1963, Timmons' playing, with Lewis Powers on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums, was described by a ''[[Washington Post]]'' reviewer as "flexible and adventuresome [...] Glossing over everything is an undeniable sheen of church music and spirituals."<ref>Pagones, John (January 25, 1963), "Timmons Holds Sway at Jazz Mecca". ''The Washington Post'', p. B13.</ref> In 1965, the same reviewer commented that Timmons was employing musicians who were of much lower ability: "Timmons lacks a certain passion but I wonder if this is not the fault of his sidemen."<ref>Pagones, John (March 12, 1965), "Cocktail Lounges Come into Their Own". ''The Washington Post'', p. B15.</ref> Timmons started playing [[Vibraphone|vibes]] in the mid-1960s.<ref name="WP74">"Jazz Pianist, Composer of 'Moanin{{'"}}. (March 3, 1974), ''The Washington Post'', p. D4.</ref> He occasionally played organ, but recorded only one track on that instrument – a 1964 version of "Moanin{{'"}} on ''[[From the Bottom]]''.<ref name="All" /> Recordings as a leader continued, usually as part of a trio or quartet, but, after joining [[Milestone Records]] around 1967,<ref>West, Hollie I. (November 5, 1967), "A Disc Company Fights the Trend". ''The Washington Post'', p. K4.</ref> Timmons' album ''[[Got to Get It!]]'' featured him as part of a nonet, playing arrangements by [[Tom McIntosh]].<ref name="All" />

Timmons' career declined quickly in the 1960s, in part because of drug abuse<ref name="GG">Giddins, Gary (March 7, 1974), "Bobby Timmons, 1935–1974" ''The Village Voice'', pp. 45, 50.</ref> and alcoholism, and partly as a result of being typecast as a composer and player of seemingly simple pieces of music.<ref name="Grove" /> In 1968 he made his second - and final - recording for Milestone, ''[[Do You Know the Way?]]''<ref name="All" /> In the following year, he played in a quartet led by [[Sonny Red]],<ref>West, Hollie I. (July 3, 1969), "Sparkling Jazz Group" ''The Washington Post'', p. C6.</ref> with [[Dexter Gordon]] on one of the saxophonist's temporary returns to the US from Europe,<ref name="Bogle" /><ref>Novod, Eric [http://www.jazz.com/dozens/the-dozens-dexter-gordon "The Dozens: Dexter Gordon"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708060613/http://www.jazz.com/dozens/the-dozens-dexter-gordon |date=2009-07-08 }}. Jazz.com Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref> and in a trio backing vocalist [[Etta Jones]].<ref>West, Hollie I. (July 21, 1969), "Great Jazz of Etta Jones". ''The Washington Post'', p. B6.</ref> Timmons continued to play in the early 1970s, mostly in small groups or in combination with other pianists, and mainly in the New York area.<ref>Bush, Dera (January 31, 1970), "Jamaica and Queens Report". ''New York Amsterdam News'', p. 26.</ref><ref>Wilson, John S. (November 30, 1970), "4 Jazzmen Trade Pianistic Curves". ''The New York Times'', p. 54.</ref><ref>"Bobby Timmons plays for MJS concert Sun.". (December 18, 1971), ''Chicago Daily Defender'', p. 21.</ref><ref>"Jazz/Rock/Folk/Pop". (February 25, 1973), ''The New York Times'', p. 119.</ref>

According to saxophonist [[Jimmy Heath]], Timmons joined [[Clark Terry]]'s big band for a tour of Europe in 1974.<ref name="Heath">Heath, Jimmy, and McLaren, Joseph (2010), ''I Walked with Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath'', p. 162. Temple University Press.</ref> He was unwell and drank on the plane to Sweden, and fell while drinking at the bar before the band's first concert, in [[Malmö]].<ref name="Heath" /> Susceptible to blood clotting, he was flown back to the US.<ref name="Heath" /> On March 1, 1974, he died from [[cirrhosis]], at the age of 38, at St Vincent's Hospital in New York.<ref name="Feather">{{cite book|last1=Feather|first1=Leonard|author-link=Leonard Feather|author2=[[Ira Gitler]]|title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz|location=New York City|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|pages=646–647}}</ref><ref name="NYT74">"Bobby Timmons, 38, Jazz Pianist, Dead". (March 2, 1974), ''The New York Times'', p. 34.</ref> He had been in hospital for a month.<ref name="WP74" /> He was buried in Philadelphia,<ref>"Bobby Timmons Buried in Pa.". (March 16, 1974), ''New York Amsterdam News'', p. B7.</ref> and was survived by his wife, Estelle, and son, also Bobby.<ref name="NYT74" />

==Playing style and influence==
Timmons was known for using [[block chord]]s, "a style in which the right hand creates the melody and the left hand moves with the rhythm of the right hand, but does not change voicing except to accommodate the chord changes."<ref name="Champ">Fulton, Champian (September 2011), "The Transcendent Aesthetics of the Block Chord Language". ''Down Beat'', p. 60.</ref> His use of them was more aggressive, and less melodic, than that of Red Garland.<ref name="Champ" /> ''[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz]]'' suggested that "Timmons' characteristic style was a rolling, gospelly funk, perhaps longer on sheer energy than on harmonic sophistication."<ref name="Penguin">[[Richard Cook (journalist)|Cook, Richard]], and [[Brian Morton (Scottish writer)|Morton, Brian]] (2004), ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD'' (7th edition), Penguin.</ref>{{rp|1574}} In the opinion of [[Scott Yanow]], stylistically, "somehow Bobby Timmons never grew beyond where he was in 1960."<ref>Yanow, Scott (2003), ''Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years'', p. 487. Backbeat Books.</ref> [[Gary Giddins]], however, highlighted other facets of Timmons' playing: the "lush [[Bud Powell|[Bud] Powell]]-inspired ballads, his clear, sharp, unsentimental long lines."<ref name="GG" />{{rp|50}} Carter also identified Powell as a primary influence on Timmons, and commented that his partner in the trio "was very giving, very loyal, played every night like it was his last chance to get it right."<ref name="TP3" />

The funky aspects of Timmons' playing influenced fellow pianists, including [[Les McCann]], [[Ramsey Lewis]], and [[Benny Green (pianist)|Benny Green]].<ref>Yanow, Scott [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-timmons-mn0000765435/biography "Artist Biography"]. AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2013.</ref> Timmons is often mentioned as being under-rated;<ref>Maita, Joe, and Giddins, Gary (January 5, 2004), [http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/2004/01/conversations-with-gary-giddins-on-underrated-jazz-musicians-part-one/ "Conversations with Gary Giddins: On Underrated Jazz Musicians, Part One"]. Jerry Jazz Musician.</ref> jazz writer [[Marc Myers]] commented in 2008 that "today, Timmons' contribution to jazz – as an accompanist, writer, leader and innovator of a new sound – is vastly overlooked and undervalued."<ref name="Myers">Myers, Marc (January 7, 2008), [http://www.jazzwax.com/2008/01/bobby-timmons-t.html "This Here Is Bobby Timmons"], JazzWax {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225132812/http://www.jazzwax.com/2008/01/bobby-timmons-t.html |date=2013-12-25 }}. .</ref>

==Compositions==
Timmons wrote "a steady stream of infectious funky tunes", stated Giddins.<ref name="GG" />{{rp|50}} Timmons dismissed the idea that he was deliberately a composer: "I'm a dilettante as a composer. I have never consciously sat down and tried to write a song."<ref name="Comp">Pagones, John (February 16, 1964), "Timmons Shuns Composer Role". ''The Washington Post'', p. G4.</ref> He suggested that his method of composing a new song might involve "whistling, playing around with the notes, or at a club. I'll tell one musician to play this note, another that note, and we kick it around."<ref name="Comp" /> One account of the creation of "Moanin{{'"}} was given by Golson: Timmons had the opening eight bars, which he often played between tunes, but formed the complete song only after Golson encouraged him to add a [[Bridge (music)|bridge]].<ref name="TP1" /><ref>Anderson, Sheila E. (2003), ''The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac'', pp. 75–76. Skyhorse Publishing.</ref>

==Personality==
Tootie Heath reported that, when they were on tour and Timmons was addicted to heroin, Timmons would routinely lie and sometimes pull out a knife to threaten people.<ref name="EI" /> On the other hand, Ron Carter, the bassist from that tour, asserted that Timmons offered his bandmates a lot of encouragement to experiment and improve from performance to performance, and that he "was a really multi-talented person and he was just a real sweetheart, a sweetheart of a man".<ref>Levy, Devra Hall (May 16, 2011), [http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/documents/oral_histories/Carter_Ron_Transcript.pdf "Ron Carter: NEA Jazz Master (1998)"]. Smithsonian National Museum of American History.</ref> In Golson's words, Timmons "had no ego about him, [...] He was always upbeat, never downbeat, and he never maligned anybody unless it was in a humorous way".<ref name="TP1" />

==Discography==

===As leader/co-leader===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Year recorded
!Title
!Label
!Notes
|-
|1957
|''[[Jenkins, Jordan and Timmons]]''
|New Jazz
|Quintet, with [[John Jenkins (jazz musician)|John Jenkins]] (alto sax), [[Clifford Jordan]] (tenor sax), [[Wilbur Ware]] (bass), [[Dannie Richmond]] (drums)
|-
|1960
|''[[This Here Is Bobby Timmons]]''
|[[Riverside Records|Riverside]]
|Trio, with [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] (bass), [[Jimmy Cobb]] (drums)
|-
|1960
|''[[Soul Time]]''
|Riverside
|Quartet, with [[Blue Mitchell]] (trumpet), Sam Jones (bass), [[Art Blakey]] (drums)
|-
|1961
|''[[Easy Does It (Bobby Timmons album)|Easy Does It]]''
|Riverside
|Trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)
|-
|1961
|''[[In Person (Bobby Timmons album)|In Person]]''
|Riverside
|Trio, with [[Ron Carter]] (bass), [[Albert Heath]] (drums); in concert at the [[Village Vanguard]], New York City
|-
|1962
|''[[Sweet and Soulful Sounds]]''
|Riverside
|Trio, with [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] (bass), [[Roy McCurdy]] (drums)
|-
|1963
|''[[Born to Be Blue! (Bobby Timmons album)|Born to Be Blue!]]''
|Riverside
|Trio, with Ron Carter and Sam Jones (bass; separately), [[Connie Kay]] (drums)
|-
|1964
|''Live at the Connecticut Jazz Party''
|[[Chiaroscuro Records|Chiaroscuro]]
|Quartet, with [[Sonny Red]] (alto sax), [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] (bass), [[Mickey Roker]] (drums); in concert
|-
|1964
|''[[From the Bottom]]''
|Riverside
|Timmons plays vibes on two tracks, organ on one. Trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums); released 1970<ref>Yanow, Scott [http://www.allmusic.com/album/from-the-bottom-mw0000255087 "Bobby Timmons: From the Bottom: Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref>
|-
|1964
|''[[Little Barefoot Soul]]''
|[[Prestige Records|Prestige]]
|Trio, with [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] (bass), Ray Lucas (drums)
|-
|1964
|''[[Holiday Soul (Bobby Timmons album)|Holiday Soul]]''
|Prestige
|Trio, with [[Butch Warren]] (bass), [[Walter Perkins (musician)|Walter Perkins]] (drums)
|-
|1964
|''[[Chun-King]]''
|Prestige
|Trio, with [[Keter Betts]] (bass), Albert Heath (drums)
|-
|1964
|''[[Workin' Out!]]''
|Prestige
|Quartet, with [[Johnny Lytle]] (vibes), Keter Betts (bass), William Hinnant (drums); one track is trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Ray Lucas (drums)
|-
|1965
|''[[Chicken & Dumplin's]]''
|Prestige
|Timmons plays vibes on two tracks. Trio, with [[Mickey Bass]] (bass), Billy Saunders (drums)
|-
|1966
|''[[The Soul Man!]]''
|Prestige
|Quartet, with [[Wayne Shorter]] (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)
|-
|1966
|''[[Soul Food (Bobby Timmons album)|Soul Food]]''
|Prestige
|Trio, with [[Mickey Bass]] (bass), [[Billy Higgins]] (drums)
|-
|1967
|''[[Got to Get It!]]''
|[[Milestone Records|Milestone]]
|Nonet, with [[Joe Farrell]] and [[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]] (flute, tenor sax), [[Hubert Laws]] (flute), George Barrow (baritone sax), [[Jimmy Owens (musician)|Jimmy Owens]] (trumpet, flugelhorn), [[Eric Gale]] and Howard Collins (guitar; separately), Ron Carter (bass), Billy Higgins and Jimmy Cobb (drums; separately); four tracks are quartet, with [[Joe Beck]] (guitar), Carter, Cobb
|-
|1968
|''[[Do You Know the Way?]]''
|Milestone
|Quartet, with Joe Beck (guitar), [[Bob Cranshaw]] (electric bass), [[Jack DeJohnette]] (drums); 3 tracks are trio, without Beck
|}

===As sideman===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Year recorded
!Leader
!Title
!Label
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Pepper|Adams}}
|''[[10 to 4 at the 5 Spot]]''
|[[Riverside Records|Riverside]]
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Cannonball|Adderley}}
|''[[The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco]]''
|Riverside
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Cannonball|Adderley|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Them Dirty Blues]]'' 
|Riverside
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Nat|Adderley}}
|''[[Work Song (Nat Adderley album)|Work Song]]''
|Riverside
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Joe|Alexander|nolink="1"}}
|''Blue Jubilee'' 
|Jazzland
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Chet|Baker}}
|''Chet Baker Quintette''
|[[Crown Records|Crown]]
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Chet|Baker|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Chet Baker & Crew]]'' 
|[[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific]]
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Chet|Baker|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Chet Baker Big Band]]'' 
|Pacific
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey}}
|''[[Moanin']]'' 
|[[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]]
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Drums Around the Corner]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[1958 – Paris Olympia]]'' 
|[[Fontana Records|Fontana]]
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|[[Des Femmes Disparaissent (soundtrack)|''Des femmes disparaissent'']] (Soundtrack)
|Fontana
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''Au Club St. Germain, Vol. 1'' 
|[[RCA Records|RCA]]
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''Au Club St. Germain, Vol. 2'' 
|RCA
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''Au Club St. Germain, Vol. 3'' 
|RCA
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[At the Jazz Corner of the World|At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 1]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[At the Jazz Corner of the World|At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 2]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''Just Coolin{{'}}'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|[[Les Liaisons dangereuses (film)#Musical score and soundtrack|''Les liaisons dangereuses 1960'']] (Soundtrack)
|Fontana
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[The Big Beat (Art Blakey album)|The Big Beat]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Like Someone in Love (Art Blakey album)|Like Someone in Love]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[A Night in Tunisia (1960 album)|A Night in Tunisia]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World|Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 1]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World|Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 2]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''Tokyo 1961''
|Somethin' Else
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Pisces (Art Blakey album)|Pisces]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[The Witch Doctor (album)|The Witch Doctor]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[The Freedom Rider]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Roots & Herbs]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{sortname|Art|Blakey|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Art Blakey!!!!! Jazz Messengers!!!!!]]'' 
|[[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]]
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Kenny|Burrell}}
|''[[Blue Lights (album)|Blue Lights, Vol. 1]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Kenny|Burrell|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Blue Lights (album)|Blue Lights, Vol. 2]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Kenny|Burrell|nolink="1"}}
|''[[On View at the Five Spot Cafe]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Arnett|Cobb}}
|''[[More Party Time]]'' 
|Prestige
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Arnett|Cobb|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Movin' Right Along (album)|Movin' Right Along]]'' 
|Prestige
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Kenny|Dorham}}
|''[['Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Kenny|Dorham|nolink="1"}}
|''[['Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia|'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Kenny|Dorham|nolink="1"}}
|''[['Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia|'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 3]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1962
|{{sortname|Kenny|Dorham|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Matador (Kenny Dorham album)|Matador]]'' 
|United Artists
|-
|1959
|{{sortname|Art|Farmer}}
|''[[Brass Shout]]'' 
|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]
|-
|1957
|{{sortname|Maynard|Ferguson}}
|''Boy with Lots of Brass'' 
|[[EmArcy Records|EmArcy]]
|-
|1957
|{{sortname|Curtis|Fuller}}
|''[[The Opener]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1958
|{{sortname|Benny|Golson}}
|''[[Benny Golson and the Philadelphians]]''
|Blue Note
|-
|1969
|{{sortname|Dexter|Gordon}}
|''L.T.D.: Live at the Left Bank''
|Prestige<ref name="Bogle">Bogle, Dick (July 11, 2001), "Dick's Picks". ''The Skanner'', p. 11.</ref>
|-
|1969
|{{sortname|Dexter|Gordon|nolink="1"}}
|''XXL''
|Prestige
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Johnny|Griffin}}
|''[[The Big Soul-Band]]'' 
|Riverside
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Sam|Jones|Sam Jones (musician)}}
|''[[The Soul Society]]'' 
|Riverside
|-
|1960s
|{{sortname|Gloria|Lynne}}
|''Live at Leo's Casino''
|Collectables
|-
|1962
|{{sortname|Johnny|Lytle}}
|''[[Nice and Easy (album)|Nice and Easy]]'' 
|Jazzland
|-
|1957
|{{sortname|Hank|Mobley}}
|''[[Hank (album)|Hank]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Frank|Morgan|Frank Morgan (musician)}}
|''[[Frank Morgan (album)|Frank Morgan]]''
|[[GNP Crescendo Records|Gene Norman Presents]]
|-
|1957
|{{sortname|Lee|Morgan}}
|''[[The Cooker]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Lee|Morgan|nolink="1"}}
|''[[Lee-Way]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1956
|{{sortname|Anthony|Ortega|nolink="1"}}
|''Jazz for Young Moderns'' <small>(reissued with two 1955 tracks as ''Earth Dance'')</small>
|[[Bethlehem Records|Bethlehem]] <small>([[Fresh Sounds Records|Fresh Sound]])</small>
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|Dizzy|Reece}}
|''[[Comin' On!]]'' 
|Blue Note
|-
|1961
|{{Sortname|The|Riverside Jazz Stars|nolink="1"}}
|''A Jazz Version of Kean'' 
|Riverside
|-
|1957
|{{sortname|Sonny|Stitt}}
|''[[Personal Appearance (album)|Personal Appearance]]'' 
|[[Verve Records|Verve]]
|-
|1960
|{{sortname|The|Young Lions|The Young Lions (band)}}
|''[[The Young Lions (album)|The Young Lions]]'' 
|[[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]]
|}

Sources:<ref>[http://www.jazzdisco.org/timmons/ "Bobby Timmons Discography Project"]. jazzdisco Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref><ref>Fitzgerald, Michael [http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Leaders/TimmonsBobby-ldr.php "Bobby Timmons Leader Entry"]. JazzDiscography.com Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-timmons-mn0000765435/credits "Bobby Timmons: Credits"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-timmons-mn0000765435 Timmons at AllMusic]
*[https://bobbytimmons.jazzgiants.net/ Timmons at jazzgiants.net]

{{Bobby Timmons}}
{{Jazz Messengers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmons, Bobby}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in New York City]]
[[Category:American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American male jazz pianists]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Cannonball Adderley Quintet members]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:The Jazz Messengers members]]
[[Category:Mainstream jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American male jazz composers]]
[[Category:Milestone Records artists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Prestige Records artists]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]
[[Category:Soul-jazz pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century American jazz composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male pianists]]