Austin Icon Dr. James Polk Passes Away at 83

Keyboardist, band leader, and educator Dr. James Polk passed away on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the age of 83, The Austin Jazz Society announced via social media.

The multi-instrumentalist came from a musical family, with both parents accomplished pianists in their own right, as described in a 2019 profile from the Chronicle. Polk began his musical journey at the age of 13, playing paid gigs with the blessing of his father. He would go on to graduate from Huston-Tillotson University in 1962, then teach for several years at Washington High while pursuing his master's at Texas A&M. After stints in his own bands (James Polk & the Brothers and James Polk & Co.) and at IBM as one of the tech company's first Black manufacturing buyers, he received an offer to work with Ray Charles, first as an organist, then eventually as a serious collaborator (writer, arranger, and conductor).

After years on the road and out in L.A., Polk returned to Austin to finish his master's degree (at Texas State in San Marcos) and eventually earned an honorary doctorate from HT and became professor emeritus of jazz studies. He continued to perform with his group Centerpeace as well as with saxophonist and protege Elias Haslanger. In 2016, he was inducted into Austin Jazz Society's (an organization he co-founded) Hall of Fame.

In his 2019 Chronicle profile, Polk spoke about his life as a relatively underappreciated musician. He held no malice, and instead chose to assert himself. "My dad did not lie when he told me, when I was young, that people are always going to be envious because you do whatever you do well," he said. "I've accepted it. I know who I am. 'To thine own self be true.' I had no choice to be who I am because God saw to it."

No plans for a public memorial have been announced yet.