Born in Washington, D.C., in 1930, Nimitz began playing clarinet at an early age and alto saxophone at 14. He was still a teenager when he began playing professional gigs at Howard Theatre in Washington, and with such territory bands as those led by Bob Astor, Johnny Bothwell, and Daryl Harpa. He soon fell in love with the baritone saxophone. In his own words: "It sounded so warm and nice and dark and rich [...] The bottom notes are the best notes in the whole orchestra, because if you don't have a good bottom, nothing really works."

He bought his first baritone saxophone at the age of 20 and three years later was playing baritone in Woody Herman's band (October 1953 to September 1955), following a few months with Stan Kenton (1955-1956). He was a regular in the house band at the Savoy and then spent an additional year with Kenton (1958-1959).

On the advice of colleagues in Kenton's band, he came to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and established himself as a first-rank studio musician for scores of film soundtracks and recording sessions. He worked frequently for songwriter Johnny Mandel. He also played with such jazz luminaries as Benny Carter, and Gerald Wilson.

In the early 1970s, he added his baritone to the Charlie Parker tribute band "Supersax" (since its beginning in 1972), Bill Perkins' Big Band, Bud Shank, Frank Strazzeri's Woodwinds West, the Lighthouse All-Stars, and any other high-quality jazz group that needed a talented baritonist.

His first album as a leader was the 1995 session on Fresh Sound records called "Confirmation," when he was already 65, which focused heavily on bebop tunes. "Bebop is the most sophisticated form of jazz," he told The Times. "It's very challenging but also rewarding because it feels so good when it happens."

Jack Nimitz died in 2009 of complications from emphysema at his home in Studio City. He was 79.

Los Angeles Times