Jim Murdoch is Jimbo the Clown

Jimbo the Clown
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Jimbo the cardiovascular thoracic surgeon

One of the kids lands a nice looking string of Rubberhead Salmon during Jimbo's Fishing Skit.

clown biography

Originally from Montana, Jim Murdoch first performed in the San Francisco Bay Area with The Pickle Family Circus as an apprentice clown and roustabout, appearing in clown and club juggling routines. Outside the ring, Jim pursued a variety of interests: jazz and classical piano, accordion, movement and dance, including five years studying flamenco dance, castanets and music with Rosa Montoya (niece of flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya) in San Francisco.

Jim has since presented his own clown show at festivals and fairs up and down the west coast from Lompoc to Puyallup, including

The Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival

Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival of the Arts

The Great Monterey Squid Festival

The San Francisco Festival of the Sea

The Gilroy Garlic Festival

The California Prune Festival

The Reno Italian Festival

as well as annual appearances at The San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker Sugar Plum Parties.

Jim has worked with the support of The California Arts Council to involve seniors with creative projects, utilizing music, dance, movement, oral history, video and visual art. In 2002, the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum transcribed and published Jim's oral history of a Bay Area Vaudevillian, "Thelma Langston, A Life in Vaudeville."

Jim presents two hundred and fifty music and clown performances annually and is also currently working as a musician at the University California San Francisco Mount Zion Comprehensive Cancer Center performing for patients, family and staff, coordinating guest artist concerts and using music, creative writing and visual art to help patients, staff and medical students express their creativity.

In October of 2005 Jim presented a literary symposium at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies, "A Musical Tour of The Accordion Music of Immigration in America, Based On E. Annie Proulx's Novel "Accordion Crimes."

Jim released his first CD, in the spring of 2006, "Waltz To The Sea," a collection of original and traditional music, including songs for cedar flute, dulcimer, accordion, guitar, piano, vocals and castanets.

Excerpts of his new clown opera, The Dogs Bark But The Caravan Moves On will be presented at festivals in the coming year.

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