James Lawrence Buffington (May 15, 1922, Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania – July 20, 1981, Englewood, New Jersey) was an American jazz, studio, and classical hornist. Buffington was a busy studio and jazz player on the French horn. He was an autodidact as a child, though his father played piano and trumpet. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and began playing in New York City in the 1950s, with Oscar Pettiford among others. He played with Mel Powell in 1954 and Teddy Charles in 1956. He is perhaps best known for his work with Miles Davis on some of his Gil Evans sessions for Columbia Records. He has done extensive work as a session musician, and has recorded with Moondog, Carly Simon, James Brown, Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland, Ernie Royal, Britt Woodman, Don Butterfield, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, J. J. Johnson, Quincy Jones, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Michel Legrand, Lee Morgan, Paul Desmond, Eddie Sauter, Oliver Nelson, Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Grover Washington, Jr. Late in the 1970s he played with Freddie Hubbard, Gato Barbieri and George Benson; in 1980 he played on a Helen Merrill album. Buffington released some solo work but it is far less well known.

Discography

With Manny Albam With Gato Barbieri With Donald Byrd With Teddy Charles With Al Cohn With John Coltrane With Hank Crawford With Miles Davis With Paul Desmond With Bill Evans With Gil Evans With Art Farmer With Maynard Ferguson With Curtis Fuller With Stan Getz With Dizzy Gillespie With Jimmy Heath With Jackie and Roy With J. J. Johnson With Quincy Jones With Yusef Lateef With Michel Legrand With Mundell Lowe With Arif Mardin With Helen Merrill With the Modern Jazz Quartet With Hugo Montenegro With James Moody With David "Fathead" Newman With Houston Person With Lalo Schifrin With Don Sebesky With Sonny Stitt With Gábor Szabó With Billy Taylor With Stanley Turrentine With Julius Watkins With Randy Weston With Phil Woods