Home » Jazz News

Obituary News

Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, concert series, special events, job postings, crowdfunding campaigns and more. You can find more news by searching our website, viewing our news stream, seeing what's trending or reading our blog posts. Subscribe to our news RSS feed and/or embed AAJ news content on your website or blog. Learn about our news service here. Submit news here.

1
Obituary

Paul McCartney, Lucian Grainge Pay Tribute To George Martin

Paul McCartney, Lucian Grainge Pay Tribute To George Martin

Source: HypeBot

Often described as the 5th Beatle, record producer and executive George Martin left an indelible mark on modern music.  Among the many tributes paid to Martin, who passed away at  earlier this week, were statements from Paul McCartney and UMG CEO Lucian Grainge.   Sir Paul McCartney I’m so sad to hear the news of the passing of dear George Martin. I have so many wonderful memories of this great man that will be with me forever. He was a true gentleman ...

1
Obituary

George Martin (1926-2016)

George Martin (1926-2016)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

For producer George Martin, who died on March 8 at age 90, the first notes of a pop song were everything. In those early make-or-break moments, a song's success depended on its opening hook. The music had to crash out of jukebox speakers and compel teens to spend money they didn’t have on records they couldn’t live without. In August 2012, I flew over to the U.K. for the Wall Street Journal to interview Sir George at his country estate ...

1
Obituary

Louis Armstrong House Mourns Passing of David Reese, Curator

Louis Armstrong House Mourns Passing of David Reese, Curator

Source: All About Jazz

The Louis Armstrong House Museum is deeply saddened to announce the passing of David L. Reese, Louis Armstrong House Museum curator since 2012. David Reese joined the Louis Armstrong House Museum with an impressive resume of historic preservation experience. With a Masters in Historic Architecture from the University of Virginia, David had devoted his entire career to historic sites and historic preservation. Michael Cogswell, Executive Director, recalls that “During weekends and vacations, David would typically visit other historic houses. He ...

1
Obituary

George "Pepe" Grant: 1937-2016

George "Pepe" Grant: 1937-2016

Source: Michael Ricci

By Patricia Myers George “Pepe" Grant, 78, a memorable entertainment personality and renowned doo-wop and pop music vocalist, died January 13 following emergency heart surgery. He had resided and performed in the metro-Phoenix area since 1984, but his entertainment career began as a teenager in Philadelphia, eventually expanding to world tours. His satiny tenor voice was a standout sound in classic vocal groups since the late 1940s that included his own George Grant and The Castelles, also The ...

1
Obituary

Frank Collett, RIP

Frank Collett, RIP

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

Producer Dick Bank reports that pianist Frank Collett died of liver failure yesterday in Pasadena, California. Collett was 74. He led his own trio and in the course of his careerworked with Louis Armstrong, Zoot Sims, Shelly Manne, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Freddie Hubbard and a list of vocalists that included Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Ernestine Anderson, Helen Merrill, Jon Hendricks, Diane Reeves and Barbra Streisand. Born in Brooklyn as Frank Taglieri, his talent as a prodigy won him a ...

Obituary

Bandleader Percy Hughes, 1922-2015

Bandleader Percy Hughes, 1922-2015

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter

One of the beloved legends of Minnesota jazz, bandleader and multi-reed player Percy Hughes passed away on December 30 at age 93. Most recently known as the leader of Ellington Echoes, Hughes was inducted into the Minnesota Jazz Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Minnesota Music hall of Fame in 1996. He was also well known for his skills on the tennis court as a player and teacher, and was the subject of a 2011 book, Sports and All ...

1
Obituary

David Bowie (1947-2016)

David Bowie (1947-2016)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

David Bowie, a British singer-songwriter from South London who transformed rock into high art by combining the audacity of pop, the decadence and androgyny of Weimar cabaret, the melancholy of working class pubs and the flamboyance of the circus, died on Jan. 10. He was 69. His death came two days after his birthday and the release of what became his final studio album—Black Star. As a musician-performer, Bowie's vision was the absence of vision or style, preferring instead to ...

3
Obituary

Paul Bley: 1932-2016

Paul Bley: 1932-2016

Source: ECM Records

It is with deep regret that we share the news below from the family of the great Paul Bley: Paul Bley, renowned jazz pianist, died January 3, 2016 at home with his family. Born November 10, 1932 in Montreal, QC, he began music studies at the age of five. At 13, he formed the “Buzzy Bley Band.” At 17, he took over for Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge, invited Charlie Parker to play at the Montreal Jazz Workshop, which ...


Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.