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Joe Wilder (1922-2014)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Joe Wilder, a trumpeter with a polished, punctuating sound whose ferocious recording schedule starting in 1942 with big bands, R&B groups and small jazz ensembles left him little time to record as a leader, died May 9. He was 92. Known to insiders as “Junior," Joe was such a clean and distinct player that he often sounded like a well-dressed pool shark cleaning the table. Like the shark who rids the table of balls with firm control and forceful strokes, ...
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Herb Wong, 1926-2014
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Herb Wong, an academic scientist who became prominent as a jazz critic, record company executive and festival producer, died this week. A PhD in Zoology, he was a native of northern California’s Bay Area.Wong continued to follow his boyhood enthusiasm for jazz as he developed an academic career, teaching at the University of California at Berkelely and Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. A gentle man with infectious enthusiasm for all of his interests, Wong taught science, administered university departments ...
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Herb Wong, jazz icon and educator, dies at 88
Source:
Michael Ricci
Easter Sunday this year saw the passing of Herb Wong, 88, a long-time Menlo Park resident renowned internationally as a jazz expert and educator. A mysterious box sparked Mr. Wong's lifelong fascination with jazz. As young boys, he and his brother Elwood had just moved with their parents to Stockton when a package arrived on the doorstep, addressed to the former occupant. “As any boys would, they opened it up," said Paul Fingerote, a colleague and friend for more than ...
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Bay Area jazz lover, expert Herb Wong dies
Source:
Michael Ricci
MENLO PARK — Well-known jazz expert Herb Wong died at home early Sunday morning, leaving behind a legacy filled with writings and interviews covering the world of jazz over much of the 20th century. He was 88. “He had so many roles in the community," said Paul Fingerote, a friend and colleague for 35 years who was working on a book with the Bay Area jazz legend. “He was a true Renaissance man, plus he was a unique guy." Wong ...
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In Memoriam: Fred Ho
Source:
Michael Ricci
"Fred Ho's style is a genre unto itself, a pioneering fusion of free-jazz and traditional Chinese music that manages to combine truculence and delicacy with such natural ease that it sounds positively organic." —Larry Birnbaum, Down Beat. After 8 years of a grueling cancer war, Fred Ho peacefully passed away the morning of April 12th, 2014. He was in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn home, surrounded by friends and loved ones. Fred Ho was a one-of-a-kind revolutionary Chinese American baritone saxophonist, composer, ...
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Wayne Henderson, Jazz Crusaders Co-Founder, Dies
Source:
Michael Ricci
Wayne Henderson, trombonist and co-founding member of the popular jazz-funk band The Jazz Crusaders (later known as The Crusaders), died Friday, April 4, in Culver City, Calif. The cause of death was heart failure, according to The Crusaders' manager. Henderson was 74. Along with fellow Houston musicians Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor saxophone) and Stix Hooper (drums), Henderson moved to Southern California and rebranded the group The Jazz Crusaders. Their sound owed much to hard bop, the dominant straight-ahead ...
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Med Flory dies at 87
Source:
Michael Ricci
Med Flory, an alto saxophonist and founder of the Grammy-winning jazz group Supersax in addition to being an actor who appeared on numerous TV series, has died. He was 87. His son, Rex, who cared for his father during several years of heart maladies, reported that Flory died Wednesday at his home in North Hollywood. Flory had not been professionally active over the last few years, a shift from the busy demands of a career stretching over six decades. One ...
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Med Flory (1926-2014)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Med Flory, a West Coast jazz saxophonist and actor who in 1972 founded the reed-centric band Supersax that played transcriptions of Charlie Parker solos in tight formation and won a Grammy in 1973, died on March 12. He was 87. Like many West Coast reed players, Med was relentlessly upbeat and easy-going—until he raised the mouthpiece to his lips. At that point, a transformation took place as aggression, competitiveness and a burning desire to excite the listener filled his face. ...
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