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Pete Seeger (1919-2014)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Pete Seeger—rock and folk's oldest and most influential link to the past and whose voice and lifelong fight for social causes influenced generations of musicians and continues to do so today, whether they know it or not—died on January 27. He was 94. It's almost impossible to fully comprehend the power of Seeger's songs or his role in shaping the direction of American music without knowledge of the socio-economic environment that existed prior to World War II. The stock market ...
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Trumpeter Roy Campbell Passed Away On January 9th 2014. RIP Roy.
Source:
Chris Rich
Roy Campbell left us last week. Funeral services will be today between 5 and 8pm at Granby's Funeral Home in the Bronx. He was 61 at the time. He had a bright striking life as an earnest, honest and kind contributor to his musical community. He will be deeply missed by many. “There is no one like Roy Campbell on the music scene now. I guess it’s hard to situate someone by comparing them to others, but for lack of ...
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Ronny Jordan, Jazz Guitarist, Dead at 51
Source:
Michael Ricci
The musician was a leading player in the acid jazz movement
Ronny Jordan, a guitarist and leading player in the acid jazz movement of the '80s and '90s, has died. He was 51.
The guitarist's death was confirmed on Facebook today (Jan. 14) after Jordan's siblings set up a page in his honor. “We appreciate that Ronny has got many fans around the world and so we ask that you keep an eye out for further announcements in relation to ...
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Saul Zaentz
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
The passing of Saul Zaentz yesterday at 92 brings to mind the crucial part he played in expanding Fantasy Records from a vital, colorful, but minor independent label into a pop hit-maker and a major repository of jazz recordings from the late 1940s on. He is being remembered in obituaries around the world as the producer of Amadeus, The English Patient, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and other major motion pictures. For a thorough review of his life and ...
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Farewell, Al Porcino
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Al Porcino, a powerful lead trumpeter for several big bands, died on New Years Eve in Munich, Germany. He was 88. Porcino had lived in Germany since the late 1970s, frequently augmenting American bands touring in Europe, as well as leading his own large ensemble. A family member who reported his passing offered no information about the cause of death. After debuting in 1943 with Louis Prima when he was 18, Porcino played with swing bands led by Tommy Dorsey, ...
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Yusef Lateef (1920-2013)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Yusef Lateef, a saxophonist and flutist who was one of the last surviving members of Dizzy Gillespie's 1949 big band and who helped pioneer spiritual jazz in the mid-1950s, soul-jazz in the 1960s with Cannonball Adderley, and metaphysical jazz starting in the 1980s, died on December 23. He was 83. Yusef was among the first black jazz musicians to covert to Islam in 1948 through the Ahmadiyya Muslim movement and in later years eschewed the word “jazz"—viewing it as derogatory ...
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Yusef Lateef, R.I.P.
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
The roll call of distinguished jazz artists leaving us seems to grow longer by the day. Now comes news of the passing of Yusef Lateef, who died today in Detroit. He was 93. As a youngster in Detroit, Lateefmastered several reed instruments and early in his career became a respected performer, composer and educator. He was an inspiration and model for a generation of young Detroit musicians who in the 1950s moved to New York and themselves became influences in ...
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Herb Geller, 1928-2013
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
We have word from Herb Geller’s family that the venerable alto saxophonist died on Thursday in a Hamburg, Germany, hospital. He succumbed to pneumonia. Geller had been under treatment for the past couple of years for a form of lymphoma. He turned 85 in November. As noted in this Rifftides post lastJune, Geller remained not merely active but energetic until fairly recently, performing in clubs and at festivals throughout Europe. He had lived in Hamburg since 1965. Until his mandatory ...
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