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Jean Bach, Jazz Documentarian and Fan, Dies at 94
Source:
Michael Ricci
Jean Bach, a lifelong jazz zealot whose fascination with a photograph of the titans of jazz gathered in front of a Harlem brownstone in 1958 led her to make a prizewinning movie about that moment, “A Great Day in Harlem,” 36 years later, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 94. The photographer Carol Friedman, a friend, announced the death. A print of that black-and-white photograph—one of the most famous in jazz history—had for years hung in ...
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Jazz Face: Mulgrew Miller, 1955-2013
Source:
JazzINK by Andrea Canter
I first encountered pianist Mulgrew Miller at a performance of the Contemporary Piano Ensemble at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul, probably around 1993 given the ensemble's touring history and my limited memory. The ensemble was a unique collaboration of five jazz pianists ranging from a 20-something-year-old Geoffrey Keezer to veteran Harold Mabern, with Miller, James Williams and Donald Brown holding the “mid-career" chairs as performances featured four pianos going at any given moment, the pianists playing “musical piano benches." Their ...
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Mulgrew Miller, Dynamic Jazz Pianist, Dies at 57
Source:
Michael Ricci
Mulgrew Miller, a jazz pianist whose soulful erudition, clarity of touch and rhythmic aplomb made him a fixture in the post-bop mainstream for more than 30 years, died on Wednesday in Allentown, Pa. He was 57. Mr. Miller developed his voice in the 1970s, combining the bright precision of bebop, as exemplified by Bud Powell and Oscar Peterson, with the clattering intrigue of modal jazz, especially as defined by McCoy Tyner. His balanced but assertive style was a model of ...
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Richie Havens: January 21, 1941 - April 22, 2013
Source:
Michael Ricci
Beloved folk icon Richie Havens died this morning in his home from a sudden heart attack. He was 72. Havens first became part of musical history during his impromptu opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Best known for his distinctive intense, rhythmic guitar style and soulful covers of pop and folk songs, Havens toured and recorded music for over 40 years before retiring from the road 3 years ago. Beyond his music, those who have met Havens will remember ...
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Memorial for Raymond Eldridge Jr. to be Held Monday, April 15
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
A memorial service and jam session honoring bassist Raymond Eldridge Jr. will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. this coming Monday, April 15 at Eddie Randle and Sons, 4600 Natural Bridge Rd. Eldridge died Tuesday, April 9 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 69. He had suffered a stroke on March 22, and had been in the ICU at Barnes-Jewish since then. His wife Alverne Eldridge told StLJN that prior to the stroke, he had survived a number of ...
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Melvin Rhyne (1936-2013)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Organist Melvin Rhyne—who died of lung cancer on March 5 at age 76 in his hometown of Indianapolis—is perhaps best known for the four spectacular Riverside albums he recorded with Wes Montgomery between 1960 and 1963. Thanks to Resonance Records, we also have recordings with Rhyne and Montgomery from Indianapolis circa 1957 or '58—just before producer Orrin Keepnews lured Montgomery to Riverside and the road. [Photo above by Mark Sheldon] Upon a relisten to the Riverside material, it's hard to ...
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Ross Gentile, Former WSIE DJ, Dead at 60
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Ross Gentile, known to St. Louis jazz fans for more than 15 years as the host of “Standards In Jazz" on WSIE (88.7 FM), has died. He was 60. Gentile, a longtime resident of Glen Carbon, IL, reportedly had been in poor health for some time, and according to friends and published accounts, had been undergoing regular dialysis treatments. A report published on the website Berger's Beat says he died of a massive heart attack on Friday night at Anderson ...
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Innovative Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd Dies at 80
Source:
Seattle Jazz Scene
DOVER, DE: Jazz musician Donald Byrd, a leading hard-bop trumpeter of the 1950s who collaborated on dozens of albums with top artists of his time and later enjoyed commercial success with hit jazz-funk fusion records such as “Black Byrd," has died. He was 80. He died Feb. 4 in Delaware, according to Haley Funeral Directors in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Mich., which is handling arrangements. It didn't have details on his death. Byrd, who was also a pioneer in ...
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