Obituary News

Organist Trudy Pitts Carney Dies

Source: Schicker
December 23, 2010

Philadelphia-based organist Trudy Pitts Carney died on Sunday, Dec. 19, of pancreatic cancer. She was 78.

During the 1950s and '60s, Pitts blended her church background and classical training to a classic blues-based organ sound, often alongside her husband, percussionist William Theodore Carney. She also delved into the burgeoning free-jazz movement and performed with John Coltrane and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Her 1967 album Introducing The Fabulous Trudy Pitts (Prestige) also featured guitarist Pat Martino.

“She was a major, major artist ...

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Jazz Organist Trudy Pitts

Source: Victor L. Schermer
December 23, 2010

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Captain Beefheart: R.I.P.

Source: JamBase
December 21, 2010

A TRUE ORIGINAL SHUFFLES OFF Don Van Vliet, better known to the world as Captain Beefheart, passed away last Friday, December 17, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 69 years old. An inspired madman, a true blues soul, a painter of some renown, a lyricist and singer like no other, the Captain was a true original in every sense. From collaborating with kindred spirits like Frank Zappa and Ry Cooder to launching the careers of countless musicians, ...

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Captain Beefheart (1941-2010): An Appreciation

Source: Something Else!
December 20, 2010

By Mark Saleski Captain Beefheart died yesterday at the age of 69. The reclusive musician and visual artist has been missed by his fans for many years, and now we feel that absence even more. For many year, Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) was a part of my life even though I was completely unaware of it. When I was a kid living in Maine, one of my favorite radio stations was WBLM, The Blimp. One of their promo spots ...

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Moody's from Heaven

Source: The Independent Ear by Willard Jenkins
December 15, 2010

Anyone who has experienced the joy of hearing the great NEA Jazz Master James Moody's hilarious turnaround on the old Tin Pan Alley tune “Pennie's From Heaven," which he re-cast as “Bennie's From Heaven" can appreciate that this fabulous man has ascended on a one-way ticket to heaven. While it is with great sorrow that we contemplate a world without James Moody, we can certainly re-live the joy he gave so many of us during his all-too-short 85 years on ...

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James Moody (1925-2010)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
December 13, 2010

James Moody, a bebop pioneer and seductive improviser whose mischievous sense of humor masked a highly serious and industrious saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger, died Thursday in San Diego. He was 85. [Photo of James Moody at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival by Paul Slaughter] Moody embodied the entire history of post-war jazz, beginning with his earliest recording in June 1946 as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's big band at New York's Spotlite Club. But Moody's initial audition for the ...

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James Moody, 1925-2010

Source: Something Else!
December 11, 2010

By Pico Jazz saxophone and flute giant James Moody has been around seemingly forever and never slowed down, but yesterday pancreatic cancer finally ended a long and distinguished career at the age of 85. He was a key member of Dizzy Gillespie bands going back to the 1940s (Diz once remarked, “Playing with James Moody is like playing with a continuation of myself.") and of course, the co-author of that endearing jazz standard “Moody's Mood." Born in Savannah, Georgia partially ...

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James Moody, 1925-2010

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter
December 10, 2010

You'd think having the title NEA Jazz Master, a fistful of Grammy nominations, and a 70th birthday party at the Blue Note might be ample reason to slow down, but James Moody was as active in the first decade of the 21st century as he was for more than half of the 20th century. I first saw him live about eight years ago with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Band in New York, again with the Gillespie band at the 2008 ...

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