Obituary News

Correspondence: Jack Brokensha RIP

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
November 1, 2010

Mark Stryker, music critic of the Detroit Free Press, sent this note:Thought you might be interested in this— a couple months ago I recall a comment on your Mitch Miller/Bird post including a reference to the Australian Jazz Quartet/Quintet. The vibraphonist from the group, Jack Brokensha, a longtime Detroiter, died this week at 84. This is a link to the Free Press obituary. Couldn't find any YouTube clips with Jack, save a few Motown hits where he's playing various percussion ...

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RIP Gregory Isaacs

Source: Giant Step
October 27, 2010

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Marion Brown Remembered

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
October 26, 2010

There have been some very classy tributes to the late influential saxophonist Marion Brown on the jazz blogosphere lately. Peter Hum posted excerpts of a short interview with Brown and a Youtube clip, while NPR has a couple of excellent postings, first from Lars Gotrich and then a deeply emotional and affecting post from John Rogers. Destination Out is first class all the way with a wonderful tribute post to Brown including mp3 downloads of rare performances. Finally, Dark Forces ...

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R.I.P. Gregory Isaacs

Source: JamBase
October 26, 2010

JULY 15, 1951—OCTOBER 25, 2010 Reggae legend Gregory Isaacs passed away this morning at his home in London after a year-long battle with lung cancer. He was 59 years old. A prolific artist for almost forty years, Isaacs helped pioneer the smooth style of reggae known as “Lovers Rock," all while scoring hit after hit and appearing in the 1978 film Rockers alongside Burning Spear, Robbie Shakespeare, Big Youth, and Jacob Miller. He is perhaps best known for his 1982 ...

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Marion Brown, Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 79

Source: AAJ Staff
October 24, 2010

Marion Brown, a saxophonist whose lyrical, low-key style made him a distinctive presence in the high-energy jazz avant-garde of the 1960s and '70s, died Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 79. His death, in a hospice, was confirmed by his son, Djinji. Mr. Brown had been treated for a variety of illnesses in recent years and had been living in an assisted-living home in Hollywood, Fla. Mr. Brown, whose main instrument was alto saxophone, was a key figure in ...

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Seattle Times: Gary Bannister of Jazz Alley and Earshot Jazz Dies at 61

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
October 24, 2010

From The Seattle Times:

Gary Bannister, a dynamic catalyst on the Seattle jazz and world music scene for more than 30 years, has died.

Co-founder of the nonprofit organization Earshot Jazz and talent booker for Dimitriou's Jazz Alley for 20 years, Mr. Bannister was a central figure in Seattle's two major jazz institutions.

“He was a person who knew as much about the music as anyone I ever met," said John Dimitriou, owner of Jazz Alley. “He will be missed ...

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Portland Jazz Saxophonist Michael York, Who Played with Mel Brown Sextet, Dies at 55

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
October 23, 2010

from The Oregonian:

Michael York, one of the Portland jazz scene's most accomplished saxophonists who spent a decade as a featured member in the Mel Brown Sextet, died Monday morning, less than two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Dusty York, the musician's son and a prominent Portland saxophonist himself, said that his father had been feeling ill and thought he might have a gallstone, but doctors instead found cancer that had originated in his lungs and spread to his ...

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Marion Brown

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
October 20, 2010

Alto saxophonist Marion Brown, who came to prominence in the 1960s and '70s, died yesterday at age 79. He had been in an assisted living home in Hollywood, Florida, since 2005. Although some references list his birth year as 1935, he was born on September 8, 1931, in Atlanta, Georgia. Brown's career got a boost when John Coltrane chose him to be on Ascension. That 1965 album, in effect, was Coltrane's announcement that he was fully embracing free jazz. Brown ...

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