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R.I.P. Gregory Isaacs
Source:
JamBase
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
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
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
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
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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Steve Lacy and Evan Parker - Chirps (FMP, 1991, 2010)
Source:
Music and More by Tim Niland
Records and compact discs (or downloads for that matter) by the German FMP label have been somewhat scarce (in the USA at least) so Destination Out's agreement with the label to set up a downloading storefront is a big break for fans of progressive jazz. This album features a live meeting between soprano saxophone masters Steve Lacy and Evan Parker, in an unaccompanied duet that is complex and abstract, but continually exciting and accessible. The title of the album references ...
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Marion Brown (September 8, 1931-October 10, 2010) - Pieces of a Conversation
Source:
Ni Kantu by Clifford Allen
Today I (and many in the jazz community) learned the news that alto saxophonist and improvising composer Marion Brown died a little over a week ago. He had been dealing with health issues for over a decade, and was in an assisted living situation in Hollywood, Florida. He was an early favorite of mine—a sweet ebullience and jovial, lyrical compositional style within freer forms separated his work from the pregnant emotional weight of Messrs. Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, and Cecil ...
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T. Lavitz: 1956-2010
Source:
JamBase
FAMED KEYBOARDIST PASSES AWAY AT THE AGES OF 54 Keyboardist T. Lavitz died unexpectedly in his sleep on the evening of Thursday, October 7. He was 54 years old. In 1978, Lavitz was invited to join the Dixie Dregs, where he would remain as a keyboardist until their breakup in 1983. Since then, Lavitz released 7 solo albums and worked with Widespread Panic on their 1991 self-titled album for Capricorn Records and subsequent tour. Along with Jimmy Herring, Alphonso Johnson ...
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