Obituary News

Tribute for Percussionist Francisco Aguabella

Source: All About Jazz
May 17, 2010

A concert Saturday in New York was dedicated to the memory of Afro-Cuban percussionist Francisco Aguabella, who died earlier this month in Los Angeles.

“They need him Up There to keep the rumba going," Papo Pepn told the New York Daily News in advance of Saturday's “The Conga Kings" concert at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Aguabella played with a variety of artists including Tito Puente, Peggy Lee and Dizzy Gillespie, and was a sacred drummer ...

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Remembering Hank Jones

Source: Michael Ricci
May 17, 2010

Hank Jones Biography Henry “Hank" Jones (born July 31, 1918; died May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored Hank Jones with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He was also honored in 2003 with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In 2008, he was awarded ...

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Ronnie James Dio Heavy Metal Rocker Played with Black Sabbath Dies

Source: All About Jazz
May 17, 2010

Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67. Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J. with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell. “Today my heart is broken, Wendy Dio ...

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Twenty Years Later, Remembering Jim Henson

Source: All About Jazz
May 17, 2010

Its been twenty years since the world lost Jim Henson, and I still cant think about it without tearing up a bit.

His death at age 53 was sudden and catastrophic, like being hit by lightning on a cloudless day. Along with countless others around the world who had never met him, I felt like a close friend was gone. Five of my fellow GeekDads and I have put together this article as a tribute to his memory. On the ...

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Rob McConnell Dies at 75; Valve Trombonist Who Led the Boss Brass

Source: Michael Ricci
May 16, 2010

He led one of Canada's best-known big bands and won three Grammys, one as an artist for the album 'All in Good Time,' was known as one of the few modern masters of the valve trombone.

Rob McConnell, a celebrated composer, arranger and valve trombonist who led the Boss Brass, one of Canada's best and best-known big bands, has died. He was 75. McConnell, a three-time Grammy winner, died May 1 at a Toronto hospital, his family announced. He had ...

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Francisco Aguabella, Percussionist Who Crossed Genres, Dies at 84

Source: Michael Ricci
May 15, 2010

Francisco Aguabella, a Cuban-born master percussionist whose impeccable rhythmic sense and drive enriched the recordings and live performances of jazz, salsa and pop artists for five decades, died on May 7 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. The cause was cancer, said his daughter Menina Givens. Mr. Aguabella's main instrument was the conga drum, on which he showed remarkable versatility. Of the scores of recordings on which he played, Paul Simons 1990 album The Rhythm of the ...

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Rosa Rio, Organist from Silent Films to Soap Operas, Dies at 107

Source: Michael Ricci
May 16, 2010

On Oct. 6, 1927, the day “The Jazz Singer" splashed noisily across American movie screens, Rosa Rio broke down and wept. Al Jolson was talking, and the very sound of him, she knew, would put her out of business.

But Miss Rio's fears went unrealized, and for the next eight decades--until her final performance, last year -- she built a career as one of the country's premier theater organists. Miss Rio was undoubtedly among the very last to have played ...

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Dave Fisher Founding Member and Lead Singer of the 1960s Folk Group the Highwaymen Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2010

Dave Fisher, founding member and lead singer of the 1960s folk group the Highwaymen, whose recording of the Civil War anti-slavery song “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" became a surprise pop hit in 1962, has died. He was 69. Fisher died Friday at his home in Rye, N.Y., of myelofibrosis, a rare blood disease, family friend Nicole Fiftal said Wednesday. “The original Highwaymen, along with the Kingston Trio and, later, Peter, Paul and Mary, were among those responsible for popularizing ...

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