Results for "Obituary"

Donald Walden 'Kept Jazz Alive'

April 9, 2008

Saxophonist Phil Urso RIP

April 9, 2008

Saxophonist Phil Urso, who passed away yesterday at the age of 82, was another one of the many high-quality under-the-radar musicians from the 1950s and 1960s who never gained much of a profile beyond the immediate world of fellow artists and jazz devotees. While I've longed to hear some of his leader dates (such as the ...

Gene Puerling, 78; Vocal Arranger Led the Innovative Hi-Lo's Quartet

April 2, 2008

Gene Puerling, leader of the innovative vocal quartet the Hi-Lo's and a noted vocal arranger whose sophisticated harmonies influenced the sound of other groups, including the Beach Boys, died March 25. He was 78. Puerling, a longtime resident of San Anselmo, Calif., died of complications of diabetes at a Bay Area hospital, said Don Shelton, who ...

Stuart Nevitt, Founding Member of Grammy-Winning Band Shadowfax, Passes

March 26, 2008

Stuart Nevitt, co-founder, composer, and drummer/percussionist of the eclectic band Shadowfax, has died at the age of 56. Nevitt died Mar. 15 at his home in Rio Rancho, NM, of complications from type 1 diabetes and heart disease. The sextet, which Nevitt originally organized with Chuck Greenberg, G.E. Stinson, and Phil Maggini in an Illinois farmhouse ...

Remembering a Legend: Israel "Cachao" Lopez (1918 - 2008)

March 24, 2008

Jack Perciful, Olympia WA Jazz Pianist Dead at 82

March 18, 2008

Long-time Olympia, WA resident and noted jazz piano player Jack Perciful died Thursday at the age of 82. He was well-known in the Olympia area after moving here in 1974 to join bassist Red Kelly to play at Kelly's Tumwater Conservatory. Perciful played with numerous bands, most notably the Harry James Orchestra, where he was pianist, ...

Gus Giordano, 84, Innovator of Modern Jazz Dance, is Dead

March 13, 2008

Gus Giordano, an early and tireless popularizer of American jazz dance who organized the first Jazz Dance World Congress, died on March 9 in Chicago. He was 84. The cause was pneumonia, according to his daughters, Nan and Amy Giordano. Mr. Giordano was best known through the performing of his company, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, founded ...

Gus Giordano, Dancer Innovator, Emmy Winner, Broadway Performer, Dies at 84

March 12, 2008

Gus Giordano not only launched his own popular, Evanston-based troupe, but he's one of the originators of the stylistic innovation now known worldwide as jazz dance. The venerable dancer, teacher, choreographer and author -- a gigantic figure in Chicago's dance community for more than half a century -- died early Sunday after a lengthy illness. He ...

Dennis Irwin, 56, Bassist Popular in New York Jazz, is Dead

March 12, 2008

Dennis Irwin, who for more than 30 years was a much-in-demand New York jazz bassist and whose recent illness became a rallying point for jazz musicians without medical insurance, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 56. The cause was liver failure as a result of cancer, said his son, Michael Irwin. He died the same ...

Guitarist and Bandleader Jeff Healey Dies in Toronto Hospital

March 3, 2008

Following a lengthy struggle with cancer, Healey passes away on the eve of the release of a new blues rock album (His First Blues Album in 8 Years) Jeff Healey, arguably one of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, died today (Sunday March 2) in St. Joseph's Hospital, Toronto. He was 41, and leaves ...