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Pat Arana, trombonist of the St. Louis Stompers, dies at age 72
Trombonist Joseph Patrick “Pat" Arana of the St. Louis Stompers died of cancer last Wednesday, August 22 in St. Charles, MO. Arana was 72 years old and was retired from teaching music in the Ritenour School District. He performed locally and at festivals all over the country with the Stompers, worked with many other jazz and ...
Jimmy Wilkins (1921-2018)
Jimmy Wilkins, the trombone-playing brother of arranger-saxophonist Ernie Wilkins and the last surviving member of Count Basie's original New Testament Band launched in 1951, died August 24. He was 97. In recent years, Jimmy led a big band in Las Vegas using arrangements by his brother Ernie and Frank Foster. Jimmy and I spoke every six ...
Jack Costanzo (1919-2018)
Jack Costanzo, whose fierce bongo playing added drama and heat to hundreds of recordings and performances by jazz, pop and Latin artists starting in the late 1940s before moving on the TV and film, died August 18. He was 98. Costanzo wasn't the first to record jazz on the bongos. The instrument first appeared on Latin ...
Jean Kittrell 1927 - 2018
Pianist and singer Jean Kittrell, who performed traditional jazz, swing and ragtime in St. Louis and around the world from the 1960s into the 2000s, died on Tuesday, August 14 in Edwardsville, IL. She was 91 years old. A native of Birmingham, AL, Kittrell began playing piano as a youth in church, and went on to ...
Jack Costanzo, 1920-2018
The percussionist Jack Costanzo was so closely identified with his instrument that early in his career he became known as “Mr. Bongo.” Costanzo died over the weekend at his home near San Diego, California. He was 98. During his long career he worked with Stan Kenton, Nat Cole, Charlie Parker and dozens of other musical stars. ...
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
Aretha Franklin, long considered the undisputed “Queen of Soul” and one of America's most emotional and spiritual interpreters of pop, jazz and soul songs, died on Thursday at her home in Detroit. She was 76. The cause was advanced pancreatic cancer. My Franklin obituary and appreciation for The Wall Street Journal can be found here. Yesterday, ...
Morgana King: 1930-2018
Morgana King, a jazz singer with an unusual voice that seemed more in sync with classical than swing and who is perhaps best known as playing Marlon Brando's wife in the first two Godfather films, died earlier this year on March 22. She was 87. The only reason we know about her passing is that Matt ...
R.I.P. Six Strings: Is The Death Of The Electric Guitar Near?
Fred Jacobs surveys market trends of the past several years, many of which (including the bankruptcy of Gibson) point to the dwindling popularity of that most iconic of instruments, the electric guitar. Guest post by Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media Strategies Disruption impacts virtually every business and platform – including the guitar. Over the past couple of ...
Henry Butler, 1948-2018
The gifted New Orleans pianist Henry Butler has died. He was 69. Noted for virtuosity at the keyboard and soulful depth as a singer, Butler pursued his career primarily in his home city, with frequent tours overseas. Blinded by glaucoma as an infant, he excelled academically at all levels and dazzled other musicians with his skill. ...
Bill Watrous (1939-2018)
Bill Watrous, a jazz trombonist who came up in the 1960s just as jazz was fading and the trombone was transitioning into studio orchestras and funk-soul groups such as the Jazz Crusaders and Kool and the Gang, died on July 2, 2018. He was 79. Watrous's finest work was on ballads. His singing trombone style on ...
