Results for "Obituary"

Trudy Pitts (1932-2010)

December 26, 2010

Trudy Pitts, a Hammond B3 organist with a swirling, stinging style rich with technique and whose attack on the instrument was as aggressive as many of her male counterparts, died December 19. She was 78. A late jazz-soul bloomer, Pitts was signed by Prestige in 1967 just as jazz was losing young listeners to rock and ...

Organist Trudy Pitts Carney Dies

December 23, 2010

Philadelphia-based organist Trudy Pitts Carney died on Sunday, Dec. 19, of pancreatic cancer. She was 78. During the 1950s and '60s, Pitts blended her church background and classical training to a classic blues-based organ sound, often alongside her husband, percussionist William Theodore Carney. She also delved into the burgeoning free-jazz movement and performed with John Coltrane ...

Trudy Pitts Carney, Jazz Organist, Vocalist -- R.I.P.

December 23, 2010

Trudy Pitts Carney, 78, a Philadelphia-born jazz organist, pianist, and vocalist who played with many jazz greats over a career that spanned more than four decades, died of pancreatic cancer Sunday, Dec. 19, at Chestnut Hill Hospital. She played with jazz greats John Coltrane and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, among others, her daughter said. Actually, “she didn't ...

A Sad Note: Jack Tracy is Gone

December 24, 2010

Jazz Organist Trudy Pitts

December 23, 2010

By Victor L. Schermer Trudy Pitts Carney, 78, a Philadelphia-born jazz organist, pianist, and vocalist who played with many jazz greats over a career that spanned more than four decades, died of pancreatic cancer Sunday, Dec. 19, at Chestnut Hill Hospital. Simply put, Trudy Pitts was one of the greatest jazz organists of all time. She ...

Captain Beefheart: R.I.P.

December 21, 2010

A TRUE ORIGINAL SHUFFLES OFF Don Van Vliet, better known to the world as Captain Beefheart, passed away last Friday, December 17, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 69 years old. An inspired madman, a true blues soul, a painter of some renown, a lyricist and singer like no other, the Captain was ...

Captain Beefheart (1941-2010): An Appreciation

December 20, 2010

By Mark Saleski Captain Beefheart died yesterday at the age of 69. The reclusive musician and visual artist has been missed by his fans for many years, and now we feel that absence even more. For many year, Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) was a part of my life even though I was completely unaware of ...

Moody's from Heaven

December 15, 2010

Anyone who has experienced the joy of hearing the great NEA Jazz Master James Moody's hilarious turnaround on the old Tin Pan Alley tune “Pennie's From Heaven," which he re-cast as “Bennie's From Heaven" can appreciate that this fabulous man has ascended on a one-way ticket to heaven. While it is with great sorrow that we ...

James Moody (1925-2010)

December 13, 2010

James Moody, a bebop pioneer and seductive improviser whose mischievous sense of humor masked a highly serious and industrious saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger, died Thursday in San Diego. He was 85. [Photo of James Moody at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival by Paul Slaughter] Moody embodied the entire history of post-war jazz, beginning with his ...

James Moody, 1925-2010

December 11, 2010

By Pico Jazz saxophone and flute giant James Moody has been around seemingly forever and never slowed down, but yesterday pancreatic cancer finally ended a long and distinguished career at the age of 85. He was a key member of Dizzy Gillespie bands going back to the 1940s (Diz once remarked, “Playing with James Moody is ...