The jazz world unexpectedly lost pianist Smith Dobson on April 20, when he was killed in a single-car accident driving home from a gig. Dobson had teaching posts at San Jose State University and the University of California, Santa Cruz and was well recognized as an educator, organizer, and musician in the Bay area.
In the past two years, Dobson received a lifetime achievement award from the San Jose Jazz Society and was honored again for his lifetime achievement at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Kapland Records is already planning a tribute CD to Dobson featuring pianist Martan Mann, the brother of vocalist Gail Dobson, Smith’s wife.
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