The last few years have been particularly hard ones for the jazz family. Between COVID-19 and other health hazards, the resulting isolation, and the shutdown of (in the short term) all live performance and (ultimately) important venues across the world, the lists of losses we’ve endured—never a pleasant thing—have been excruciatingly long and painful. We’ve tried in this issue to highlight some of the best known and most meaningful of those losses. But there are many more who also deserve to be acknowledged.
We’ve done our best to collect those names here, in alphabetical order, as a gesture that we hope will help you give your own send-off to the jazz figures you loved and admired.
Beegie Adair, pianist
12/11/37 – 1/23/22
Gabe Baltazar, saxophonist
11/1/29 – 6/12/22
Carlos Barbosa-Lima, guitarist
12/17/44 – 2/23/22
Mickey Bass, bassist
5/2/43 – 2/3/22
Marilyn Bergman, songwriter
11/10/28 – 1/8/22
Michael Bourne, journalist/broadcaster
12/4/46 – 8/21/22
Henry “Pucho” Brown, timbalero
11/1/38 – 9/21/22
“Sweet” Georgia Brown, blues vocalist
3/22/47 – 9/30/22
Ted Butterman, trumpet
1/26/35 – 8/31/22
Gretchen Carhartt Valade, patron/philanthropist
8/27/25 – 12/30/22
Jean-Louis Chautemps, saxophone
8/6/31 – 5/25/22
David Ornette Cherry, pianist/multi-instrumentalist
4/13/58 – 11/20/22
Bob “Dr. Jazz” Cohen, promoter
11/15/54 – 10/1/22
Montez Coleman, drummer
7/23/73 – 1/14/22
Roz Corral, vocalist
6/7/48 – 9/27/22
José Luis Cortés, flutist/bandleader
10/5/51 – 4/18/22
Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch, vocalist
7/28/50 – 1/17/22
Chuck Deardorf, bassist
4/3/54 – 10/9/22
Capriel Dedeian, guitarist
12/19/60 – 8/22/22
Joe Diorio, guitarist
8/6/36 – 2/2/22
Charles Eubanks, pianist
7/26/ 48 – 6/2/22
Anton Fier, drummer
6/20/56 – 9/14/22
Dennis González, trumpeter
8/15/54 – 3/15/22
Henryk Górski, promoter/advocate
3/27/45 – 6/14/22
Jim Harrison, promoter
9/11/32 – 1/19/22
Michael Henderson, bassist/vocalist
7/7/51 – 7/19/22
Khan Jamal, vibraphonist
7/23/46 – 1/10/22
Sy Johnson, arranger/pianist
4/15/30 – 7/26/22
Frank Katz, drummer
11/17/66 – 9/10/22
Rolf Kühn, clarinetist
9/29/29 – 8/18/22
Mike Lang, pianist
12/10/41 – 8/5/22
Mark Levine, pianist/trombonist
10/4/38 – 1/27/22
Derek Lewis, producer
1/13/60 – 10/1/22
Roberto Masotti, photographer
1947 – 4/25/22
Tito Matos, percussionist
6/15/68 – 1/18/22
Tina May, vocalist
3/30/61 – 3/26/22
Dan Miller, trumpeter
5/31/68 – 8/19/22
Charnett Moffett, bassist
6/10/67 – 4/11/22
Byron Morris, saxophonist
1/7/41 – 7/30/22
Barbara Morrison, vocalist
9/10/49 – 3/16/22
Askia Muhammad, journalist/broadcaster
3/28/45 – 2/17/22
Michael G. Nastos, journalist
4/4/52 – 11/5/22
Bobby Naughton, journalist
6/25/44 – 12/3/22
Anthony Ortega, saxophonist
6/7/28 – 10/30/22
Bill Pitman, guitarist
2/12/20 – 8/11/22
Paul Plimley, pianist
3/16/53 – 5/18/22
Adelhard Roidinger, bassist
11/28/41 – 4/22/22
Badal Roy, tablaist
10/16/39 – 1/19/22
Ellyn Rucker, pianist/vocalist
8/29/37 – 5/22/22
Gene Santoro, journalist
10/31/50 – 4/27/22
Arnold Jay Smith, journalist
11/19/38 – 10/4/22
Donald Smith, vocalist
9/4/43 – 4/9/22
Andrew Speight, saxophonist
3/23/64 – 12/1/22
Meghan Stabile, promoter
7/26/82 – 6/12/22
Howard Stone, advocate
10/22/42 – 8/3/22
Fredy Studer, drummer
6/16/48 – 8/22/22
Monnette Sudler, guitar
6/5/52 – 8/21/22
Isao Suzuki, bassist
1/2/33 – 3/8/22
John Swenson, journalist
5/8/50 – 3/28/22
Terry Teachout, journalist
2/6/56 – 1/13/22
Barbara Thompson, saxophone
7/27/44 – 7/9/22
Richard “Butch” Thompson, pianist/clarinetist
11/28/43 – 8/14/22
Louise Tobin, vocalist
11/11/18 – 11/26/22
Fred van Hove, pianist
2/19/37 – 1/13/22
Abdul Wadud [Ronald DeVaughan], cellist
4/30/47 – 8/10/22
Alvin Walker, trombonist
5/21/71 –12/5/22
Eric Alan Wannenburg, broadcaster
12/10/51 – 6/28/22
Leroy Williams, drummer
2/3/41 – 6/1/22
Matthias Winckelmann, producer
4/7/41 – 6/19/22
Bernard Wright, keyboardist
11/16/63 – 5/19/22
