Michael Brecker (3.29.49 – 1.13.07)
Mike was indeed an iconic figure in jazz, but it was always hard for me to see him in that light: To me he was … Read More “Michael Brecker (3.29.49 – 1.13.07)”
Journalists and colleagues bid farewell to the jazz community’s departed.
Mike was indeed an iconic figure in jazz, but it was always hard for me to see him in that light: To me he was … Read More “Michael Brecker (3.29.49 – 1.13.07)”
Saxophonist Boots Randolph, best known for his 1963 Top 40 instrumental hit “Yakety Sax,” died at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville on July 3. He … Read More “Saxophonist Boots Randolph Dies at 80”
Alvin Batiste, a New Orleans-born clarinetist who played in modern settings far removed from the swing and Dixieland music usually associated with his instrument, died … Read More “Clarinetist Alvin Batiste Dies at 74”
Jackie McLean (5.17.32 – 3.31.06) by Sonny Rollins We were a group of like-minded boys, in our teens, who were aspiring musicians. Naturally, we all … Read More “Farewells: Musicians Remember Their Peers Who Passed in 2006”
Within his own milieu, he was admired for his keen intellect, his generosity of spirit, his Auntie Mame-like zest for life and his gleeful willingness … Read More “Billy Strayhorn: His Lush Life”
Generally, disc jockeys who play the same kind of music and host shows opposite each other have a relationship not unlike that of a mongoose … Read More “Ed Bradley (6.22.41 – 11.9.06)”
In 1971, when my twin brother Alex and I were about 16 years old, we were exposed to the music of John Coltrane by a … Read More “Dedication: Nels Cline Pays Homage to Andrew Hill”
Artists reflect on their peers who passed in 2005.
Read More “Farewells: Musicians Remember Their Peers Who Passed in 2005”
Dianne Reeves pays tribute to the legacy of singer-pianist Shirley Horn in this personal appreciation