On December 30, 2020, Eugene Joseph Wright died aged 97. He was musician (bass), worked with Monty Alexander, Charlie Parker, Lee Shaw, Gene Ammons, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Buddy DeFranco, Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, Kai Winding, Sonny Stitt, Dottie Dodgion, and Dorothy Donegan, but was best known as a member and the bass player of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Tag Archives: 2020
Claude Bolling
On December 29, 2020, Claude Bolling died aged 90. He was musician (piano), composer, and arranger. He wrote music for more than one hundred movies, collaborated with classical musicians, but also with musicians from various genres including Alexandre Lagoya, Pinchas Zukerman, Maurice André, and Yo-Yo Ma. Bolling has worked with some of the biggest names in the jazz music including Roy Eldridge, Kenny Clarke. Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Stéphane Grappelli, and Django Reinhardt. As leader he released 24 albums.
Leslie West
On December 22, 2020, Leslie Weinstein aka Leslie West died aged 75. He was musician (guitar), vocalist, and songwriter, member of the bands The Vagrants, West, Bruce and Laing, but was best known as the founding member, guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain. In its list of the “100 Greatest guitarists of all time”, Rolling Stone magazine placed West at number 66. As a leader he released 16 albums.
Stanley Cowell
On December 17, 2020, Stanley Cowell died aged 79. He was musician (piano), co-founder of the “Strata-East Records” label, and professor at the “Music Department of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers”, the “State University of New Jersey”. He recorded with many famous jazz musicians including Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Richard Davis, Sonny Fortune, Roy Haynes, Jimmy Heath, The Heath Brothers, Stan Getz, Johnny Griffin, Bobby Hutcherson, J. J. Johnson, Clifford Jordan, Oliver Nelson, Jimmy Owens, Art Pepper, Buddy Terry, Charles Sullivan, Charles Toliver, Roland Kirk, Marion Brown, Harold Land, and Max Roach. As leader Cowell released 34 albums.
Johnny Nash
On October 6, 2020, John Lester Nash Jr. aka Johnny Nash died aged 80. He was a singer, songwriter, one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston. He was best known for his 1972 song, the million-selling anthem “I Can See Clearly Now”. Nash recorded 17 albums.
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen
On October 6, 2020, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen died aged 65. He was a musician (guitar), songwriter, producer, and inventor, known for his work with Michael Jackson, Brian May, Sammy Hagar, and LL Cool J, but best known as a founding member, songwriter, and guitarist of band Van Halen. He was voted number one in the “Guitar World” magazine reader’s poll for “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
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