On August 6, 2025, Eduardo Palmieri died aged 88. He was musician (piano), composer, arranger, and bandleader, regarded as one of the main figures of the Latino music of all times. He was founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive, and created an incredible soundtrack of Latin jazz and explorations of salsa for the Puerto Rican community in New York City. Palmieri recorded and released 45 albums.
Tag Archives: arranger
Lalo Schifrin
On June 26, 2025, Boris Claudio “Lalo” Schifrin died aged 93. He was musician (piano), composer, arranger, and conductor, best known for his work on movie and TV scores, for which he won five “Grammy Awards”. Schifrin recorded, performed and created arrangements for Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, Cannonball Adderley, Maurice Ander, Count Basie, Louis Bellson, Luiz Bonfa, Candido Camero, Al Hirt, Julia Migenes, Astor Piazzolla, David Shifrin, Placido Domingo, Sarah Vaughan and Cal Tjader. As leader he released 53 studio and live albums, and 43 soundtrack albums.
Quincy Jones
On November 3, 2024, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. died aged 91. He was musician (trumpet), music producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer, with career spanned over 70 years. He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by magazine “Time”.
For his work he received the following awards and honors:
- Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music (1983)
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Ray Charles in 1984.
- Grammy Legend Award in 1992
- Garfield High School in Seattle named a performing arts center after him.
- Quincy Jones Elementary School, located in South Central Los Angeles, is named after him.
- Humanitarian Award at the BET Awards in 2008.
- John F. Kennedy Center Honors in 2001.
- National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama on March 2, 2011.
- Los Angeles Press Club Visionary Award in 2014.
- Honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music, London, in 2015.
- Ahmet Ertegun Award in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
- In 2021, Jones was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame as a “foundational inductee”.
- He won 28 Grammy Awards (third in the list of all-time Grammy award wins).
Quincy Jones was producer of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (1982), the best sold album in music history (more than 51.3 million copies sold).
As leader, Quincy Jones released 40 albums.
Sérgio Santos Mendes
On September 5, 2024, Sérgio Santos Mendes died aged 83. He was musician (piano), bandleader, composer and arranger, founder and leader of the bands Sexteto Bossa Rio and Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’65, known for playing bossa nova crossed with funk. He won three “Grammy Awards and as leader released 44 albums.
Aston “Family Man” Barrett
On February 3, 2024, Aston Francis Barrett aka Aston “Family Man” Barrett, died aged 77. He was musician (bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, percussion), song-writer, arranger and producer. Barrett was member of the bands The Hippy Boys, Lee Perry’s The Upsetters, but was best known as member and bandleader of The Wailers (Bob Marley and the Wailers).
Duško Gojković
On April 5, 2023, Duško Gojković died aged 91. He was musician (trumpet), composer and arranger. Regarded as one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world, he recorded and performed with many famous musicians, including Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Oscar Pettiford, Maynard Ferguson, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, Duke Jordan, Slide Hampton, Rolf Ericson, Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland and Woody Herman. In 1966, he released “Swinging Macedonia”, which is regarded as the definitive album of the Balkan’s jazz music. As leader, Gojković released 32 albums.
Thom Bell
On December 22, 2022, Thomas Randolph Bell died aged79. He was producer, arranger and songwriter, regarded as one of the creators of the Philadelphia soul in the 70’. As songwriter, arranger and producer he worked with Hattie Winston, The Delfonics, The Stylistics, The Spinners, New York City, Elton John, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Denice Williams, Jerry Butler, Archie Bell & the Drells, Jerry Bell, Dionne Warwick, The O’Jays, Dusty Springfield. and James Ingram. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”, and into the ”Musicians Hall of Fame”.
Angelo Daniel Badalamenti
On December 11, 2022, Angelo Daniel Badalamenti died aged 85. He was composer and arranger, recorded songs with David Bowie, Nina Simone, Tim Booth, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Julee Cruise, Marianne Faithfull, Siouxsie Sioux and Dolores O’Riordan, but was best known for composing film music. He collaborated with director David Lynch, notably “Blue Velvet”, the “Twin Peaks” saga, “The Straight Story” and “Mulholland Drive”. In 1990, Badalamenti received “Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance” for his “Twin Peaks Theme”. In 2008, Badalamenti received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the “World Soundtrack Awards’s Academy”, and in 2011, the “Henry Mancini Award” from the “American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers”.
Louis Clark
On February 13, 2021, Louis Clark died aged 73. He was musician (keyboards) and arranger, member of the band The Buccaneers (later Monopoly), worked with The Raymond Froggatt Band, Renaissance, Annie Haslam and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, but was best known for his work Electric Light Orchestra and Hooked on Classics.
Pee Wee Ellis
On September 24, 2021, Alfred James Ellis aka Pee Wee Ellis died aged 80. He was musician (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, keyboards), arranger and composer, worked as musical director and arranger with George Benson, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips. Ellis recorded and performed with David Liebman, Jack McDuff, Rebirth Brass Band, Shirley Scott, Sonny Stitt, Leon Thomas, Van Morrison, Ginger Baker’s jazz Confusion, The JB Horns, Maceo Parker, Brass Fever, Ali Farka Touré and The Dapps, but was best known as longtime collaborator of James Brown. He co-wrote and recorded some of Brown’s best-known songs like “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” and “Cold Sweat”. As leader Ellis released 13 albums.
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