On May 2, 2020, Richie Cole died aged 72. He was composer, arranger and musician (saxophone), began to play alto saxophone when he was ten years old, encouraged by his father, who owned a jazz club in New Jersey. In the 70’ he created his own “alto madness” bebop style. In the 90’s he formed The Alto Madness Orchestra. Cole recorded and performed with many musicians such as Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Doc Severinsen, Eddie Jefferson, Nancy Wilson, Tom Waits, The Manhattan Transfer, Hank Crawford, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Kloss, Bobby Enriquez, Phil Woods, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Greg Abate, Les DeMerle, Allan Harris, Jim Holman, Vic Juris, Peter Lauffer, Oliver Nelson, Anita O’Day, Red Rodney, Janine Santana, Mark Murphy, Sonny Stitt and Boots Randolph. In 2005, Cole was awarded the “State of California Congressional Certificate of Lifetime Achievement in Jazz” on behalf of the “Temecula Jazz Society”.
Tag Archives: composer
Tony Allen
On April 30, 2020, Tony Oladipo Allen died aged 80. He was composer, songwriter and musician (drums), regarded as one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. He has recorded and performed with Fela Kuti, Roy Ayers, Ernest Raanglin, Zap Mama, Sébastien Tellier, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jimi Tenor, Rocket Juice & The Moon, Gonjasufi and Hugh Masekela. Brian Eno described Allen as “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived”.
Lee Konitz
On April 15, 2020, Lee Konitz died aged 92. He was composer and musician (alto saxophone), performing in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz, noted for improvising long, melodic lines with the rhythmic interest coming from odd accents, Konitz has recorded and performed with many famous musicians including Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Elvin Jones, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Lennie Tristano, Stan Kenton, Chick Corea, Gerry Mulligan, Claude Thornhill, Ralph Burns, Gil Evans, Warne Marsh, Dave Pike, Attila Zoller, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Warne Marsh, Hal Galper, Bill Evans, Martial Solal, Max Roach, Don Friedman, Kenny Wheeler, Kenny Werner, Brian Dickenson, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Gary Peacock, and Joey Baron.
McCoy Tyner
On March 6, 2020, Alfred McCoy Tyner died aged 81. He was musician (piano), composer, bandleader, one of the most recognizable and influential figures in jazz history. He has recorded and performed with many famous musicians including John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, George Benson, Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, Benny Golson, Grant Green, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, J.J. Jackson, Blue Mitchell, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, David Murray, Julian Priester, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Avery Sharpe, Woody Shaw, Jackie McLean, Cecil McBee, Jack DeJohnette, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Stitt and Stanley Turrentine, As a leader he recorded 74 albums. Tyner was a “NEA Jazz Master” and a five-time “Grammy” winner.
Jon Christensen
On February 18, 2020, Jon Ivar Christensen died aged 76. He was musician (drums) and composer, one of the most respected European Jazz drummers. He has recorded with artists such as Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Enrico Rava, Palle Danielsson, John Abercrombie, Michael Mantler, Miroslav Vitous, Terje Rypdal, Bobo Stenson, Eberhard Weber, Ralph Towner, Barre Phillips, Arild Andersen, Rainer Brüninghaus, Charles Lloyd, Dino Saluzzi, George Russell, John Clark, David Friedman, David Darling, Steve Kuhn, Lee Konitz, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods, Leo Wright, Yelena Eckemoff and Tomasz Stanko.
Lyle Mays
On February 10, 2020, Lyle David Mays died aged 66. He was musician (piano, keyboards) and composer, arranged and composed for One O’Clock Lab Band, toured with Woody Herman, but was best known as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. For his work with Pat Metheny, Mays won eleven “Grammy Awards”.
Scott Walker
On March 25, 2019, Noel Scott Engel aka Scott Walker, died aged 76. He was singer-songwriter, composer and record producer, member of trio The Walker Brothers, best known for his distinctive baritone voice and avant-garde baroque pop music style. He released 18th solo albums. As producer he worked with number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper and Bat for Lashes.
Hoagy Carmichael
On December 27, 1981, Hoagland Howard “Hoagy” Carmichael died aged 82. He was musician (piano), composer, singer, actor, and bandleader. Carmichael composed several hundred songs, including fifty that achieved hit record status. His best known songs are four among the most-recorded American songs of all time: “Stardust”, “Georgia on My Mind” (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), “The Nearness of You”, and “Heart and Soul” (lyrics by Frank Loesser). His song “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” (lyrics by Johnny Mercer, won the “Academy Award for Best Original Song” in 1951. Carmichael’s songs were performed by many famous musicians including Sidney Arodin, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Bix Beiderbecke, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Helen Forrest, Harry James, Spike Jones, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Glenn Miller, Dinah Shore, Jack Teagarden and Paul Whiteman.
Tomasz Stanko
On July 29, 2018, Tomasz Stańko died aged 76. He was musician (trumpet), composer and improviser, associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. He has performed and recorded with many famous jazz musicians including Adam Makowicz, Krzysztof Komeda, Zbigniew Seifert,Cecil Taylor, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Reggie Workman, Rufus Reid, Lester Bowie, David Murray, Manu Katché and Chico Freeman.
Johann Johannsson
On February 9, 2018, Jóhann Jóhannsson died aged 48. He was composer who was composing music for theatre, dance, TV and movies. Some of his movie works include original scores for “Personal Effects” by David Hollander, “For Ellen” by So Yong Kim, “McCanick” by John C. Waller, “Prisoners” by Denis Villeneuve, Sicario by Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival” by Denis Villeneuve, “The Mercy” by James Marsh and “Mary Magdalene” by Garth Davis. For the score for James Marsh’s “The Theory of Everything”, Jóhannsson won a “Golden Globe” for “Best Original Score”. In the period 2002 – 2016, he released nine solo albums.
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