On May 28, 2025, Aloysius Tyrone Foster aka Al Foster, died aged 82. He was musician (drums), recorded and performed with Blue Mitchell, Illinois Jacquet, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Joe Henderson, Joanne Brackeen, Cedar Walton, Larry Willis, Steve Kuhn, Tommy Flanagan, Chris Potter, George Adams, Richie Beirach, Peter Bernstein, Walter Bishop Jr, Donald Byrn, Eli Degibri, Eliane Elias, Eric Le Lann, Red Garland, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Haden, Sadik Hakim, Jimmy Heath, Duke Jordan, Shirley Horn, Bobby Hutcherson, Sam Jones, Yusef Lateef, Andy LaVerne, Abbey Lincoln, Fred Lipsius, Larry Willis, George Mraz, Lonnie Liston Smith, Joe Lovano, Frank Morgan, Johnny Lytle, Hugh Masakela, Ronnie Mathews, Tete Montoliu, Sam Morrison, Bud Shank, Reggie Workman, Peter Zak, Cecil Payne, Dave Liebman and Art Pepper. As leader, Foster released eighth albums.
Tag Archives: Hugh Masakela
John Giblin
On May 14, 2023, John Giblin died aged 71. He was musician (acoustic and electric bass), best known as excellent studio musician. He recorded and performed with John Martyn, Peter Gabriel, Annie Lenox, John Lennon, Duncan Brown, Elkie Brooks, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Phil Collins, Fish, Simple Minds, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Al Green, Kate Bush, Judie Tzuke, The Everly Brothers, Roberta Flack, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Jon Anderson, George Martin, Gerry Rafferty, Hugh Masakela, Fish, Alan Parsons, Manolo Garcia, Claudio Baglioni, Richard Ashcroft, Franco Battiato, Saro Cosentino, Eros Ramazzotti, Brand X and Scott Walker.
Thomas Tedesco
On November 10, 1997, Thomas J. Tedesco died aged 67. He was a musician (guitar), part of the loose collective of Los Angeles area’s session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. As he played on hundreds studio recordings, “Guitar Player” magazine described him as “the most recorded guitarist in music history”. He recorded with the Beach Boys, Chet Baker, the Mamas & the Papas, the Everly Brothers, the Association, Bobby Darrin, Barbra Streisand, Jan and Dean, the 5th Dimension, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Ricky Nelson, Cher, Neil Diamond, Van Dyke Parks, Michael Franks, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, Richard Harris, Peggy Lee, Johnny Rivers, Al Kooper, Michael Nesmith, Paul Anka, Don Ellis, Minnie Riperton, Maria Muldaur, Leon Russell, Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel, J.J. Cale, Quincy Jones, Stephen Bishop, Kenny Loggins, Jack Nitzsche, Sarah Vaughan, Lalo Schifrin, Randy Newman, Hugh Masakela, and Joan Baez. Tedesco performed on soundtracks including The French Connection, Jaws, The Godfather, Field of Dreams, and The Deer Hunter. As a leader he released ten albums.
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”.
Hugh Masekela
On January 23, 2018, Hugh Ramopolo Masekela died aged 78. He was musician (trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet), singer and composer, known as “Father of South African Jazz.” As leader Masekela released 49 albums, and received many awards, including:
- 1968 – Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Performance – instrumental
- 2002 – BBC Radio Jazz Awards: International Award of the Year
- 2005 – Channel O Music Video Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2007 – Ghana Music Awards: 2007 African Music Legend Award
- 2010 – Order of Ikhamanga: South African National Orders Ceremony
- 2014 – University of York Honorary Doctorate in Music
- 2015 – Rhodes University: Doctor of Music
The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday
On February 6, 1967, “Columbia” released “Younger Than Yesterday”, the fourth Byrds (The) album. It was recorded November – December 1966, at the “Columbia Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Gary Usher. In 2012, the album was ranked at number 127 on “Rolling Stone’s” magazine list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- Jim McGuinn – vocals, lead guitar
- David Crosby – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Chris Hillman – vocals, electric bass
- Michael Clarke– drums
- Vern Gosdin– acoustic guitar
- Clarence White– guitar
- Cecil Barnard – piano
- Jay Migliori- saxophone
- Hugh Masekela– trumpet
- Daniel Ray (Big Black) – percussion
Track listing:
- So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star – Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman
- Have You Seen Her Face – Chris Hillman
- T.A.-102 – Jim McGuinn, Robert J. Hippard
- Renaissance Fair – David Crosby, Jim McGuinn
- Time Between – Chris Hillman
- Everybody’s Been Burned – David Crosby
- Thoughts and Words – Chris Hillman
- Mind Gardens – David Crosby
- My Back Pages – Bob Dylan
- The Girl with No Name – Chris Hillman
- Why – Jim McGuinn, David Crosby
