2018 In Memoriam

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Urbie Green (August 8th, 1926 - December 31st, 2018) The trombonist (and brother to fellow trombonist Jack) had a voluminous discography, both with dozens of leader albums for Blue Note, Vanguard, Bethlehem, ABC-Paramount, RCA Victor, Command, Project 3, CTI, Chiaroscuro and other labels and as a sideman with Benny Goodman, Billy Byers, Clark Terry, Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Joe Newman, Mel Powell, Mundell Lowe, Quincy Jones, Steve Allen, Blue Mitchell, Bobby Hackett, Frank Wess, Ray Bryant, Woody Herman, Tony Scott and others all while promoting his instrument and those who played it by convening multiple-trombone bands. Green died December 31st at 92. 

Boy Raaijmakers (August 20th, 1944 - December 30th, 2018) The Dutch trumpeter was a member of the late ‘60s European avant garde jazz group Free Music (among the few non-American acts to be on ESP-Disk’), had his own albums on Group-Music Productions, Eurosound and BVHaast and credits with the Orkest De Boventoon and Loek Dikker’s Waterland Big Band but was best known as an original member of Willem Breuker’s Kollektief, appearing on all the band’s albums since its 1974 founding. Raaijmakers died December 30th at 74. 

Heloísa Maria “Miúcha” Buarque De Holanda (November 30th, 1937 - December 27th, 2018) The Brazilian singer (and wife to João Gilberto and mother of Bebel Gilberto), who worked under the stage name Miúcha, made albums under her own name and with João Gilberto and Stan Getz, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho, Bebel Gilberto and others. Miúcha died December 27th at 81. 

Yvonne Ervin (September 14th, 1959 - December 26th, 2018) The promoter inaugurated the Tucson Jazz Festival and Tucson Jazz Society, had a long career as a journalist and was a founder and Vice President of the Jazz Journalists Association. Ervin died December 26th at 59. 

Kozaburo Yamaki (April 18th, 1931 - December 26th, 2018) The Japanese guitarist was a mainstay of Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd, both as a player and composer/arranger. Yamaki died December 26th at 87.

Darryl Adams (September 24th, 1957 - December 19th, 2018) The New Orleanais saxophonist worked with Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tornado Brass Band, Olympia Brass Band, New Birth Brass Band and Hurricane Brass Band. Adams died December 19th at 61. 

Norman Gimbel (November 16th, 1927 - December 19th, 2018) The lyricist had his words sung on albums by Sergio Mendes, Astrud Gilberto, Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and others, most notably his English lyrics for Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “The Girl from Ipanema”. Gimbel died December 19th at 91. 

Dolores Parker (1920 - December 17th, 2018) The vocalist was active in the late ‘40s, working with Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines and a few years with Duke Ellington, most famously on “Take Love Easy”, returning to performing decades later. Parker died December 17th at 99. 

Arthur Maia (April 9th, 1962 - December 15th, 2018) The Brazilian bassist (and nephew of fellow bassist Luizão) released jazz-fusion albums for Night & Day, Paradoxx, Cabeçadura and Niterói Discos, the latter with Hiram Bullock, and worked with Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Claudio Roditi, Gilberto Gil and others. Maia died December 15th at 56. 

John Williams (January 28th, 1929 - December 15th, 2018) The pianist was active in the ‘50s with a pair of albums for EmArcy and sideman credits under Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, Cannonball Adderley, Phil Woods, Al Cohn, Charlie Mariano, Jimmy Cleveland, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Raney and others. Williams died December 15th at 89. 

Nancy Wilson (February 20th, 1937 - December 13th, 2018) The vocalist, Grammy Award winner and NEA Jazz Master first went on the road with Rusty Bryant, who introduced her to Cannonball Adderley, with whom, a couple of years after recording her debut for Capitol, Like in Love (1959), she collaborated for the 1961 Capitol album Nancy Wilson / Cannonball Adderley, dozens of records under her name following over the decades for Capitol, Elektra-Musician, Eastworld, Denon, Interface, Columbia and Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, guest credits with George Shearing, The Great Jazz Trio, Ramsey Lewis, The Crusaders, Grover Washington, Jr., Terri Lyne Carrington and others, hosting of National Public Radio’s Jazz Profiles series and Grammy Awards in 1964 (Best Rhythm & Blues Recording: “How Glad I Am”), 2004 (Best Jazz Vocal Album: R.S.V.P. [Rare Songs, Very Personal]) and 2006 (Best Jazz Vocal Album: Turned To Blue). Wilson died December 13th at 81. 

David Mossman (July 17th, 1942 - December 8th, 2018) The British concert promoter founded London’s Vortex Jazz Club and the Margate Jazz Festival and to whom the trio of Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton dedicated a 2016 Intakt live album recorded at the club. Mossman died December 8th at 76. 

James Jordan (1931 - December 4th, 2018) The cousin to Ornette Coleman had two stints as his manager, helping to produce such albums as Science Fiction, Skies of America and Dancing in Your Head, as well as a long career in arts philanthropy, Jordan died December 4th at 87. 

Carl Janelli (July 14th, 1927 - December 3rd, 2018) The baritone saxophonist was active during the big band era with Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey as well as the orchestras of Neal Hefti, Mel Lewis-Thad Jones, Johnny Richards and Jackie Gleason, before moving into Broadway pit orchestras. Janelli died December 3rd at 91. 

Peter Feil (July 20th, 1962 - December 2nd, 2018) The German trombonist was in several big bands (HR Bigband, Köln Big Band, WDR Big Band Köln and Frankfurt Radio Bigband), appearing on albums for Delta, ITM, CMP, ACT, Enja, In+Out, Polydor, Greenleaf, Skip, Sunnyside, Edition and others. Feil died December 2nd at 56. 

Perry Robinson (September 17th, 1938 - December 2nd, 2018) The clarinetist (and son of composer Earl) was among the few exclusive players of the instrument bridging its early heyday and more recent revival, whether on his own albums on Savoy, AKM, Chiaroscuro, IAI, ReEntry, West Wind, Bleu Regard, Drimala, Qbico, Ictus, Nemu, Tzadik, Jazzwerkstatt and Multikulti, membership in the Clarinet Summit band and other clarinet-exclusive ensembles or credits with Henry Grimes, Archie Shepp, Charlie Haden, Gunter Hampel, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Bobby Naughton, Roswell Rudd, Dave Brubeck, Grachan Moncur III, Jeanne Lee, Theo Jörgensmann, Annette Peacock, Ray Anderson, Lou Grassi, Anthony Braxton, William Parker, Dom Minasi, Anat Fort, Jacques Coursil, Andrea Centazzo and others. Robinson died December 2nd at 80. 

Calvin Newborn (April 27th, 1933 - December 1st, 2018) The guitarist (and brother to pianist Phineas) had a handful of leader albums on Buddah, Rooster and Yellow Dog from 1980-2005 as well as sideman credits under his brother, Earl Hines, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Forrest, Al Grey, Lou Donaldson and others to go along with a stint with Sun Ra from 1961-62. Newborn died December 1st at 85.

Roger Neumann (January 3rd, 1941 - November 28th, 2018) The saxophonist was part of Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd in the late ‘60s, experience that helped him from the ‘80s onward with his own Rather Large Big Band (which had a pair of releases on Sea Breeze) and the big bands of Les Brown, Bill Elliott, Phil Norman and Ray Anthony as well as being an arranger for Count Basie and Buddy Rich to go along with sporadic sideman sessions with Anita O’Day (1984), Bette Midler (1997) and Katie Thiroux (2017). Neumann died November 28th at 77. 

Uli Scherer (March 26th, 1953 - November 28th, 2018) The Austrian pianist was among the earliest members of the Vienna Art Orchestra (VAO), appearing on the group’s numerous albums for Art, hatHUT, Moers, Amiga, Amadeo, RCA Victor and Verve from 1980-98, part of the ‘80s Austrian jazz bands Timeless and Part of Art (the latter featuring members of the VAO) and sideman/co-leader for VAO peers like Wolfgang Puschnig, Lauren Newton and Matthieu Michel. Scherer died November 28th at 65. 

Johnny Maddox (August 4th, 1927 - November 27th, 2018) The pianist was a keeper of the Dixieland flame who began recording authentic renditions of classic ragtime compositions in the mid ‘50s, releasing albums prolifically for Dot, London, Pickwick, Redstone and Mode Disques through the ‘80s with his own bands like Dixieboys, Rhythmasters and Orchestra, solo and in duo with like-minded pianists such as Glenn Rowell, as well as being one of the world’s biggest collectors of ragtime piano rolls, sheet music and memorabilia. Maddox died November 27th at 91. 

Norio Maeda (December 6th, 1934 - November 25th, 2018) The Japanese pianist led various bands from the ‘70s onward and recorded for Columbia, Polydor, Express, RCA, Denon, Panam, Toshiba, CBS-Sony and Victor and collaborated with countrymen like Yasuo Arakawa, Masahiko Satoh, Tatsuya Takahashi and Fumiaki Miyamoto but was perhaps better known as a composer and arranger who had credits with Helen Merrill, Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd, Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, Takeshi Inomata and various pop acts. Maeda died November 25th at 83. 

Thierry Lalo (February 3rd, 1963 - November 16th, 2018) The French pianist, composer and arranger founded and was Musical Director for Voice Messengers, one of the most illustrious of jazz-influenced vocal groups in Europe and winner of the 2008 Jazz Vocal Prize from the Academy of Jazz, wrote five jazz operas since 2001 mixing original music with arrangements of American jazz standards and authored a comprehensive biography of Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis (John Lewis, Editions du Limon, 1991). Lalo died November 16th at 55. 

Kevin Bryan (October 30th, 1965 - November 15th, 2018) The trumpeter worked with Harry Connick, Jr., Tito Puente, Dave Douglas, Celia Cruz, James Moody, David Murray, Jazz at Lincoln Center All- Stars, Paquito D’Rivera, Norah Jones, Joey DeFrancesco, Cleo Laine, Eddie Allen, Björkestra, Peter Hand and others and was lead trumpet for the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band and Mambo Legends Orchestra to go along with regular work in Broadway pit orchestras. Bryan died November 15th at 53. 

Masahiro Sayama (November 26th, 1953 - November 14th, 2018) The Japanese pianist had a slim leader discography for JVC, brief membership in the fusion band Prism in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s and again in the new millennium and sideman work in the Japanese jazzfunk- soul scenes with Katsuo Kuninaka, Shigeharu Mukai, Katsutoshi Morizono, Rie Akagi, Masato Honda and Naoko Terai. Sayama died November 14th at 64. 

Hiroaki Katayama (March 1st, 1951 - November 13th, 2018) The Japanese saxophonist worked with Keiki Midorikawa, Kazutoki Umezu, Yoshiaki Fujikawa, Aki Takase, Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Satoko Fujii and others to go along with leader albums for No Trunks, Omagatoki, Studio Wee and Chitei and voluminous credits in the horn section for Japanese rocker Kiyoshiro Imawano’s RC Succession. Katayama died November 13th at 67. 

Wolfgang Schlüter (November 12th, 1933 - November 12th, 2018) The German vibraphonist released collaborative albums for ECM, EMI, MPS, Mood, Jazz youNites Music, ACT, Skip, 678 and Extra from the ‘70s into the present day to complement his role as a sideman with Michael Naura, Rolf Kühn, Horst Jankowski, Albert Mangelsdorff, Lucky Thompson, Herb Geller, Peter Herbolzheimer, Volker Kriegel, NDR Bigband, George Gruntz, Mike Westbrook and others. Schlüter died November 12th at 85. 

Robert Shy (1939 - November 9th, 2018) The drumming stalwart of the Chicago jazz scene was a member of the ‘60s Windy City soul-jazz band The Three Souls, part of Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s early ‘70s bands, appearing on Bright Moments, Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle (the latter pair on Atlantic) and (I, Eye, Aye) - Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland 1972 (released in 1996 on Rhino) and sideman with fellow Chicagoans Willie Pickens, Michael Smith, Ed Peterson, Frank Catalano, Von Freeman and Harold Ousley. Shy died November 9th at 79. 

Roy Hargrove (October 16th, 1969 - November 2nd, 2018) The Grammy-winning trumpeter first appeared on record at 17 on the Arts Magnet High School, 1985- 86 Lab Singers album Dallas “Arts” Jazz 1986, then two years later burst on to the jazz scene as the youngest member of Don Sickler’s allstar band Superblue (Eponymous, Blue Note, 1988) and recording with Bobby Watson, Ricky Ford and Ralph Moore before debuting as a leader in 1990 for RCA-Novus (Diamond In The Rough), the first of over a dozen albums under his name for Novus, Verve, Universal and EmArcy, and leading his own big band, quintet, Crisol and RH Factor while making guest/sideman appearances on albums by Sonny Rollins, Antonio Hart, Teresa Brewer, Stephen Scott, Charles Fambrough, Rodney Kendrick, Slide Hampton, Carl Allen, Teodross Avery, Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Jimmy Smith, Marc Cary, Buckshot LeFonque, Shirley Horn, Curtis Lundy, Roy Haynes, Mike Stern, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, Abbey Lincoln, Steve Davis, Jimmy Cobb, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Cyrille Aimée, Jimmy Heath and numerous others. Hargrove died November 2nd at 49.

Sonny Fortune (May 19th, 1939 - October 25th, 2018) The saxophonist first recorded on a co-led session with fellow Philadelphian organ player Stan Hunter for Prestige in 1965, then, in 1967, moved to New York where he began a two-plus-year period with Mongo Santamaria, followed by work with George Benson, Roy Ayers and Melvin Sparks, a stint with McCoy Tyner during his Milestone period and an on-again, off-again association with Buddy Rich, then a transformative time in 1972-1975 when he began to work with Miles Davis, appearing on Big Fun, Get Up With It and Agharta, and made his debut as a leader for Strata-East, Long Before Our Mothers Cried, one of over 25 albums under his name for Horizon, Atlantic, Black and Blue, Konnex, Verve, Blue Note, Shanachie, Evidence, 18th & Vine and his own Sound Reason, as well as sideman dates for Pharoah Sanders, Alphonse Mouzon, Roy Brooks, Charles Sullivan, Horacee Arnold, Abdullah Ibrahim, Michael Carvin, Buster Williams, Charles Mingus, Kenny Barron, Klaus Doldinger, Herbie Mann, Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvin Jones, Mal Waldron and, in the new millennium, alongside Gary Bartz and Vincent Herring, The Three Altos group and a duet project with drummer Rashied Ali. Fortune died October 25th at 79. 

Chuck Wilson (Jul. 31st, 1948 - October 17th, 2018) The saxophonist worked with Buddy Rich, Ed Palermo, Loren Schoenberg, Howard Alden, Dan Barrett, Buck Clayton, Joey DeFrancesco, Bob Belden, Bobby Short, Randy Sandke, John Pizzarelli, Don Sebesky, Warren Vaché and others with a pair of albums under his own name. Wilson died October 17th at 70. 

Hüseyin Ertunç (July 11th, 1947 - October 14th, 2018) The Turkish drummer was a part of the Boston avant garde jazz scene in the ‘70s, working with brothers Michael Cosmic and Phill Musra in their projects and under his own name (reuniting in the ‘90s) and then returned to Turkey where he worked with young free ensemble Konstrukt and countryman percussionist Okay Temiz. Ertunç died October 14th at 71. 

Barry McRae (February 25th, 1935 - October 7th, 2018) The British jazz critic was a longtime contributor to Jazz Journal International, The Wire and Jazz Down Under, wrote liner notes for Deram, Freedom, SteepleChase, Affinity, Barclay, Bandstand, Candid, Charly, Maya, hatART, Emanem and other labels, authored biographies on Ornette Coleman and Dizzy Gillespie and The Jazz Cataclysm 1967 and The Jazz Handbook and was a broadcaster for the BBC’s Jazz on Three program. McRae died October 7th at 83.

Hamiet Bluiett (September 16th, 1940 - October 4th, 2018) The baritone saxophonist had over two dozen albums as a leader for India Navigation, Chiaroscuro, Soul Note, Black Saint, Tutu, Mapleshade, Delmark and Justin Time, credits with Paul Jeffrey, Abdullah Ibrahim, Charles Mingus, Anthony Braxton, Eddie Jefferson, Charles Bobo Shaw, Gil Evans, Lester Bowie, Beaver Harris and Julius Hemphill and, along with the latter, Oliver Lake and David Murray, co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet in 1977, a template for many bands to follow, with over 20 albums on Moers Music, Black Saint, Nonesuch and Justin Time. Bluiett died October 4th at 78. 

Don Payne (July 24th, 1932 - October 4th, 2018) The clarinetist worked with big bands of Jimmy Heath, Illinois Jacquet, Ken McIntyre, Carol Sudhalter and Ray Abrams, was a consultant for the annual Queens Jazz Festival and a beloved band instructor at Manhattan’s IS 218. Payne died October 4th at 86. 

John Von Ohlen (May 13th, 1941 - October 3rd, 2018) The drummer worked with Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd in 1968, Stan Kenton’s Orchestra in the ‘70s, had credits with Tim Hagans, The Blue Wisp Big Band, Bobby Shew, Mel Tormé and others and a big band co-led with pianist Steve Allee with albums on Mopro and Sea Breeze. Von Ohlen died October 3rd at 77. 

Mike Panico (August 30th, 1965 - October 2nd, 2018) The stalwart of the New York City jazz scene ran, along with Kevin Reilly, the highly esteemed Relative Pitch label, active since 2001 with over 75 releases covering the local, national and world avant garde scenes, from veterans to up-and-comers. Panico died October 2nd at 53. 

Jerry Gonzalez (June 5th, 1949 - October 1st, 2018) The trumpeter was leader of The Fort Apache Band (with albums on Enja, Sunnyside, Milestone and Random Chance), founding member of Libre (with releases on Salsoul and Milestone) and had voluminous credits since the ‘70s with Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Palmieri, Clifford Thornton, The Salsoul Orchestra, McCoy Tyner, Tito Puente, Abbey Lincoln, James Williams, Airto Moreira, Kirk Lightsey, Steve Turre, Hilton Ruiz, Jaco Pastorius, Kenny Kirkland, Don Byron, Arturo O’Farrill, Sonny Fortune, Roy Haynes, Joseph Daley and many others. Gonzalez died October 1st at 69. 

Zipflo Weinrich (June 16th, 1964 - September 23rd, 2018) The Austrian violinist was part of the modern European Gypsy jazz revival with albums by his quartet and quintet on Groove, RST, Austro-Star, Document and Jive from the early ‘80s onward. Weinrich died September 23rd at 54.

Max Bennett (May 24th, 1928 - September 14th, 2018) The bassist’s career started out in West Coast jazz with albums on Bethlehem and work under Charlie Mariano, Bill Holman, Stan Levy, Bob Cooper, Stan Kenton, Frank Rosolino, Terry Gibbs, Lou Levy, and others in the second half of the ‘50s before a switch to voluminous session work in the rock world, most notably on Frank Zappa’s 1969 album Hot Rats. Bennett died September 14th at 90. 

Erich Kleinschuster (January 23rd, 1930 - September 12th, 2018) The Austrian trombonist was a member of the famed International Youth Band at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, co-leader of the Austrian Broadcasting Company’s ORF Big Band for much of its 11-year existence from 1971-82, participant in big band sessions led by Friedrich Gulda, Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland, Peter Herbolzheimer, Václav Zahradník, Hans Koller, Mani Planzer and George Gruntz, on the roster of MPS‘ allstar The Band, had sideman appearances with Art Farmer, Fritz Pauer, John Surman and others and albums as a leader on Columbia, MPS and Preiser. Kleinschuster died September 12th at 88. 

Ira Sabin (August 10th, 1928 - September 12th, 2018) The one-time jazz drummer went on to produce concerts in the ‘50s by various jazz luminaries, turned his Washington, DC store Sabin’s Discount Records into one of the capital’s jazz hubs during the ‘60s and published the Radio Free Jazz newsletter from 1970-80, when it transformed into the award-winning music journal JazzTimes. Sabin died September 12th at 90. 

Ahmadu Jah (May 31st, 1936 - September 11th, 2018) The Sierra Leonean drummer (and father to vocalist Neneh Cherry) was part of Sweden’s ‘70s AfroBeat scene and also worked with Nils Sandström, Berndt Egerbladh, Lars Gullin, Monica Zetterlund and Pierre Dørge. Jah died September 11th at 82. 

Randy Weston (April 6th, 1926 - September 1st, 2018) The pianist and NEA Jazz Master, among the giants, both figuratively and literally (he stood 6’8”), was inspired by his restaurateur father to be aware of his African heritage, then, after a stint in the army, took over his father’s Brooklyn restaurant (a destination for many of the city’s jazz musicians where Weston absorbed all of their experience, especially that of his close friend Thelonious Monk), followed by studies at the Music Inn in Lenox, Mass. and inaugurating the modern jazz series of Orrin Keepnews’ Riverside Records in 1954, the first of dozens more albums for Riverside, Jubilee, Dawn, United Artists, Colpix, Bakton, Polydor, CTI, Arista, Owl, Milestone, Cora, Kudu, Verve, Roulette, Sunnyside, Motéma, Universal and, most recently, his own African Rhythms label, many featuring his compositions, some, like “Hi-Fly”, now jazz standards recorded by hundreds of artists. Weston died September 1st at 92.

Jimmy Wilkins (1921 - August 24th, 2018) The trombonist was a staple of the Count Basie Orchestra in the early ‘50s (for which his younger brother Ernie played tenor saxophone and wrote arrangements) and also worked in the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry, had a number of credits as a Motown session musician and led a big band in Nevada in the new millennium. Wilkins died August 24th at 97. 

Tad Weed (May 5th, 1957 - August 22nd, 2018) The pianist, a respected educator at the University of Toledo, didn’t have a massive discography but it was impressive for its range, with solo recordings and a tribute to Gene Harris alongside appearances with Kim Richmond, Dick Berk, Ron Blakeslee, Vinny Golia, Paul VornHagen and Dave Bennett. Weed died August 22nd at 61. 

Jack Costanzo (September 24th, 1919 - August 18th, 2018) The percussionist’s nickname was Mr. Bongo, a tribute to his role in popularizing the instrument in post-WWII jazz, whether it be on his own dozen-plus albums for Norgran, Liberty, Fontana, GNP-Crescendo, Clarion, Tico and Cubop or in the bands of Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole, Howard Rumsey, Marty Paich, Buddy Rich, Pete Rugolo, Buddy Cole and many others. Costanzo died August 18th at 98. 

Jean Kittrell (June 27th, 1927 - August 14th, 2018) The vocalist/pianist got her start alongside her trumpeter husband Ed Kittrell in their Chesapeake Bay Jass Band and then later as part of the Chicago Stompers, going on to perform with Tony Parenti’s Blues Blowers, The Boll Weevils, The St. Louis Rivermen, Dan Haven’s Mississippi Mudcats and Preservation Hall Jazz Band, all while holding down a day gig as a literature professor at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville. Kittrell died August 14th at 91. 

Ken Pickering (February 22nd, 1952 - August 10th, 2018) The co-founder and Artistic Director of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival since its inception in the mid ‘80s had jobs in local radio stations and was also owner of the shop Black Swan Records, catering to the city’s jazz fans, then, along with John Orysik, a childhood friend and fellow jazz lover, co-founded the Vancouver Jazz Festival and the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society (CJBS) in 1985, the first edition of the festival modest by today’s standards but its success generating momentum and, most importantly, sponsorship interest, the next year redubbed the Du Maurier International Jazz Festival, acts over the subsequent decades demonstrating Pickering’s wide-ranging taste and ambitious vision: “To establish Vancouver as a centre for the creation and exchange of sounds and ideas between the local, national, and international music communities.” Pickering died August 10th at 66. 

Paul Broadnax (January 27th, 1926 - August 1st, 2018) The New England jazz staple lent his piano and vocals to albums by Jeanne Lee and Rebecca Parris, as well as his own 1993-94 album It’s About Time (Brownstone), a tribute to his contemporary Joe Williams, and also worked alongside Lionel Hampton and trumpeter Clark Terry. Broadnax died August 1st at 92. 

Tomasz Stańko (July 11th, 1942 - July 29th, 2018) The Polish trumpeter was one of the most significant of Europe’s jazz exports, first as part of the Krzysztof Komeda Quintet, then with Jazz Studio Orchestra of the Polish Radio, Globe Unity Orchestra, Don Cherry, Edward Vesala, Gary Peacock, Cecil Taylor and Jazzbaltica Ensemble and albums for Polskie Nagrania, JG, Calig, Leo, ITM, Utopia, Power Bros., GOWI and, most importantly, ECM, for which he first recorded in 1975 and then regularly from 1994 onward. Stańko died July 29th at 76. 

Glenn Davis (1940 - July 23rd, 2018) The drummer recorded with Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Frank Foster, Marian McPartland and Phil Markowitz as well as two leader releases for Jazzed Media, one with guest saxophonist Phil Woods. Davis died July 23rd at 78. 

Paulo Cardoso (July 25th, 1953 - July 21st, 2018) The Brazilian bassist was in the groups of German pianist Klaus Ignatzek and Austrian guitarist Karl Ratzer as well as Mal Waldron and Al Cohn and had a couple of releases as a leader. Cardoso died July 21st at 64. 

Les Lieber (March 16th, 1912 - July 10th, 2018) The saxophonist briefly played with Django Reinhardt in WWII Paris but served jazz in a much longer capacity with his New York City Jazz at Noon series, a weekly platform for non-career jazz players from 1965 well into the new millennium. Lieber died July 10th at 106. 

Ronnie Beer (1941 - ~ July 7th, 2018) The South African saxophonist was part of his country’s nascent jazz scene in the ‘60s, working as a leader and in the bands of Chris McGregor and Barney Rachabane, and later its diaspora in Europe, again with McGregor but also Sunny Murray, Kenneth Terroade and Alan Silva. Beer died ~July 7th at 77.

Richard Ring (April 14th, 1938 - July 6th, 2018) The Canadian guitarist was a stalwart of the Montréal jazz scene who worked with his wife vocalist Ranee Lee, Lee Gagnon, André Gagnon, Denny Christianson and Guy Lemaire. Ring died July 6th at 80. 

Finn Slumstrup (October 6th, 1941 - July 5th, 2018) The Chairman of the Danish Music Council and board member of the Center for Danish Jazz History was, decades earlier, drummer for countryman pianist Tom Prehn’s quartet. Slumstrup died July 5th at 76. 

Richard Voigt (August 14th, 1935 - July 4th, 2018) The pianist worked with the Peppermill, Creole Cookin’ and his own Big Apple jazz bands but is most noted for founding Eli’s Chosen Six in the mid ‘50s, featuring future stars trombonist Roswell Rudd and bassist Buell Neidlinger. Voigt died July 4th at 82. 

Henry Butler (September 21st, 1948 - July 2nd, 2018) The blind pianist and singer began his recording career in 1986-87 for the then-recently revived Impulse label (under the MCA umbrella), the intervening decades seeing albums for Windham Hill, Atlantic, Alligator, Black Top and, in the new millennium, a threesome for his hometown label Basin Street, followed by a 2014 return to Impulse with The Hot 9, co-led with slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein. Butler died July 2nd at 69. 

Bill Watrous (June 8th, 1939 - July 2nd, 2018) The trombonist’s first credits were with Sarah Vaughan, Maynard Ferguson, Wes Montgomery and a number of sessions under fellow trombonist Kai Winding in the ‘60s, then Bob Dorough, Deodato, Dakota Staton, Mike Gibbs, Chick Corea and others in the ‘70s, the same decade he founded his big band Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, which released two albums on Columbia, part of a solid leader discography for MTA, Famous Door, MPS, Mole Jazz, Atlas, Soundwings, GNP and Summit. Watrous died July 2nd at 79. 

Dewey Johnson (November 6th, 1939 - June 27th, 2018) The trumpeter worked with Paul Bley, Rashied Ali, Paul Murphy and, most notably, with John Coltrane on his 1965 Ascension album. Johnson died June 27th at 78. 

Big Bill Bissonnette (February 5th, 1937 - June 26th, 2018) The trombonist was a champion of jazz from his adopted home of New Orleans, performing regularly and documenting a wide array of local musicians on his Jazz Crusade label, which was active since the mid ‘60s and later expanded to include the trad scene of Britain. Bissonnette died June 26th at 81. 

Rebecca Parris (December 28th, 1951 -  June 17th, 2018) The vocalist made albums under her own name for Weston Blair, Koch, Shira and Saying It With Jazz and in collaboration with Gary Burton, 1994’s It’s Another Day, for GRP. Parris died June 17th at 66. 

Jon Hiseman (June 21st, 1944 - June 12th, 2018). The British drummer was one of the stars of European jazz and fusion, working with pianists Mike Taylor, Howard Riley and Pete Lemer early on, founding jazz-rock bands Colosseum in 1968 and Tempest in 1973 and appearing on albums by Jack Bruce, Colosseum bandmate Dick Heckstall-Smith, Wolfgang Dauner, Volker Kriegel, The United Jazz+Rock Ensemble, wife Barbara Thompson and others to go along with a smattering of albums as a leader. Hiseman died June 12th at 73. 

Wayne Dockery (June 27th, 1941 - June 11th, 2018) The bassist was active from the mid ‘70s, working with Sonny Fortune, George Benson, Hal Galper, Billy Harper, Freddie Hubbard, Junior Cook, Eddie Henderson, Archie Shepp, Sunny Murray, Odean Pope, Kali Z. Fasteau and others. Dockery died June 11th at 76. 

Lorraine Gordon (October 15th, 1922 - June 9th, 2018) Gordon died June 9th at 95. The jazz matriarch and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master for Jazz Advocacy in 2013 who ruled over her fiefdom at the Village Vanguard from a reserved corner table for decades, began her life in jazz with another chapter as wife to Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion and crucial to its early efforts, working as a bookkeeper, artist promoter and helping build its roster, notably pianist Thelonious Monk, then, after she and Lion divorced, marrying Max Gordon, around the point when his Village Vanguard had moved from its early bohemian roots to its now-revered place in the jazz firmament as the longest-running jazz club in the world, becoming involved with the business of the club when Max’ health began to fail and, after his death in 1989, taking over operations of the club, which is now run by their daughter Deborah.

Brian Browne (March 16th, 1937 - June 5th, 2018) The Canadian pianist was a stalwart up north, making records for RCA Victor, Capitol and CBC, then falling into obscurity via substance abuse but reemerging to great acclaim on the Ottawa jazz scene over the past two decades. Browne died June 5th at 81. 

Norman Edge (April 29th, 1934 - June 4th, 2018) The bassist was a member of pianist Morris Nanton’s trio in the ‘60s, appearing on several Prestige dates, but had more exposure for his work on Gene Ammons’ 1962 Prestige album Bad! Bossa Nova. Edge died June 4th at 84.

Ali Haurand (November 15th, 1943 - May 28th, 2018) The German bassist, whose earliest work was with Dutch pianist Jan Huydts’ trio, founded Third Eye, was one-third of SOH with Alan Skidmore and Tony Oxley, one-fourth of The Quartet, led the various iterations of the European Jazz Quintet/Ensemble since the mid ‘70s, which recorded prolifically for Konnex, and had a pair of unaccompanied albums in the '70s for Metram and Ring. Haurand died May 28th at 74. 

Reggie Lucas (February 25th, 1953 - May 19th, 2018) The noted producer and composer with hits for Madonna, Roberta Flack and others inhabited the jazz firmament for his guitar playing with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1972-76, appearing on Get Up With It, followed by Miles Davis In Concert, Dark Magus, Agharta and Pangaea, concurrent with work under Carlos Garnett, Norman Connors, Gary Bartz and Lonnie Liston Smith, his time with Davis yielding greater success through meeting percussionist James Mtume, the pair collaborating through the early ‘80s, then amassing hundreds of credits through the decades as a composer and producer on his own, leaving little time for his own work: 1975’s Survival Themes (East Wind) and funk-soul project Sunfire (Warner Bros. in 1982). Lucas died May 19th at 65. 

Jack Reilly (January 1st, 1932 - May 18th, 2018) The pianist, whose later career was in music education as chair of Jazz Studies at New England Conservatory of Music, New School and Mannes College of Music and author of The Harmony of Bill Evans and Species Blues series, had a handful of recording credits over the years with John LaPorta, George Russell and his own albums. Reilly died May 18th at 86. 

Harald Hult (1941 - May 17th, 2018) The purveyor of the famed Andra Jazz record shop in Stockholm and producer/owner of Blue Tower Records is credited as a musical mentor by saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. Hult died May 17th at 77. 

Harry Spencer (1940 - May 12th, 2018) The saxophonist, born in Wilmington, DE, had a career up north, most notably with Sun Ra (appearing on 1965’s The Magic City), before returning home to become a respected educator. Spencer died May 12th at 78. 

Mikhail Alperin (November 7th, 1956 - May 11th, 2018) The Soviet pianist, based in Norway since the ‘90s, founded one of the first jazz groups in Moldova, was one-third of the Moscow Art Trio (MAT) and had releases on ECM with MAT partner Arkady Shilkloper, John Surman, Anja Lechner and others. Alperin died May 11th at 64. 

Roy Burns (November 30th, 1935 - May 5th, 2018) The drummer worked with Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Woody Herman, Roland Hanna, Chubby Jackson, Charlie Shavers, Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader and Jimmy Rushing and had albums in the ‘60s-70s on Roulette, Alfred Music and First Place Music. Burns died May 5th at 82. 

Philip Tabane (March 25th, 1934 - May 4th, 2018) The South African guitarist led the Malombo band (a training ground for a number of celebrated musicians such as Mabi Thobejane and Oupa Mahapi Monareng), which released albums from the ‘60s-90s, and received the South Africa Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Prize. Tabane died May 4th at 84.  

Brooks Kerr (December 26th, 1951 - April 28th, 2018) The pianist was a devoted student of Ellingtonia (as well as Fats Waller and Irving Berlin), whose encyclopedic knowledge of Ellington’s music led to a friendship with his idol and whose own albums for Famous Door, Chiaroscuro and Blue Wail often featured former Ellington sidemen. Kerr died April 28th at 66.

Gildo Mahones (June 29th, 1929 - April 27th, 2018) Though the pianist didn’t record often as a leader (two mid ‘60s Prestige dates and then a pair in 1990 and 2006 for Interplay and Pony Canyon, respectively), he was part of Les Jazz Modes and worked under Lester Young, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (and Jon Hendricks separately), Ted Curson, Frank Wess, Booker Ervin, Pony Poindexter, Jimmy Witherspoon and a number of others. Mahones died April 27th at 88.

Howard Williams (~1929 - April 24th, 2018) The pianist recorded alongside John Coltrane on Wilbur Harden’s Tanganyika Strut (Savoy, 1958) but had a more lasting influence as the leader of his jazz orchestra, in residence at New York's now-defunct The Garage for almost 20 years. Williams died April 24th at 88. 

Bob Dorough (December 12th, 1923 - April 23rd, 2018) The pianist/vocalist, most known in the popular consciousness for the Schoolhouse Rock! TV series and and as a significant influence on several generations of jazz singers, debuted as a leader in 1956 for Bethlehem and continued to release albums over the decades for Audiophile, Blue Note, Arbors, Enja and other labels while his many compositions—most notably “I’m Hip” co-written with David Frishberg—have been covered by hundreds of artists from Nellie McKay and Sérgio Mendes to Mel Tormé and Blossom Dearie. Dorough died Apr. 23rd at 94.

Art Simmons (February 5th, 1926 - April 23rd, 2018) The pianist settled in Paris after his service during World War II, recording for various European labels under the leadership of James Moody, Don Byas, Dizzy Gillespie, Nelson Williams, Eddie Barclay and others while releasing his own albums as a leader and in partnership with French fellow pianist Jack Diéval. Simmons died April 23rd at 92.

Stan Reynolds (January 16, 1926 - April 14, 2018) The British trumpeter had credits with Ted Heath, Kenny Baker, Johnny King and Tony Bennett to go along with a handful of albums on Philips, Saga and Marble Arch. Reynolds died April 14th at 92.

Bob Feldman (November 28th, 1938 - April 8th, 2018) The saxophonist anonymously appeared as himself in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film The Conversation after having worked in New York with a wide array of bands, eventually releasing a pair of albums, of which 2005’s Triplicity (One Soul) featured drummer Walter Perkins. Feldman died April 8th at 79.

Nathan Davis (February 15th, 1937 - April 8th, 2018) The saxophonist, known in his later years as a respected educator at the University of Pittsburgh after returning to the States from a long sojourn in Europe, released several albums on SABA, MPS, SFP, Polydor, Segué and other labels to go along with sideman work with Eric Dolphy, Larry Young, Jef Gilson, George Gruntz, Dusko Goykovich, Clifford Thornton, Slide Hampton and membership in the Paris Reunion Band. Davis died April 8th at 81.

Lee Jeske (September 15th, 1955 - April 8th, 2018) The journalist and jazz critic had credits as a liner notes writer for Soul Note, Black Saint, Timeless, Fantasy, Palo Alto, Red, Uptown, Blue Note, Sunnyside, CBS, hatART, Mercury, Columbia, DIW, Milestone and CAM Jazz. Jeske died April 8th at 62.

John Miles (June 14th, 1943 - April 8th, 2018) The British former Formula 1 driver went on to found Miles Music, releasing over a dozen albums by English jazz musicians like Peter King, Alan Skidmore, Guy Barker, Mick Pyne and Dick Morrissey as well as an archival Tubby Hayes set. Miles died April 8th at 75.

Butch Lacy (April 16th, 1947 - April 5th, 2018) The pianist had a new millenium solo album on Stunt and worked with Art Pepper, Bill Reichenback, Linda Peterson, Bob Rockwell, Bobby Shew, Chet Baker, Red Rodney, Gary Bartz, Putte Wickman, Brian Melvin, Ole Olsen, Lee Konitz, Palle Mikkelborg, Bo Jacobsen, Jesper Løvdal and Klüvers Big Band. Lacy died April 5th at 70. 

Cecil Taylor (March 15th, 1929 - April 5th, 2018) The pianist, NEA Jazz Master, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow and Kyoto Prize Winner, though born in Queens and dying in Brooklyn, had unparalleled influence worldwide for his music advances, as evidenced by dozens of albums on Candid, Transition, Contemporary, United Artists, Debut, Blue Note, Shandar, Trio, Freedom, Enja, FMP, New World, MPS, hatHUT, Soul Note, Leo, Triple Point and other labels, work with numerous fellow pioneers of the avant garde, including dancers and poets, and influence on generations of musicians, drawn to his inimitable style and groundbreaking concepts, whether solo, in long-standing small ensembles and later his big band. Taylor died April 5th at 89.  

Hermann Keller (March 30th, 1945 - March 26th, 2018) The German pianist’s later work was mostly as a composer but he had credits with the Berliner Improvisations-Quartett, Michael Sell Orchester and Manfred Schulze Formation. Keller died March 26th at 72. 

Paul Cram (August 11th, 1952 - March 20th, 2018) The Canadian saxophonist with albums on Onari, Apparition, Justin Time, Spool and Victo founded the Solar System Saxophone and Benghazi saxophone quartets as well as the new music organization Upstream Music Association, based in Nova Scotia. Cram died March 20th at 65. 

Frans Van Dyck (October 31st, 1923 - March 17th, 2018) The Belgian trombonist worked with countrymen like Bobby Jaspar and Jack Sels, fellow Europeans like Ernst van’t Hoff and Kurt Edelhagen and Americans such as Jiggs Whigham and Slide Hampton. Van Dyke died March 17th at 94.

Buell Neidlinger (March 2nd, 1936 - March 16th, 2018) The bassist, during a short period at Yale University, was a part of Eli’s Chosen Six with trombonist Roswell Rudd (the pair were childhood friends from summers spent in Rudd’s Connecticut home and gigging around during high school in bands that included Herbie Nichols), then returned home to New York, where he soon met up with Steve Lacy and Cecil Taylor, both of whom (plus Rudd) were on Neidlinger’s debut as a leader, New York City R&B (Candid, 1961), going on to appear on Taylor, Lacy and Jimmy Giuffre albums between 1956-61, followed in the later ‘60s and beyond with credits under Jean-Luc Ponty, Andrew White, Diane Schuur, Les McCann, Ivo Perelman, The Manhattan Transfer and Anthony Braxton, all this activity conccurent with work in the contemporary classical field and and, as principal bassist for the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra, credits with a host of rock and pop acts. Neidlinger died March 16th at 82. 

Jerzy Milian (April 10th, 1935 - March 7th, 2018) The Polish vibraphonist veered from easy listening to avant garde jazz, as well as music written for radio big bands and television, and worked in the bands of countrymen Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski and Krzysztof Komeda as well as Czech bandleader Gustav Brom. Milian died March 7th at 82. 

Errol Buddle (April 29th, 1928 - February 22nd, 2018) The Australian reed player was credited with recording the first jazz solo on bassoon in the early ‘50s, was a stalwart of the Australian Jazz Quartet and Quintet, groups that made several albums for Bethlehem in the ‘50s, had his own albums on His Master’s Voice, M7, Brook and Powderworks and credits with Jack Brockensha, Don Burrows, John Sangster and others. Buddle died February 22nd at 89. 

Didier Lockwood (February 11th, 1956 - February 18th, 2018) The French violinist was heir to the Gallic tradition of Stéphane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty, recording albums for JMS, Gramavision, Dreyfus, Frémeaux & Associés and Universal-France as well as having a  diverse sideman discography with Magma, Gong, Henri Texier, Jasper van’t Hof, Billy Hart, Leni Stern, Michel Portal, Martial Solal, Bernd Konrad, Orchestre National De Jazz Luxembourg, Biréli Lagrène and others. Lockwood died February 18th at 62. 

Heiner Stadler (April 9th, 1942-February 18th) The German-born/U.S.-based composer made interesting contributions to mid ‘60s-late ‘70s jazz via albums featuring a wide array of accomplished jazz musicians, his first output the two volumes of Brains on Fire, recorded between 1966-73 with such musicians as Reggie Workman, Lenny White, Tyrone Washington, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown, Don Friedman and Barre Phillips and released in editions of 500 on his newly-minted Labor Records, followed by Jazz Alchemy in 1975, a trio session with trumpeter Charles McGhee, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Brian Brake and his best-known work, 1978’s A Tribute To Monk And Bird, lengthy reimaginings of pieces by the two jazz legends released on Tomato Records and performed by Thad Jones, George Adams, George Lewis, Cecil Bridgewater, Stanley Cowell, Warren Smith, Workman and White, then continuing to run Labor Records and act as a producer for music as varied as Bach to John Lee Hooker and John Cage. Stadler died February 18th at 75.

Robert Sunenblick (February 9th, 1943 - February 17th, 2018). The doctor, who was born in New York but made his practice up north in Montréal, Canada, founded Uptown Records in the late ‘70s with a live date by saxophonist Eddie Berger, going on to produce over 60 albums by Barry Harris, Don Sickler, Freddie Redd, Kenny Barron and others to go along with archival releases from Charlie Parker, Gigi Gryce, J.R. Monterose, Kenny Dorham and Oscar Pettiford. Sunenblick died February 17th at 75. 

Uwe Werner (December 28th, 1955 - February 13th, 2018) The German saxophonist led his own quintet and was a part of ‘90s group Südpool, which was sponsored by the State of Baden-Württemberg and recorded several albums for L+R. Werner died. February 13th at 62. 

Alain Rellay (1936 - February 9th, 2018) The French saxophonist was a part of the avant jazz collective La Marmite Infernale and big band POTƎMKINƎ and recorded with countrymen such as Louis Sclavis and Patrick Vollat. Rellay died February 9th at 81. 

Wesla Whitfield (September 15th, 1947 - February 9th, 2018) The Great American Songbook singer’s career was almost derailed by a shooting assault that left her paralyzed but she went on to record albums from the late ‘80s onward for Landmark and, from 1997 on, HighNote, usually in collaboration with her pianist husband Mike Greensill. Whitfield died February 9th at 70. 

Leon Ndugu Chancler (July 1st, 1952 - February 3rd, 2018) The drummer had few credits as a leader but a voluminous discography of hundreds of sessions starting in the early ‘70s with Bobby Hutcherson, Mwandishi, John Carter, Eddie Harris, Joe Henderson, George Duke, Patrice Rushen, middle-period Weather Report, Jean-Luc Ponty, Alphonso Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Gato Barbieri, Maynard Ferguson, Stanley Clarke, Hubert Laws, The Crusaders and numerous pop credits, including Michael Jackson’s Bad. Chancler died February 3rd at 65. 

Coco Schumann (May 14th, 1924 - January 28th, 2018) The German guitarist’s career was interrupted by World War II when he was sent to concentration camps as a Jew and forced to perform for Nazi officers but went on to work from the ‘50s onward. Schumann died January 28th at 93. 

Hugh Masekela (April 4th, 1939 - January 23rd, 2018) The trumpeter, among the most famed musicians of his native South Africa, was inspired by American cinema and jazz—Kirk Douglas in Young Man with a Horn, a movie loosely based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke and featuring trumpet by Harry James—to take up the trumpet, working during Apartheid as a member of The Jazz Epistles and vocalist/future wife Miriam Makeba but fleeing the oppressive regime to enter the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) in 1960 with the assistance of singer Harry Belafonte then, within two years of his move, releasing his debut album for Mercury, Trumpet Africaine, going on to record for MGM, Uni, Chisa (his own label run with producer Stewart Levine, whom Masekela met at MSM), Blue Thumb, Casablanca, A&M, Novus, Columbia and Universal South Africa, also appearing on albums by Belafonte, Eric Gale, Hamiet Bluiett, Dave Grusin and, in the pop/rock world, The Byrds, Bob Marley, Paul Simon and Cyndi Lauper. Masekela died January 23rd at 78. 

Tommy Banks (December 17th, 1936 - January 25th, 2018) The Canadian pianist had credits with Pepper Adams, P.J. Perry, George Haden, Cheryl Fisher and Al Muirhead and led a big band. Banks died January 25th at 81.

Frank Smith (August 25th, 1936 - January 15th, 2018) The saxophonist and woodwind player was part of the avant garde jazz scene of ‘60s New York though only appearing on a single track of Burton Greene’s eponymous 1966 ESPDisk’ album and, decades later on the Revenant boxed set Holy Ghost, with the same band playing with Albert Ayler. Smith died January 15th at 82. 

Bill Hughes (March 28th, 1930 - January 14th, 2018) The trombonist began playing with Count Basie in 1953, making dozens of albums and, after Basie’s 1984 death, leading the band from 2003-10, as well as featuring on a trombone-centric Savoy album from 1956 and recording with Osie Johnson, Al Grey, Oliver Nelson, The Manhattan Transfer, Lena Horne and others. Hughes died January 14th at 87. 

Bill Moody (September 27th, 1941 - January 14th, 2018) Though the drummer’s discography was slight, a handful of albums with Dick Fregulia, Hans Koller, Dick Conte, Terry Henry and Susan Sutton, he contributed to jazz in a different way through the seven books in his Evan Horne jazz mystery series. Moody died January 14th at 76. 

Marlene Verplanck (November 11th, 1933 - January 14th, 2018) The vocalist (and accomplished jingle artist, particularly for the Campbell Soup Company) recorded for Savoy in 1956, Mounted in the late ‘60s and Audiophile in the ‘80s and again in the new millennium and had credits with J.J. Johnson and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. VerPlanck died January 14th at 84.

Robert Barry (December 4th, 1932 - January 8th, 2018) The drummer worked with Sun Ra prior to the formation of his Arkestra, which he was then a member of off and on in the ‘50s-60s, and also had a period credit with Richard Evans then, decades later, guest spots with Ira Sullivan, Ken Vandermark and Fred Anderson. Barry died January 8th at 85. 

Wilbert Longmire (December 10th, 1940 - January 3rd, 2018) The soul-jazz guitarist had releases on World Pacific, Astra, J&M and Tappan Zee and credits with Jean- Luc Ponty, Gerald Wilson, Rusty Bryant, mostly in the ‘70s. Longmire died January 3rd at 77.