MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN NOVEMBER 2021
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN NOVEMBER 2021
NOVEMBER 1
NELSON FREIRE (77) / BRAZILIAN CLASSICAL PIANIST. STARTED PLAYING PIANO AT 3, FIRST RECITAL AT 4. IN 1957, AT 12, HE WAS ONE OF THE WINNERS OF THE RIO DE JANEIRO INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION ORGANIZED BY THE POLISH PIANIST ALEKSANDER SIENKIEWICZ. NELSON FREIRE WORKED WITH HIS FRIEND MARTHA ARGERICH FOR A LONG TIME. HE LIKED PLAYING AND RECORDING VILLA-LOBOS AND CHOPIN. FREIRE REMEMBERED THE "MAGIC DAY" WHEN HE AND MARTHA ARGERICH MET THE POLISH PIANIST ARTUR RUBINSTEIN.
PAT MARTINO (77) / BORN PATRICK AZZARA, AMERICAN VIRTUOSO JAZZ ELECTRIC GUITARIST AND COMPOSER. FATHER STUDIED GUITAR WITH EDDIE LANG. BORN IN PHILADELPHIA, IN EARLY TEENS MET WES MONTGOMERY AND JOHN COLTRANE (THEY HAD THE SAME TEACHER). WAS A PART OF THE ROCK SCENE IN PHILLY. AT 15 MARTINO MOVED TO NYC TO BE A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN. FOR SOME TIME LIVED WITH LES PAUL. PLAYED MAINLY AT SMALLS' PARADISE AND AT THE CLUB HARLEM IN JERSEY CITY. PLAYED WITH SONNY STITT, GENE AMMONS, WOODY HERMAN, JOHN HANDY, BOBBY HUTCHERSON, CHICK COREA, BILLY HART, CHUCK ISRAELS. HE OFTEN WORKED WITH JAZZ ORGANISTS LIKE JIMMY SMITH, JACK McDUFF, CHARLES EARLAND (HIS HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND), RICHARD "GROOVE" HOLMES, TRUDY PITTS, DON PATTERSON, GENE LUDWIG, JOEY DeFRANCESCO. IN 1980, PAT MARTINO SUFFERED A SEVERE BRAIN ANEURYSM, WHICH ALMOST KILLED HIM. HE LOST HIS MEMORY AND COULD NOT PLAY THE GUITAR. HE HAD TO RELEARN HOW TO PLAY, STARTING FROM ZERO. IN 2011 PAT MARTINO PUBLISHED HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY HERE AND NOW WRITTEN WITH BILL MILKOWSKI. SINCE HIS LAST TOUR IN ITALY IN 2018 HE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO PLAY THE GUITAR AND HAD TO BREATHE USING OXYGEN.
EMMETT CHAPMAN (85) / AMERICAN JAZZ MUSICIAN, GUITARIST, INVENTOR OF THE CHAPMAN STICK. IN THE LATE 1960s PLAYED WITH BARNEY KESSEL AND TIM BUCKLEY. IN 1969 CREATED HIS NINE-STRING "FREEDOM GUITAR" PLAYED USING "FREE HANDS" TAPPING METHOD. TO PRODUCE CHAPMAN STICK HE FOUNDED STICK ENTERPRISES IN 1974 AND HAS MADE OVER 6,000 INSTRUMENTS SINCE. CHAPMAN STICK IS A FULLY POLYPHONIC CHORDAL INSTRUMENT USED TO PLAY BASS LINES, MELODY LINES, CHORDS, TEXTURES. SOME OF THE EARLY MASTERS WERE ALPHONSO JOHNSON (WEATHER REPORT, SANTANA) AND TONY LEVIN (KING CRIMSON, PETER GABRIEL, YES, PINK FLOYD). TONY LEVIN ALSO PLAYS IN THE PROG SUPER TRIO STICK MEN FOUNDED BY DRUMMER PAT MASTELOTTO (DRUMS AND TWO CHAPMAN STICKS). LATER ALSO MIKE OLDFIELD, TREY GUNN, PINO PALLADINO, JEFF PEARCE, JEFF AMENT (PEARL JAM), SEAN MALONE (CYNIC, DIED DECEMBER 7, 2020).
NOVEMBER 3
JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ (78) / POLISH COMPOSER. STUDIED AT THE STATE HIGHER SCHOOL OF MUSIC (COMPOSITION WITH KAZIMIERZ SIKORSKI AND PIANO, M.A. IN 1966). THEN IN PARIS WITH NADIA BOULANGER, OLIVIER MESSIAEN, PIERRE SCHAEFFER (1968-1970). JOINED ELECTROACOUSTIC GROUPE DE RECHERCHES MUSICALES. DOCTORAL THESIS MATHEMATICS AND LOGIC IN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AT THE SORBONNE. JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ WROTE OPERAS, SYMPHONIC AND CHAMBER MUSIC, SCORES FOR FILM AND TELEVISION, PIECES FOR CHILDREN. SHE ALSO USED POETRY (KONSTANTY ILDEFONS GAŁCZYŃSKI, CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ, PAUL ELUARD). COMPOSED SOUNDTRACKS FOR FILMS BY HER FRIEND AGNÈS VARDA. ONE IMPORTANT EXAMPLE IS A DOCUDRAMA / FANTASY FILM JANE B. PAR AGNÈS V. FROM 1988. IN 1991 MILAN RECORD LABEL RELEASED THE ALBUM JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ - MUSIQUE POUR LES FILMS DE AGNÈS VARDA INCLUDING HER COMPOSITIONS FOR SANS TOIT NI LOI, KUNG-FU MASTER, JANE B. PAR AGNÈS V., JACQUOT DE NANTES. JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ LOVED TO COMPOSE FOR SAXOPHONE, HER FAVOURITE INSTRUMENT ("TRAMUNTANA" QUINTET FOR SAXOPHONE AND STRING QUARTET, 2006).
NOVEMBER 6
ASTRO (64) / AKA TERENCE WILSON, BRITISH VOCALIST, RAPPER AND TOASTER, EARLY MEMBER OF UB40. ASTRO WORKED WITH UB40 FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS (1979-2013). DURING THAT TIME THEIR BIG HITS "RED RED WINE" AND "(I CAN'T HELP) FALLING IN LOVE" WERE #1 IN THE US AND UK. THEY HAD 17 TOP 10 HITS IN THE UK, OCCUPYING THE UK CHARTS IN THE 1980s FOR THE RECORD 214 WEEKS, THEIR ONLY RIVAL BEING THE SKA BAND MADNESS (ALSO 214 WEEKS). ONE OF THEIR BIG HITS WAS A COVER OF "I GOT YOU BABE" RECORDED WITH CHRISSIE HYNDE OF THE PRETENDERS. ASTRO MADE 18 ALBUMS WITH UB40 AND LEFT IN 2013 TO JOIN ALI CAMPBELL AND MICKEY VIRTUE TO FORM A NEW BAND UB40 WITH ASTRO AND VIRTUE.
ANDY BARKER (53) / ENGLISH DJ AND MUSICIAN. WITH DARREN PARTINGTON FORMED THE SPINMASTERS WHO IN 1989 JOINED THE ENGLISH ELECTRONIC MUSIC GROUP 808 STATE TO RECORD THE EP QUADRASTATE AND THEN THE 90 ALBUM. THEY WORKED WITH BERNARD SUMNER (JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER, ELECTRONIC), BJÖRK, JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD (MANIC STREET PREACHERS), LOU RHODES (LAMB), MIKE DOUGHTY (SOUL COUGHING), GUY GARVEY (ELBOW), ALABAMA 3.
NOVEMBER 9
LARRY GORDON (76) / AMERICAN SINGER, COMPOSER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, ARRANGER, TEACHER, CONDUCTOR. PROMOTED SACRED HARP MUSIC. REVIVED AMERICAN SHAPENOTE MUSIC. IN THE 1970s FORMED CHORAL GROUPS WORD OF MOUTH CHORUS, THE ONION RIVER CHORUS. IN 1989 FOUNDED VILLAGE HARMONY, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE CHORAL SINGING ACTIVITIES. AS A STUDENT WAS INVOLVED IN SDS (STUDENTS FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY). HELPED TO BUILD THE NEW HAMBURGER COOPERATIVE IN VERMONT AND LIVED THERE FOR 15 YEARS. IN VERMONT LARRY GORDON ALSO WORKED WITH THE PLAINFIELD FOOD CO-OP AND THE CHERRY HILL CANNERY. HIS WORD OF MOUTH CHORUS COLLABORATED WITH THE LEGENDARY BREAD & PUPPET THEATER. DIED AFTER A BICYCLE ACCIDENT.
NOVEMBER 10
SPIKE HEATLEY (88) / BORN BRIAN JOHN HEATLEY, BRITISH JAZZ BASSIST. IN THE LATE 1950s PLAYED IN THE JAZZ COURIERS (TUBBY HAYES / RONNIE SCOTT BAND), THEN TUBBY HAYES QUARTET (WITH PHIL SEAMAN). WHEN RONNIE SCOTT OPENED HIS CLUB IN 1959, HEATLEY PLAYED WITH EDDIE THOMPSON TRIO AND ALSO WITH JOHN DANKWORTH. AFTER DANKWORTH, IN 1962 JOINED TONY COE QUINTET, TOURED WITH KENNY BAKER. IN 1963 JOINED BILL LE SAGE AND RONNIE ROSS QUARTET (WITH ALLAN GANLEY). WAS AN EARLY MEMBER OF ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED. SAME RHYTHM SECTION AS JOHN McLAUGHLIN AND JIMMY PAGE. 1970-1974 WITH JAZZ ROCK CCS AND SESSIONS FOR ROD STEWART. 1980s-EARLY 1990s WITH THE GREAT GUITARS (HERB ELLIS, CHARLIE BYRD, BARNEY KESSEL, LATER ALSO MARTIN TAYLOR).
NOVEMBER 11
GRAEME EDGE (80) / ENGLISH ROCK DRUMMER (DRUMS, PERCUSSION, ELECTRONIC DRUMS), SONGWRITER AND POET. CO-FOUNDER OF THE ENGLISH ROCK GROUP THE MOODY BLUES IN 1964 WITH DENNY LAINE, RAY THOMAS, MIKE PINDER, CLINT WARWICK. IN 1966 LAINE AND WARWICK LEFT AND PINDER RECRUITED JUSTIN HAYWARD AND JOHN LODGE AND SO FORMED THE CLASSIC MOODY BLUES LINE-UP. GRAEME EDGE WROTE POETRY (SUNG OR SPOKEN) FOR THE BAND, INCLUDING "LATE LAMENT" WHICH BECAME A PART OF THEIR FAMOUS HIT "NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN". IN 1974 EDGE FORMED HIS OWN STUDIO GROUP THE GRAEME EDGE BAND WITH GURVITZ BROTHERS (ADRIAN AND PAUL) AND OCCASIONAL CO-DRUMMER GINGER BAKER, MAKING TWO ALBUMS KICK OFF YOUR MUDDY BOOTS (1975) AND PARADISE BALLROOM (1977). IN 1978 THE MOODIES REFORMED AND PATRICK MORAZ JOINED. GRAEME EDGE HAS BEEN THE ONLY ORIGINAL MEMBER OF THE MOODY BLUES WITH THE LONGEST CAREER OF 57 YEARS (1964-2021).
JOHN GOODSALL (68) / AMERICAN-BRITISH ROCK GUITARIST. WORKED WITH ATOMIC ROOSTER, BRAND X AND HIS OWN BAND FIRE MERCHANTS WHICH HE FORMED WITH CHESTER THOMPSON. ALSO WITH X-RAY SPEX, BILLY IDOL, LEE VING, KING SUNNY ADE'S AFRICAN BEATS, DESMOND DEKKER AND THE ACES, ROD ARGENT, ERIC CLAPTON, JEFF BECK, DR. JOHN, BILL BRUFORD, BILLY COBHAM, ALPHONSO JOHNSON, JAN HAMMER, PETER GABRIEL, MICK FLEETWOOD, BRYAN ADAMS, FLEA, RUPERT HINE, TERRY REID, CELBRITY SKIN, PATRICK MORAZ, ANTHONY PHILLIPS AND MANY OTHERS.
NOVEMBER 16
JULIA KABANCE (111) / AMERICAN SUPERCENTENARIAN, OLDEST POTAWATOMI CITIZEN (OF THE PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION) A TRIBE OF NESHNABÉ.
NOVEMBER 17
KEITH ALLISON (79) / AMERICAN ROCK BASSIST KNOWN FOR HIS COLLABORATION WITH THE PROTO-PUNK BAND PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS (1968-1975). TRIED ACTING IN THE FILM GODS AND GENERALS. EARLIER WAS A REGULAR GUITARIST ON MONKEES ALBUMS HEADQUARTERS, THE BIRDS, THE BEES & THE MONKEES, HEAD AND INSTANT REPLAY. WITH MICHAEL NESMITH WROTE "AUNTIE'S MUNICIPAL COURT". LATER WORKED ALSO WITH RINGO STARR, AL KOOPER, ALICE COOPER, JERRY LEE LEWIS, JOHNNY RIVERS, HARRY NILSSON.
DAVID FRISHBERG (88) / AMERICAN JAZZ PIANIST, SINGER, COMPOSER, LYRICIST. IN HIS YOUTH PLAYED WITH BEN WEBSTER, CARMEN McRAE, GENE KRUPA, BUD FREEMAN, EDDIE CONDON, AL COHN, ZOOT SIMS. AS A LYRICIST WORKED WITH COMPOSERS JOHNNY MANDEL, BOB BROOKMEYER, JOHNNY HODGES, GERRY MULLIGAN, BLOSSOM DEARIE, AL COHN, ALAN BROADBENT, BOB DOROUGH. 4 TIMES NOMINATED FOR GRAMMY AWARDS FOR BEST JAZZ VOCALS. IN 1981 RECEIVED THE GOLDEN RASPBERRY AWARD FOR WORST ORIGINAL SONG.
NOVEMBER 18
ACK VAN ROOYEN (91) / DUTCH JAZZ TRUMPETER AND FLUGELHORNIST. STARTED AS A TEENAGER, THEN ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF THE HAGUE. WORKED WITH KENNY CLARKE, LUCKY THOMPSON, BARNEY WILEN. IN 1960 MOVED TO GERMANY TO JOIN A BIG BAND AT SENDER FREIES BERLIN WITH HIS BROTHER JERRY VAN ROOYEN, WORKING ALSO WITH HANS KOLLER, BERT KAEMPFERT, ÅKE PERSSON. IN 1967 TO STUTTGART, PLAYED WITH SLIDE HAMPTON, FRIEDRICH GULDA, VOLKER KRIEGEL, CHARLY ANTOLINI, EBERHARD WEBER. ACK VAN ROOYEN WAS A MEMBER OF THE KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND WITH ART FARMER, JOHNNY GRIFFIN, BENNY BAILEY, JIMMY WOODE, EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS, SAHIB SHIHAB, IDREES SULIEMAN, HERB GELLER, ALBERT MANGELSDORFF, RONNIE SCOTT, TONY COE AND OTHERS.
MICK ROCK (72) / BORN MICHAEL EDWARD CHESTER SMITH, BRITISH ROCK MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER. PHOTOGRAPHED THE RAMONES, THE MISFITS, IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES, TALKING HEADS, BLONDIE, THE SEX PISTOLS, T. REX, SYD BARRETT, LOU REED, JOAN JETT, THIN LIZZY, JANE'S ADDICTION, THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS AND MANY OTHERS. IN THE ERA OF ZIGGY STARDUST HE WAS DAVID BOWIE'S OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER. MICK ROCK AUTHORED MANY FAMOUS RECORD COVERS INCLUDING SYD BARRETT'S THE MADCAP LAUGHS, RORY GALLAGHER'S DEUCE, IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES' RAW POWER, THE RAMONES' END OF THE CENTURY, DEAD BOYS' WE HAVE COME FOR YOUR CHILDREN, DAVID BOWIE'S PIN UPS, JOAN JETT'S I LOVE ROCK'N'ROLL, LOU REED'S TRANSFORMER AND CONEY ISLAND BABY AND THE BLUE MASK, COCKNEY REBEL'S THE PSYCHOMODO, CARLY SIMON'S COME UPSTAIRS AND MANY MORE.
NOVEMBER 19
HANK VON HELL (49) / BORN HANS-ERIK DYVIK HUSBY AKA HANK VON HELVETE, NORWEGIAN PUNK ROCK / HARDCORE PUNK SINGER, SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST. LEAD VOCALIST OF THE PUNK ROCK BAND TURBONEGRO (CALLED IT DEATHPUNK) FORMED IN THE LATE 1980s WHICH SPLIT IN 1989 BECAUSE OF VON HELL'S SERIOUS ADDICTION TO HEROIN. IN 2002 TURBONEGRO REFORMED BUT IN 2010 STOPPED PLAYING AGAIN. IN 2011 VON HELL FORMED HIS NEW BAND DOCTOR MIDNIGHT & THE MERCY CULT. IN 2018 SOLO ALBUM EGOMANIA, IN 2020 DEAD. TRIED ACTING IN CORNELIS A FILM ABOUT BLUES AND JAZZ SINGER CORNELIS VREESWIJK, JUDGING IN THE TV SERIES IDOL. HE SUBMITTED HIS SONG "FAKE IT" TO REPRESENT NORWAY IN THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST IN ISRAEL IN 2019 BUT WAS ELIMINATED. VON HELL BELIEVED THAT SCIENTOLOGY HELPED HIM CURE HIS HEROIN ADDICTION. THE DAY HE DIED WAS THE RELEASE DATE OF A NEW ALBUM BY THE DARK FOLK ME AND THAT MAN BAND (MAN, NEW SONGS, SAME SHIT VOL. 2), A SIDE PROJECT OF NERGAL (AKA ADAM DARSKI) OF BEHEMOTH, FEATURING MANY GUESTS INCLUDING HANK VON HELL ON THE OPENING TRACK "BLACK HEARSE CADILLAC" WHICH SEEMS TO BE VON HELL'S LAST RECORDING.
NOVEMBER 20
BILLY HINSHE (70) / AMERICAN SINGER, GUITARIST, BASS GUITARIST, ARRANGER, PIANIST. AT 13 HE FORMED A SINGING GROUP DINO, DESI & BILLY WITH DEAN MARTIN'S SON AND LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ'S SON. WHILE STILL A TEENAGER, IN THE LATE 1960's STARTED WORKING WITH THE BEACH BOYS BUT REFUSED TO FORMALLY JOIN THE BAND. 1972-1996 MADE 12 ALBUMS WITH THE BEACH BOYS AND TOURED WITH THEM. ALSO MADE TWO ALBUMS WITH THE BEACH BOYS' CARL WILSON, HUSBAND OF HINSHE'S SISTER. BILLY HINSHE SANG BACKING VOCALS ON ELTON JOHN'S "DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME" AND ON RECORDS BY WARREN ZEVON AND JOAN JETT.
NOVEMBER 24
GARED O'DONNELL (44) / AMERICAN HARDCORE PUNK LEAD SINGER, GUITARIST AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS (PMFS) IN 1997. THE BAND MIXED POST-HARDCORE AND EMO HARDCORE WITH PUNK, METAL AND HARDCORE PUNK. PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS MADE FOUR STUDIO ALBUMS AND IN 2002 ALSO APPEARED ON BLACK ON BLACK: A TRIBUTE TO BLACK BLAG DEDICATED TO THIS TRUE HARDCORE PUNK LEGEND, COVERING "POLICE STORY / WASTED". SOME OTHER BANDS ON THE ALBUM WERE CONVERGE, COALESCE, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. IN 2008 THEY SPLIT BUT REFORMED IN 2010. PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS PLAYED MANY LONG TOURS AND FESTIVALS LIKE THE GIANT HELLFEST 2004, HELLFEST '05, STRHESS FEST OR THE SKATE AND SURF FESTIVAL IN NEW JERSEY (THE BAMBOOZLE ROAD SHOW 2010).
LISA BROWN (67) / AMERICAN ACTRESS, A STAR OF SOAP OPERAS GUIDING LIGHT AND AS THE WORLD TURNS. MOTHER OF JAMES "BUDDY" NIELSEN, FOUNDER (IN 2001) AND LEAD SINGER OF SENSES FAIL, A POST-HARDCORE, HARDCORE PUNK, PUNK ROCK BAND.
NOVEMBER 26
MARILYN McLEOD (82) / AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER. BORN IN DETROIT IN A MUSICAL FAMILY. HER SISTER WAS JAZZ MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER ALICE McLEOD LATER KNOWN AS ALICE COLTRANE AKA TURIYASANGITANANDA (JOHN COLTRANE'S WIFE) AND HER NEPHEW WAS RAVI COLTRANE. HER GRANDSON WAS DJ AND RAPPER FLYING LOTUS (FlyLo). AS A SONGWRITER SHE WORKED FOR THE JOBETE PUBLISHING COMPANY, A PART OF BERRY GORDY JR.'s MOTOWN RECORDS. WITH LYRICIST PAM SAWYER SHE CO-WROTE BIG HITS FOR DIANA ROSS ("LOVE HANGOVER" 1976), FOR R&B GIRL GROUP HIGH INERGY "YOU CAN'T TURN ME OFF (IN THE MIDDLE OF TURNING ME ON)" IN1977. IN1982 SHE CO-WROTE JERMAINE JACKSON'S "LET ME TICKLE YOUR FANCY" WITH POST-PUNK DEVO ON BACKING VOCALS. MARILYN McLEOD FRONTED THE GROUP PURE MAGIC AND IN 2010 RELEASED HER ALBUM I BELIEVE IN ME.
STEPHEN SONDHEIM (91) / AMERICAN COMPOSER AND LYRICIST, ONE OF THE BEST IN THE 20-TH CENTURY MUSICAL THEATER. EARLY ON MENTORED BY OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II (HIS SON JAMES HAMMERSTEIN WAS SONDHEIM'S FRIEND). IN 1957 CO-WROTE WEST SIDE STORY WITH COMPOSER LEONARD BERNSTEIN, IN 1959 GYPSY WITH JULE STYNE, IN 1965 DO I HEAR A WALTZ? WITH RICHARD RODGERS AND MANY ON HIS OWN, INCLUDING THE 1979 SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET AND THE 1973 A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC BASED ON INGMAR BERGMAN'S 1955 FILM SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT WITH SONDHEIM'S BEST-KNOWN SONG "SEND IN THE CLOWNS". HE WROTE IT FOR GLYNIS JOHNS, ITS FIRST PERFORMER, BUT IT WAS MADE A BIG HIT BY FRANK SINATRA (1973) AND JUDY COLLINS (1975 AND 1977, IN 1976 VOTED SONG OF THE YEAR AT GRAMMY AWARDS), LATER BY FRANK SINATRA. "SEND IN THE CLOWNS" WAS OFTEN COVERED (BING CROSBY, KENNY ROGERS, LOU RAWLS, BARBRA STREISAND) AND BECAME A JAZZ STANDARD (COUNT BASIE, SARAH VAUGHAN, STAN KENTON, CHET BAKER WITH VAN MORRISON). ALL IN ALL NEARLY 1000 PERFORMES.
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