MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN APRIL 2018
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN APRIL 2018
APRIL 5
CECIL TAYLOR (89) / AMERICAN PIANIST AND POET, COMPOSER, BANDLEADER, PERFORMER, GREAT MUSIC INNOVATOR, ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF FREE JAZZ AND AVANT GARDE. CLASSICALLY TRAINED, HE WAS INTERESTED IN NEW MUSIC AND CONTEMPORARY-CLASSICAL APPROACH. IN 1955 MOVED FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK AND STARTED HIS QUARTET WITH STEVE LACY, BUELL NEIDLINGER AND DENNIS CHARLES. THEY RECORDED TAYLOR'S DEBUT ALBUM TITLED JAZZ ADVANCE IN 1956. IN JULY 1957 THEY APPEARED AT THE NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL (GIG RELEASED ON VERVE IN 1958) THE NEXT TWO IMPORTANT RECORDS WERE LOOKING AHEAD! (CONTEMPORARY, 1959) AND UNIT STRUCTURES (BLUE NOTE, 1966). CECIL TAYLOR OFTEN PLAYED SOLO CONCERTS AS WELL AS TRIOS, QUARTETS AND LARGER ENSEMBLES INCLUDING THE CECIL TAYLOR BIG BAND.HE WORKED WITH ARTISTS LIKE ALBERT AYLER, JOHN COLTRANE, MAX ROACH, AMIRI BARAKA, ELVIN JONES, DEWEY REDMAN, JIMMY LYONS, SUNNY MURRAY, ANDREW CYRILLE, LOUIS MOHOLO, TONY OXLEY, WILLIAM PARKER, DEREK BAILEY, EVAN PARKER.
APRIL 8
NATHAN DAVIS (81) / AMERICAN HARD BOP JAZZ MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST (TENOR AND SOPRANO SAXOPHONES, BASS CLARINET AND FLUTE). KNOWN FOR HIS WORK WITH ERIC DOLPHY, ART BLAKEY, KENNY CLARKE, ART TAYLOR, HAMPTON HAWES, LARRY YOUNG, RAY CHARLES, SLIDE HAMPTON, JIMMY GARRISON, CARMELL JONES. MOVED TO PARIS IN 1962. Ph.D IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY. PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF JAZZ STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH (1969-2013). HEAD OF THE PARIS REUNION BAND (1985-1989) WHICH INCLUDED NAT ADDERLEY, KENNY DREW, JOHNNY GRIFFIN, SLIDE HAMPTON, JOE HENDERSON, IDRIS MUHAMMAD, DIZZY REECE, WOODY SHAW, JIMMY WOODE. IN 1991 FOUNDED POST-BOP GROUP ROOTS (WITH ARTHUR BLYTHE, SAM RIVERS, CHICO FREEMAN, BENNY GOLSON, KIRK LIGHTSEY, DON PULLEN, SANTI DEBRIANO, BUSTER WILLIAMS, TOMMY CAMPBELL, IDRIS MUHAMMAD, ED THIGPEN). IN 2004 NATHAN DAVIS WROTE A JAZZ OPERA TITLED JUST ABOVE MY HEAD.
APRIL 12
SAMINA SAMOON (24) / PAKISTANI FEMALE SINGER. SHE WAS SHOT DEAD DURING A PERFORMANCE FOR NOT STANDING UP WHILE SINGING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALLEGED KILLER TOLD THE WOMAN TO STAND AND DANCE INSTEAD OF SINGING WHILE SITTING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE REFUSED, HE FELT OFFENDED AND KILLED HER. THE MURDERER WAS ALLEGEDLY DRUNK. SAMINA SAMOON (ALSO KNOWN AS SAMINA SINDHU) WAS SIX MONTHS PREGNANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
APRIL 23
BOB DOROUGH (94) / AMERICAN BEBOP AND COOL JAZZ PIANIST, SINGER, SONGWRITER, COMPOSER, ARRANGER, PRODUCER AND SOMETIME SAXOPHONE AND CLARINET PLAYER. RECORDED ABOUT THIRTY ALBUMS UNDER HIS OWN NAME, BEGINNING WITH DEVIL MAY CARE ON BETHLEHEM (1957) AND INCLUDING SOME FOR THE BLUE NOTE LABEL. ON DEVIL MAY CARE DOROUGH WROTE LYRICS FOR CHARLIE PARKER'S YARDBIRD SUITE. WORKED WITH MILES DAVIS ON FACETS AND SORCERER (BOTH COLUMBIA, 1967), BLOSSOM DEARIE (I'M HIP ON COLUMBIA, 1998), SAM MOST, HAROLD DANKO, JOHN ZORN. HIS STYLE INFLUENCED MOSE ALLISON. BOB DOROUGH TOURED WITH SUGAR RAY ROBINSON, A FAMOUS BOXER WHO, UNSUCCESSFULLY, TRIED TO BECOME AN ENTERTAINER.
APRIL 26
CHARLES NEVILLE (79) / AMERICAN TENOR, ALTO AND SOPRANO SAXOPHONE PLAYER IN THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, A GROUP HE CO-FOUNDED WITH HIS BROTHERS ART, AARON AND CYRIL IN NEW ORLEANS IN 1977. UNLIKE HIS BROTHERS HE LIVED IN MASSACHUSETTES AND WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE 2005 HURRICANE KATRINA. THE FOUR BROTHERS RELEASED 15 ALBUMS (INL. 5 LIVE ONES). THE 1988 LP UPTOWN HAD GUEST APPEARANCES INCL. BRANFORD MARSALIS, CARLOS SANTANA AND KEITH RICHARDS. HEALING CHANT FROM THE DANIEL LANOIS PRODUCED ALBUM YELLOW MOON WON GRAMMY IN THE BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE CATEGORY.
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