MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JULY 2019
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JULY 2019
JULY 1
BOGUSŁAW SCHAEFFER (90) / POLISH COMPOSER, MUSICOLOGIST, PLAYWRIGHT, MUSIC CRITIC, GRAPHIC ARTIST, PROFESSOR, WRITER, RADIO JOURNALIST, COLUMNIST, EDITOR, LECTURER. CREATED MORE THAN 600 MUSICAL WORKS AND 44 PLAYS WHICH HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO 17 LANGUAGES (SINCE 1955). WROTE 17 BOOKS. HE WAS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN THE AVANT-GARDE AND MODERN JAZZ AND FREE JAZZ, ESPECIALLY IN THE 1960's, BUT ALSO LATER. A MEMBER OF THE FAMOUS ARTISTIC ASSOCIATION GRUPA KRAKOWSKA II (THE SECOND KRAKÓW GROUP).
BORN IN LWÓW (NOW LVIV) IN 1929. AS A TEENAGER STUDIED VIOLIN AND MUSIC THEORY AND AT 17 STARTED COMPOSING. THEN COMPOSITION AT THE MUSIC ACADEMY IN KRAKÓW AND MUSICOLOGY AT THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY. DOCTORATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW IN 1970. LECTURED AT KRAKÓW MUSIC ACADEMY SINCE 1963, TAUGHT COURSES AT SALZBURG, YORK, MIDDELBURG. PROFESSOR OF COMPOSITION AT HOCHSCHULE FUR MUSIK UND DARSTELLENDE KUNST MOZARTEUM IN SALZBURG SINCE 1985.
IN 1965 STARTED COOPERATION WITH THE LEGENDARY POLISH RADIO EXPERIMENTAL STUDIO (PRES, FOUNDED BY JÓZEF PATKOWSKI IN 1957) WHERE HE RECORDED HIS SYMFONIA. MUZYKA ELEKTRONICZNA (1964). WORKED WITH AND WROTE FOR THE KRAKÓW EXPERIMENTAL GROUP MW2 - COMPOSITION TIS MW2 FROM 1963 (BOGUSŁAW SCHAEFFER WAS A PIONEER OF INSTRUMENTAL THEATRE IN POLAND).
AMONG HIS JAZZ INSPIRED WORKS ARE COURSE "J" FOR JAZZ AND CHAMBER SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA (1962), S'ALTO (1963), MUSIC FOR MI FOR VOICE, VIBRAPHONE, 6 NARRATORS, JAZZ ENSEMBLE AND ORCHESTRA (1963) COLLAGE AND FORM FOR EIGHT JAZZMEN AND ORCHESTRA (1963), HOWL (1966), E.S. JAZZ (ELECTRONIC STUDIO JAZZ, 1969), JAZZ CONCERTO FOR 12 MUSICIANS AND ORCHESTRA(1969), BLUES NO. 1 AND BLUES NO. 2 (1972), BLUES NO. 3 (1978), CONCERTO FOR SAXOPHONE AND ORCHESTRA (1986), CONCERTO FOR JAZZ PERCUSSION, PIANO AND ORCHESTRA (1988), BLUES NO. 4 (1988), BLUES NO. 5 (1992).
INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT, EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED, HIGHLY CREATIVE, EXTREMELY HARDWORKING, TRULY UNPRETENTIOUS.
SID RAMIN (100) / AMERICAN ORCHESTRATOR, COMPOSER AND ARRANGER. WROTE THE INCREDIBLY CATCHY HIT SONG "MUSIC TO WATCH GIRLS BY". FIRST RELEASED AS AN INSTRUMENTAL SINGLE BY THE BOB CREWE GENERATION IN 1967 (#2 ON THE EASY LISTENING CHART). THEN A VOCAL RECORDING WAS MADE BY ANDY WILLIAMS. SID RAMIN CO-ORCHESTRATED THE MUSIC FOR WEST SIDE STORY WITH LEONARD BERNSTEIN AND IRWIN KOSTAL. IN 1961 RAMIN WON ACADEMY AWARD (BEST MUSIC SCORE) AND GRAMMY AWARD (BEST SOUNDTRACK) FOR WEST SIDE STORY.
JULY 6
JOÃO GILBERTO (88) / (REAL NAME JOÃO GILBERTO PRADO PEREIRA de OLIVEIRA) BRAZILIAN SINGER, SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST, OFTEN CALLED "O MITO" (THE MYTH"). WAS ONE OF THE PIONEERS (WITH ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM) OF A NEW STYLE OF BRAZILIAN MUSIC CALLED BOSSA NOVA (NEW WAVE) - A FUSION OF SAMBA AND JAZZ, WHICH SERIOUSLY STARTED IN 1957. GILBERTO DEVELOPED A NEW STYLE OF GUITAR PLAYING. IN 1963 HE RECORDED AN ALBUM WITH STAN GETZ TITLED GETZ / GILBERTO, FEATURING ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM AND GILBERTO'S WIFE ASTRUD, WHO SANG ON TWO TRACKS "THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA" AND "CORCOVADO". THE 1964 SINGLE VERSION OF "THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA", SUNG BY ASTRUD GILBERTO IN ENGLISH SOLD OVER A MILLION COPIES. THE REMAINING SONGS ON THE ALBUM ALSO BECAME WELL KNOWN, ESPECIALLY "DESAFINADO" AND "CORCOVADO". 1962-1980 LIVED IN NYC, WORKING WITH GETZ AND FRANK SINATRA. HIS DAUGHTER BEBEL GILBERTO IS ALSO A POPULAR BOSSA NOVA SINGER.DURING HIS LAST YEARS JOÃO GILBERTO HAD BOTH FINANCIAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS. HE WAS SUED AND EVICTED FROM AN APARTMENT BY HIS LANDLADY COUNTESS BRANDOLINI D'ADDA.
WANDA WARSKA (87) / POLISH JAZZ SINGER. ALSO COMPOSER, LYRICIST, PAINTER. WENT TO MUSIC AND BALLET SCHOOLS IN POZNAŃ AND STUDIED PHILOSOPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW. STUDIED PIANO AND SINGING. IN 1954 JOINED THE MM 176 GROUP IN KRAKÓW. WORKED WITH ANDRZEJ KURYLEWICZ (SINCE 1955 - THEY MARRIED 1958). FIRST RECORDINGS FOR THE KRAKÓW RADIO. AS A JAZZ SINGER WARSKA DEBUTED DURING THE 5TH WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS IN WARSAW IN 1955. IN 1956 SHE PERFORMED WITH ANDRZEJ KURYLEWICZ QUINTET AT THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL IN SOPOT. NEXT YEAR, AT THE SAME FESTIVAL SHE SANG WITH THE ALL-STAR BAND HOT CLUB MELOMANI. 1958-1971 WARSKA AND KURYLEWICZ APPEARED AT THE JAZZ JAMBOREE FESTIVAL IN WARSAW. THEY ALSO TOURED ABROAD A LOT. IN 1966 SHE STARTED A MUSIC CLUB IN WARSAW CALLED THE WANDA WARSKA CELLAR, WHICH INITIALLY PRESENTED CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, THEN THEATRE, THEN SALON AND GALLERY FOR ARTISTS, SUPPORTING MUSIC, LITERATURE AND ART EXHIBITIONS. SHE MADE NINE ALBUMS INCLUDING THE 1971 MUSIC FOR THEATRE AND TELEVISION WITH ANDRZEJ KURYLEWICZ AND CZESŁAW NIEMEN (ACCOMPANIED BY OUTSTANDING JAZZ MUSICIANS ANDRZEJ PRZYBIELSKI, JACEK BEDNAREK, WŁADYSŁAW JAGIEŁŁO)
JULY 7
ARTUR BRAUNER (100) / POLISH-BORN GERMAN FILM PRODUCER (OVER 300 FILMS). WORKED WITH ROBERT SIODMAK, FRITZ LANG, RUSS MEYER, DARIO ARGENTO, VITTORIO DE SICA, ALEKSANDER FORD, ANDRZEJ WAJDA, JERZY HOFFMAN, AGNIESZKA HOLLAND, ISTVAN SZABO, JANUSZ KIJOWSKI. WHEN GERMANS ATTACKED POLAND IN 1939, BRAUNER, HIS PARENTS AND FOUR SIBLINGS FLED TO THE SOVIET UNION AND SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST. FORTY-NINE OTHER RELATIVES WERE KILLED BY GERMANS.
JULY 10
JERRY LAWSON (75) / AMERICAN A CAPPELLA SINGER, TENOR, BARITONE, ARRANGER, PRODUCER, LEAD SINGER OF THE PERSUASIONS. THEY WERE AN A CAPPELLA GROUP FORMED IN BROOKLYN IN 1962, SINGING ON STREET CORNERS AND IN THE NYC SUBWAY. AFTER A COUPLE YEARS WERE DISCOVERED BY FRANK ZAPPA WHO HELPED THEM MAKE THE DEBUT ALBUM ACAPPELLA (1970). LATER THEY WERE SUPPORTING THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION AT CARNEGIE HALL IN 1971. RELEASED ABOUT 30 ALBUMS. WORKED WITH LES McCANN, GARLAND JEFFREYS, PHOEBE SNOW, STEVIE WONDER, JONI MITCHELL, THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, LEON REDBONE, RORY BLOCK, DAVID ESSEX, DAVID SOUL. WERE ON ZAPPA'S UNIVERSE, A 1993 TRIBUTE ALBUM WITH HIS BANDS ALUMNI. IN 2000 MADE THEIR OWN TRIBUTE CD FRANKLY A CAPPELLA: THE PERSUASIONS SING ZAPPA. ALSO MADE A TWO-DISC TRIBUTE TO GRATEFUL DEAD (MIGHT AS WELL) AND TO THE BEATLES (THE PERSUASIONS SING THE BEATLES). IN 2007 JERRY LAWSON MADE AN A CAPPELLA CD WITH HIS NEW BAND JERRY LAWSON AND TALK OF THE TOWN.
JULY 12
DICK RICHARDS (95) / AMERICAN HALL OF FAME ROCK AND ROLL AND ROCKABILLY DRUMMER, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS BAND. HE WAS THE STAGE DRUMMER AND DID NOT PLAY ON THE LEGENDARY CLASSIC HITS "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK" OR "SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL".
JULY 16
JOHNNY CLEGG (66) / SOUTH AFRICAN MUSICIAN AND ANTHROPOLOGIST. PERFORMED SOLO AND WITH HIS TWO INTER-RACIAL BANDS JULUKA AND SAVUKA CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MASSIVE MOVEMENT AGAINST APARTHEID. AT 14 STARTED LEARNING ZULU MUSIC AND DANCE FROM STREET MUSICIAN CHARLIE MZULU. HE WAS FIRST ARRESTED IN JOHANNESBURG FOR VIOLATING APARTHEID LAWS WHEN HE WAS 15. IN 1999, NELSON MANDELA, THEN 81, JOINED JOHNNY CLEGG ON STAGE TO PERFORM "ASIMBONANGA", A SAVUKA SONG DEDICATED TO HIM .
PAT KELLY (69-70) / JAMAICAN ROCKSTEADY / REGGAE SINGER. INSPIRED BY THE AMERICAN SOUL SINGER SAM COOKE, RECORDED ALSO CURTIS MAYFIELDS' COVERS. DEBUT ALBUM PAT KELLY SINGS (1969) WAS ENGINEERED BY LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY. THE BEATLES' APPLE RECORDS OFFERED A £25,000 CONTRACT. MADE 17 ALBUMS, SELF-PRODUCED HIS 1978 YOUTH AND YOUTH ALBUM.
JULY 21
BEN JOHNSTON (93) / AMERICAN MICROTONAL COMPOSER. WAS A TRADITIONAL COMPOSER OF "SERIOUS" MUSIC WHEN MET AND WORKED WITH HARRY PARTCH. PARTCH HELPED HIM TO STUDY WITH DARIUS MILHAUD. IN 1952 JOHNSTON MET JOHN CAGE AND IN THE LATE 1950's STUDIED WITH HIM. WORKED WITH EARLE BROWN, WAS IN TOUCH WITH CAGE, LA MONTE YOUNG, IANNIS XENAKIS. COMPOSED FOR La MaMa EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE CLUB. WORKS COMMISSIONED BY ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE SWINGLE SINGERS. SONATA FOR MICROTONAL PIANO (1964), SUITE FOR MICROTONAL PIANO (1977).
JULY 22
ART NEVILLE (81) / AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER AND KEYBOARDIST. A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE METERS (1965), A NEW ORLEANS FUNK BAND (LATER THE HOUSE BAND FOR ALLEN TOUSSAINT). THE METERS HAD A MAJOR R&B HITS "CISSY STRUT" AND "SOPHISTICATED CISSY" (1969). WORKED WITH DR. JOHN, PAUL McCARTNEY, LABELLE, KING BISCUIT BOY, ROBERT PALMER. 1977-2012 IN THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, FORMED WITH OTHER BROTHERS CHARLES, AARON AND CYRIL. THEIR 1987 ALBUM UPTOWN HAD GUEST APPEARANCES BY BRANFORD MARSALIS, KEITH RICHARDS AND CARLOS SANTANA.
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