MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN SEPTEMBER 2018
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN SEPTEMBER 2018
SEPTEMBER 1
RANDY WESTON (92) / AMERICAN JAZZ PIANIST AND COMPOSER WHO DREW INSPRATION FROM TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MUSIC. HIS PIANO STYLE WAS INFLUENCED BY THE MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON, THELONIOUS MONK, COUNT BASIE, NAT KING COLE, ART TATUM AND HIS COUSIN WYNTON KELLY. WESTON WORKED WITH MELBA LISTON, KENNY DORHAM, CECIL PAYNE, BOOKER ERVIN, PHAROAH SANDERS AND POETS LANGSTON HUGHES AND JAYNE CORTEZ. A BORN LEADER, RANDY WESTON RECORDED ABOUT FIFTY ALBUMS UNDER HIS NAME, BUT ALSO AS A SIDEMAN WITH CHARLES MINGUS AND ROY BROOKS.
SEPTEMBER 2
CONWAY SAVAGE (58) / AUSTRALIAN ROCK MUSICIAN, COMPOSER AND PRODUCER. PLAYED ORGAN, PIANO, KEYBOARDS, GUITAR AND DID BACKING VOCALS AND HAND CLAPPING. WAS A MEMBER OF MANY LOCAL, MAINLY ROCK AND COUNTRY, BANDS. IN 1990 JOINED NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS ON PIANO, ORGAN AND BACKING VOCALS TO PROMOTE THEIR NEW ALBUM THE GOOD SON. LATER HE APPEARED ON SEVEN NEXT ALBUMS INCLUDING HENRY'S DREAM (1992), LET LOVE IN (1994), MURDER BALLADS (1996), THE BOATMAN'S CALL (1997), NO MORE SHALL WE PART (2001), ABATTOIR BLUES/THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS (2004), DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! (2008).
SEPTEMBER 10
JOHNNY STRIKE (70) / AMERICAN WRITER AND GUITARIST, SINGER AND SONGWRITER FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO PROTO-PUNK BAND CRIME. IN 1976 CRIME SELF-PRODUCED THEIR DEBUT SINGLE "HOT WIRE MY HEART" / "BABY YOU'RE SO REPULSIVE" WHICH WAS THE FIRST WEST COAST PUNK RECORD. IN 1977 THEY SELF-RELEASED A DIY SINGLE "MURDER BY GUITAR" / "FRUSTRATION". THAT YEAR THEY STARTED WEARING POLICE UNIFORMS AND ORGANIZING OWN SHOWS AT THE LEGENDARY MABUHAY GARDENS CLUB WHICH HAD EVERYBODY FROM AVENGERS, DEAD KENNEDYS, THE NUNS, DILS TO THE DEAD BOYS, THE RUNAWAYS, X TO MOTORHEAD, SUN RA, PATTI SMITH AND JIM CARROLL. IN 1987 SONIC YOUTH COVERED "HOT WIRE MY HEART" ON THE SISTER LP. JOHNNY STRIKE WROTE A COUPLE OF NOVELS BEGINNING WITH PORTS OF HELL IN 2004 WHICH HAD A BLURB BY WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS AND THE LATEST ONE WAS MURDER IN THE MEDINA IN 2017.
SEPTEMBER 12
ERICH KLEINSCHUSTER (88) / AUSTRIAN JAZZ TROMBONIST AND BANDLEADER. AT 18 PLAYED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH BAND AT THE 1958 NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL. IYB MEMBERS WERE TALENTED JAZZ KIDS WHO LATER BECAME RESPECTED JAZZ GREATS LIKE ALBERT MANGELSDORFF, BERNT ROSENGREN, GABOR SZABO, GEORGE GRUNTZ, ROGER GUERIN, RONNIE ROSS, DUSKO GOJKOVIC OR JAN WROBLEWSKI. LATER KLEINSCHUSTER WORKED WITH KENNY CLARKE / FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND AND IN 1965 WITH FRIEDRICH GULDA. IN 1968 FOUNDED JAZZINSTITUT IN VIENNA AND BECAME THE LEADER OF ÖSTERREICHISHER RUNDFUNK'S BIG BAND. IN THE 1970's COLLABORATED WITH STAN GETZ, GERRY MULLIGAN, ASTRUD GILBERTO, TOOTS THIELEMANS AND PETER HERBOLZHEIMER.
RACHID TAHA (59) / ALGERIAN SINGER AND ACTIVIST. HIS MUSIC WAS INFLUENCED BY MANY STYLES LIKE ROCK, PUNK, ELECTRONICA, RAI, STREET-STYLE CHAABI, TECHNO, ETC. STRONGLY INSPIRED BY THE CLASH, HE IS SAID TO INSPIRE THE CLASH TO RECORD THEIR HIT SONG "ROCK THE CASBAH". HE RECORDED A PUNK ROCK VERSION OF A WELL KNOWN FRENCH PATRIOTIC SONG "DOUCE FRANCE" (SWEET FRANCE) AND WAS BANNED FROM THE FRENCH RADIO. SO TAHA BECAME A FACTORY WORKER AND DID SOME LOW PAID JOBS. IN HIS SONGS HE FOUGHT WARS, RACISM AND EXPLOITATION OF THE IMMIGRANT UNDERCLASS. STEVE HILLAGE HELPED TAHA A LOT AS A PRODUCER. PERFORMED WITH PATTI SMITH, ROBERT PLANT, BRIAN ENO AND FELA KUTI. COVERED THE CLASH HIT AS "ROCK EL CASBAH" AND PERFORMED IT WITH MICK JONES. THIS COVER WAS INCLUDED IN THE 2007 FILM ABOUT JOE STRUMMER "THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN". CARLOS SANTANA RECORDED HIS SONG MIGRA WHICH SOLD OVER 25 MILLION COPIES. IN 2013 RACHID TAHA RELEASED THE ZOOM ALBUM FEATURING MICK JONES, WHO ALSO TOURED WITH HIM TO PROMOTE THE DISC.
SEPTEMBER 14
MAX BENNETT (90) / AMERICAN JAZZ BASSIST AND SESSION MUSICIAN. STARTED PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY IN 1949 WITH HERBIE FIELDS, THEN GEORGIE AULD, TERRY GIBBS AND CHARLIE VENTURA. AFTER THE KOREAN WAR WITH STAN KENTON. TO L.A. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE CAFE WITH HIS OWN GROUP REGULARLY. BACKED SINGERS PEGGY LEE, ELLA FITZGERALD, JOAN BAEZ, JONI MITCHELL. RECORDED WITH COLEMAN HAWKINS, CHARLIE MARIANO, CONTE CANDOLI, BOB COOPER, STAN LEVEY, LOU LEVY, JACK MONTROSE. IN 1969 STARTED WORKING WITH FRANK ZAPPA (HOT RATS, CHUNGA'S REVENGE, STUDIO TAN, THE LOST EPISODES, LÄTHER AND QUAUDIOPHILIAC). WAS ON THE LALO SCHIFRIN SOUNDTRACK TO THE 1969 FILM BULLITT. PLAYED BASS ON MANY RECORDS BY THE MONKEES AND THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY. MAX BENNETT WAS A MEMBER OF THE WRECKING CREW, A FAMOUS COLLECTIVE OF SESSION MUSICIANS BASED IN LOS ANGELES.
SEPTEMBER 16
MAARTIN ALLCOCK (61) / ENGLISH MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST AND RECORD PRODUCER. LEAD GUITARIST WITH BRITISH FOLK ROCK GROUP FAIRPORT CONVENTION ON 15 ALBUMS (1985-1996). KEYBOARDIST WITH ROCK BAND JETHRO TULL (1988-1991) AND IN 1991 WITH THE MISSION. AS SESSION MAN APPEARED ON OVER 200 ALBUMS INCLUDING ROBERT PLANT, YUSUF ISLAM, RALPH McTELL, JUDITH DURHAM, BEVERLEY CRAVEN, ASHLEY HUTCHINGS, SIMON NICOL, DAN AR BRAZ, DAFYDD IWAN, COMEDIAN BILLY CONNOLLY AND POET LES BARKER.
BIG JAY McNEELY (91) / AMERICAN RHYTHM AND BLUES TENOR SAXOPHONIST, AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE POSTWAR R&B EXPLOSION. HIS FIRST AND BIGGEST HIT WAS AN INSTRUMENTAL "THE DEACON'S HOP" RECORDED WITH HIS BARITONE SAX BROTHER BOB. THE SINGLE TOPPED THE BILLBOARD R&B CHART IN EARLY 1949. McNEELY'S OVERBLOWN, FIERY PLAYING STYLE WAS CALLED "HONKING" AND HIS STAGE ACT WAS PRETTY WILD, COMPLETE WITH COLOURFUL SUITS, BLACK LIGHTS AND STROBE LIGHTS (IN 1952!!!), BLOWING HIS TENOR LYING ON HIS BACK, SOLOING WHILE WALKING AMONG AUDIENCES, SOMETIMES WALKING OFF THE STAGE AND OUT OF THE DOOR AND ONCE EVEN GOT ARRESTED BY THE SAN DIEGO POLICE ON THE SIDEWALK AND TAKEN TO JAIL WHILE HIS BAND CONTINUED PLAYING COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF IT AND WAITING FOR HIM TO COME BACK. WHEN THE GOOD TIMES STOPPED ROLLING , IN 1971 BIG JAY McNEELY BECAME A POSTMAN FOR A COUPLE YEARS.
SEPTEMBER 27
MARTY BALIN (76) / AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, FOUNDER AND ONE OF THE LEAD SINGERS OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE AND JEFFERSON STARAHIP. THE OTHERS WERE GRACE SLICK AND RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYER PAUL KANTNER. THEY PLAYED PSYCHEDELIC AND ACID ROCK, FOLK ROCK AND POP ROCK. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE APPEARED AT THE MONTEREY POP FESTVAL IN 1967 AND AT THE WOODSTCK FESTIVAL AT 1969. DURING THE OUTRAGEOUS ALTAMONT FREE CONCERT, MARTY BALIN LOST CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER HELL'S ANGELS BRUTAL ATTACK.
SEPTEMBER 29
OTIS RUSH (83) / AMERICAN BLUES GUITARIST, SINGER AND SONGWRITER, LATE 1950's ELECTRIC BLUES INNOVATOR INSPIRED BY MUDDY WATERS. HIS STYLE WAS CALLED WEST SIDE CHICAGO BLUES AND HIS PLAYING INFLUENCED MIKE BLOOMFIELD, PETER GREEN AND ERIC CLAPTON. IN 1956 HE FIRST RECORDED A WILLIE DIXON BLUES STANDARD "I CAN'T QUIT YOU BABY", MAKING IT A RECORD CHART HIT (NUMBER SIX ON BILLBOARD'S RHYTHM & BLUES RECORDS CHART). IT WAS LATER COVERED BY LED ZEPPELIN, JOHN LEE HOOKER, SAVOY BROWN BLUES BAND, JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS, GARY MOORE, THE ROLLING STONES WITH ERIC CLAPTON, LTTLE MILTON, DREAD ZEPPELIN AND ITS COMPOSER WILLIE DIXON HIMSELF. OTIS RUSH WROTE GREAT BLUES STANDARDS LIKE "ALL YOUR LOVE", LATER ALSO COVERED BY JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON, AEROSMITH, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN, BUDDY GUY, GARY MOORE, RICK DERRINGER OR STEVE MILLER BAND. ANOTHER OF HIS GREAT HITS "DOUBLE TROUBLE" WAS COVERED BY PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND, JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS WITH PETER GREEN AND MANY TIMES BY ERIC CLAPTON. STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN EVEN CALLED HIS BAND "DOUBLE TROUBLE". OTIS RUSH'S FIRST SINGLES FEATURED IKE TURNER AND JODY WILLIAMS ON GUITAR. DURING THE 1960's HE TRAVELED WITH THE AMERICAN FOLK BLUES FESTIVAL. IN 2015 HE WAS NUMBER 53 ON THE ROLLING STONE MAGAZIN's 100 GREATEST GUITARISTS LIST. IN 1984 RUSH WAS ELECTED TO THE BLUES HALL OF FAME.
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