Died On This Date (November 15, 2016) Mose Allison / Jazz And Blues Legend

Mose Allison
November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016

mose-allisonMose Allison was a revered jazz and blues pianist and singer whose influence reached beyond his idioms and into rock and blues.  Over the past four decades his songs have been recorded by the likes of the Clash, the Bangles, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Robert Palmer, Bonnie Raitt, the Yardbirds, and most famously, the Who, whose version of “Young Mans Blues” reached the masses via their classic Live At Leeds album, and remained a concert staple ever since.  Born and raised on his grandfather’s Mississippi farm, Allison spent his formative years picking cotton while learning to play the piano and trumpet.  He was just 13 when he wrote his first song.  After spending a couple of years in the Army, Russell completed college and then moved to New York City to launch his music career.  While performing with such jazz luminaries as Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz, he recorded his debut album, Black Country Suite, which was released by Prestige in March of 1957. Difficult to classify, one label tried marketing him as a pop artist, while another tried blues, and yet another, jazz.  Regardless of any difficulties they might have had, his fanbase grew with each album. Throughout his career, Allison received countless honors including the prestigious Jazz Master award by the National Endowment For The Arts in 2013.  Mose Allison was 89 when he died of natural causes on November 15, 2016.

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Died On This Date (November 25, 2013) Chico Hamilton / Jazz Legend

Foreststorn “Chico” Hamilton
September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013

chico-hamiltonChico Hamilton was an influential American jazz drummer who helped define the West Coast cool jazz style of the 1950s.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Hamilton played in the same high school band as future greats, Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon before going on to play with the likes of Lionel Hampton, T-Bone Walker, and Gerry Mulligan.  In 1948, he was hired to tour with Lena Horne with whom he performed for over six years, thus establishing himself as one of the era’s top sidemen.  In 1955, he recorded his first album under his own name and continued to do so more than 60 times throughout the rest of his career.  Hamilton also appeared as a drummer in the film Sweet Smell of Success and others.  During the ’60s, he scored numerous movies and television programs.  In 1987, he co-founded the jazz department at New School University.  Chico Hamilton was 92 when he passed away on November 25, 2013.

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Died On This Date (December 6, 2012) Ed Cassidy / Founding Drummer Of Spirit

Ed Cassidy
May 4, 1923 – December 6, 2012

Ed “Cass” Cassidy was the co-founding drummer of the psychedelic rock band, Spirit. With his stepson, Randy California at the helm, the Los Angeles band formed in 1967 and went on to score a top 25 hit with 1968’s “I Got A Line On You,” one of the era’s most durable songs.  Cassidy launched his music career back in 1937 before serving in the Navy during WWII.  Upon his discharge, he got back to playing in various country bands, show bands and Dixieland combos. He even briefly played with the San Francisco Opera.  He also reportedly played 282 consecutive one-night-stands in 17 different states in 1940.  Cassidy moved to the Los Angeles area during the early ’50s to focus more on jazz, and during his early years there, he played with the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, and Cannonball Adderley.  In 1964, he formed the Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder.  That was followed by the Red Roosters who morphed into Spirit in 1967.  He went on to perform and record with different variations of Spirit for the next 40 years.  Away from music, worked as an actor, appearing on General Hospital, among other television shows and films.  Ed Cassidy was 89 when he passed away on December 6, 2012.

Thanks to Bruce Kilgour of Slipped Disc Entertainment for the assist.

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The Family That Plays Together - Spirit

Died On This Date (December 15, 2011) Bob Brookmeyer / Notable Jazz Trombonist

Bob Brookmeyer
December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011

Bob Brookmeyer was an American jazz musician, arranger and composer who is most often remembered for his contributions to Gerry Mulligan’s Quartet during the late ’50s.  He went on to work with the likes of Jimmy Giuffre, Clark Terry, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis.  In later years, Brookmeyer taught jazz composition at the New England Conservator of Music.  In 2006, he released Spirit Music which was nominated for a Grammy.  Bob Brookmeyer was 81 when he passed away on December 15, 2011.

Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.

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New Works - Bob Brookmeyer

Died On This Date (May 13, 1988) Chet Baker / Jazz Icon

Chet Baker
December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988

Trumpet player Chet Baker began to get noticed in the early ’50s first while playing with Charlie Parker, and then soon after, Gerry Mulligan. More than just a jazz player, Baker was a crooner, and a handsome one at that. If jazz had a James Dean, it was Chet Baker. His name is synonymous with the cool jazz of the ’50s and ’60s. But the ’60s were actually unkind to Baker as he battled a major heroin addiction for which he served a one-year term in an Italian prison. He was even kicked out of West Germany and England and then deported from Germany. Back in the US, Baker landed in the San Francisco area where he again found himself serving a small jail term for prescription fraud. And it was around this time that Baker was severely beaten after a gig in what may have been a botched drug deal, the result of which forced him to learn how to play wearing dentures. There is some speculation however, that his heavy drug use actually destroyed his teeth. Baker did his best to make a living well into the early ’80s by the time Elvis Costello selected him to play the trumpet on his 1983 song, “Shipbuilding.” The song (and album Punch The Clock) was a hit in the US and abroad, thereby turning a new generation of fans on to Baker. But the momentum that was building came to a crashing halt when Baker was found dead outside his second-story window at a hotel in Amsterdam. Although his death was officially ruled an accidental fall, the fact there were drugs in his system and no witnesses only fueled the rumors (none proven) that he either committed suicide or was murdered. He was 58.

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The Best of Chet Baker Sings - Chet Baker