Died On This Date (August 24, 2009) Joe Maneri / Jazz Saxophonist

Joe Maneri
February 9, 1927 – August 24, 2009

joe_maneriJoe Maneri was  jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who came to some prominence during the ’90s.  He specialized in taking traditional ethnic folk elements and embellishing them with his own avant garde free-form jazz.  He has been compared to Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra.  Thanks to composer John Zorn, a 1963 unreleased album found a home on his Avant Records in the late ’90s, exposing him to new fans than ever before.  Maneri went on to record several more albums throughout the late ’90s and 2000s.  Fan and comic writer, Harvey Pekar used Maneri’s music in his 2003 film, American Splendor.  Joe Maneri passed away at a Boston hospital due to complications from heart surgery.  He was 82.

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The Trio Concerts - Joe Maneri Trio

Died On This Date (August 23, 2006) Maynard Ferguson / Popular Jazz Musician

Maynard Ferguson
May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006

Maynard Ferguson was a highly regarded Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader.  He has been noted for his ability to play in an extremely high register and for being one of the few jazz musicians who could easily adapt to the constantly changing musical landscape.  He began his career as a child prodigy in 1939 – he dropped out of school at 15 to put his focus on his music.  By the time he was twenty, Ferguson was living in the U.S. where he landed his first jobs with Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet, and about a year later he was hired to play in Stan Kenton’s orchestra.   During the ’60s, he moved to Europe, but returned to the U.S. in the ’70s and landed a pop hit with his rendition of “Gonna Fly” from the Rocky film.  He continued recording and touring up until the final years of his life.  On August 23, 2006, Maynard Ferguson died of kidney and liver failure which were the result of an abdominal infection.  He was 78.

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Maynard Ferguson

Died On This Date (August 17, 1990) Pearl Bailey / Iconic American Vocalist

Pearl Bailey
March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990

The great Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress who went from the vaudeville stage to television and Broadway, eventually winning an Emmy and Tony award.  She began her career as a teenager singing and dancing in clubs in the Philadelphia area.  By the early ’40s she was entertaining troops with the USO.  Upon her return to the states, Bailey settled in New York where she performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  In 1952, Bailey married jazz great, Louis Bellson who died in 2009, just five months before the passing of their daughter, singer Dee Dee Bellson .   She made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of Carmen Jones, and later starred in an all-black production of Hello Dolly!, for which she won a Tony.  She recorded popular singles and albums through much of her professional life.  During the ’70, Bailey was a familiar face on television, appearing on countless variety programs as well as hosting her own.  She also voiced animated features including Disney’s The Fox And The Hound in 1981.  Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990 at the age of 72.

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Pearl Bailey Sings Porgy & Bess and Other Gerswhin Melodies - Pearl Bailey

Died On This Date (August 16, 2007) Max Roach / Jazz Icon

Max Roach
January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007

Many jazz fans consider Max Roach to have been one of the genre’s greatest drummers.  One of the early practitioners of bebop, Roach made his mark playing behind some of popular music’s greatest musicians.  That list includes Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins.  Throughout a recording career that spanned nearly 60 years, Roach performed on over 100 albums, either as a sideman or leader.  Of those albums, 1962’s Money Jungle with Mingus and Ellington has been called the greatest trio album ever recorded.  Off the stage, Roach was an civil rights activist.  He passed away at the age of natural causes at the age of 83.

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We Insist! - Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite - Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach

Died On This Date (August 14, 2010) Abbey Lincoln / Influential Jazz Singer

Abbey Lincoln (Born Anna Marie Wooldridge)
August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010

Photo by Lee Turner

Abbey Lincoln was an actress, jazz vocalist and songwriter who used her talents to raise awareness of the Civil Rights movement and racism in general.  She was one of the earliest jazz singers who actually wrote their own songs.  As an actress, she appeared in such films as Nothing But A Man, The Girl Can’t Help It, and Mo’ Betta Blues.  During the ’60s, she was married to Max Roach and sang on his landmark recording, “We Insist – Freedom Now Suite.”  Over the course of her long career, she collaborated with most of the biggest names in jazz.  Abbey Lincoln was 80 when she passed away on August 14, 2010.

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Straight Ahead - Abbey Lincoln