Died On This Date (December 10, 2013) Jim Hall / Jazz Guitar Master

Jim Hall
December 4, 1930 – December 10, 2013

jim-hallJim Hall was an influential American jazz guitarist who counted no less than Bill Frissell and Pat Metheny as disciples.  Thanks in part to his skill as an improviser, he was considered one of the greatest guitarists on earth during his time here.  Born into a musical family, Hall began playing the guitar at 10 years old.  He began playing professionally as a teenager and went on to study music at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He soon headed to Los Angeles to make his mark on the cool jazz scene which was in full swing but settled in New York City around 1960.  Throughout his career, Hall played worked with the best of the best in jazz history.  That list includes Chico Hamilton, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Desmond, and Art Farmer to name just a few.  As a leader, he released no fewer than 40 albums and remarkably, continued to perform regularly until just a few weeks before his death. He was even planning a tour of Japan for January, 2014.  Jim Hall was 83 when he passed away on December 10, 2013.

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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 (September 5, 2013) Larry Thornton / Beloved High School Band Director

Walter “Larry” Thornton
June 22, 1932 – September 5, 2013

larry-thorntonLarry Thornton was a popular and highly influential high school band director who, for two decades ran the immensely  regarded music program at William S. Hart High School in Newhall, California, just north of Los Angeles.  Born in Central California’s Kern County, Thornton landed at Newhall’s Placerita Junior High School during the early ’60s.  In 1969, he took over the already storied music program at Hart High School.  Until his retirement in 1989, Thornton mentored what would become some of the greatest high school marching and stage bands in the state at the time.  Under Thornton’s direction, Hart’s Chieftains marching band and Braves stage band won numerous county and statewide competitions.  A trumpet player himself, Thornton was a direct influence on one student in particular, Glen Marhevka, who went on to play trumpet for the multi-platinum selling band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.  Thornton’s influence was so great that during the late 2000’s, former students formed an appreciation society they called Mr. Thornton’s Opus, in a nod to “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the 1995 award-winning Richard Dreyfuss film that centered around a remarkable high school band director.  During the late 2000’s, Thornton suffered a serious stroke and was diagnosed with cancer in later years.  Larry Thornton was 81 when he passed away on September 5, 2013.



Died On This Date (August 5, 2013) George Duke / Highly Regarded Jazz & Pop Musician

George Duke
January 12, 1946 – August 5. 2013

george-dukeGeorge Duke was a highly regarded jazz musician, singer, composer and producer who successful crossed over to R&B and pop throughout the years.  Born and raised in the San Francisco area, Duke began picking up various instruments at an early age.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in trombone and composition while Minoring in the contrabass.  He later went on the earn a Master’s in composition.  Armed with these credentials, Duke kicked his music career into high gear upon graduating from college.  It was during the mid ’60s that he started dabbling in what would become known as jazz fusion and more avant-garde styles.  Over the course of his career, he released nearly 50 albums which oftentimes touched on funk, R&B, Latin jazz, and most notably, jazz fusion, the style he helped create the blueprint for.  As a collaborator, the list of artists he worked with reads like a pop music encyclopedia. It includes Jean-Luc Ponty, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, his cousin Dianne Reeves, George Clinton, Cannonball Adderley, Anita Baker, and most consistently, Frank Zappa for whom he played on over a dozen albums.  In 1988, Duke served as the musical director at the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in London.  In recent years, his music was sampled by Daft Punk, Common, Mylo, and many more.  In July of 2013, he released DreamWeaver as a tribute to his wife who passed away in 2012.  George Duke was 67 when he passed away on August 5, 2013.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

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Died On This Date (June 12, 2013) Johnny Smith / Cool Jazz Guitar Great

Johnny Smith
June 25, 1922 – June 12, 2013

johnny-smithJohnny Smith was a jazz guitarist who was considered one of the premiere cool jazz players of his day.  Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Smith and his family eventually settled in Maine where the boy began learning to play the guitar by practicing at local pawn shops.  By the time he was 13, he was teaching other neighborhood kids to play.  While still in high school, Smith joined a local hillbilly band, Uncle Lem and the Mountain Boys who took him on the road to play various fairs and dances throughout Maine.  Since he was earning $4.00 a night, Smith promptly quit high school to pursue his career.  By the time he turned 18, he picked up an interest in jazz so he quit the Mountain Boys and joined a jazz trio called the Airport Boys.  After serving in the US Army as part of the Military Band, Smith put his music career in high gear.  With a reputation for being one of the era’s most versatile guitarists – he could just as easily play classical as he could hillbilly and jazz – Smith found plenty of work as a session player.  In 1952, he released what would become his most acclaimed album, Moonlight In Vermont, which also featured Stan Getz on saxophone.  The single of the same name was a big hit as well.  As a songwriter, Smith is perhaps best known for 1954’s “Walk Don’t Run” which became hits for both Chet Atkins and the Ventures.  In 1958, he retired from the music business grind and moved to Colorado to raise his daughter since his wife had recently passed away.  He owned a music store and taught guitar lessons there for many years.  Johnny Smith was 90 when he passed away on June 12, 2013.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

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