Died On This Date (April 24, 2013) Bob Brozman / World Renowned Guitarist
themusicsover Bob Brozman
March 8, 1954 – April 24, 2013
Bob Brozman was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist who is primarily known for playing the blues, jazz, ragtime, and the music of various islands. He began releasing albums in the early ’80s and collaborated with musicians all around the world. Brozman was so knowledgeable about and practiced in so many styles of music that he has been called “a walking archive of 20th century American music.” Throughout his career, he recorded with David Grisman, Lacy J. Dalton, and Vassar Clements to name just a few. The most recent of 20+ albums was 2012’s Fire In The Mind. Bob Brozman was 59 when he passed away on April 24, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Brett Ortone at Go Aloha Entertainment for the assist.
What You Should Own
Bebo Valdés was a highly regarded Latin jazz musician, composer and bandleader whose name is synonymous with the golden age of Cuban music. Making his name in Havana during the ’40s, Valdés went on to become the pianist and house arranger at the city’s legendary Tropicana Club from 1948 to 1957. It was there during the ’50s that he became a key figure in the development of mambo. In 1960, Valdés defected to Mexico and then moved to the United States and later settled in Sweden. In 2000, he was featured in the acclaimed Latin jazz documentary, Calle 54, which brought his career a well-deserved second chapter in which he was able to entertain a whole new generation of young fans. Throughout his career, he was awarded with seven Grammys, his most recent two in 2010. Bebo Valdés was 94 when he passed away on March 22, 2013.
Until his passing, Paul Tanner was the last surviving member of the original 
Dave Brubeck was a highly influential jazz pianist who, over the course of a career that spanned some 70 years, achieved pop star status thanks in part to his Top 25 hit single, “Take Five.” The album from which that song came, 1959’s Time Out, was the first jazz album to sell over 1 million copies and is still the best-selling jazz album in history. Born into a musical family in Concord, California, Brubeck was just four when he began taking piano lessons, and by his teens, he was already playing in a local dance band. When it came time to head off to college, Brubeck fully intended on a career in veterinary medicine, but when one of his professors caught one of his sets at a local club, he advised Brubeck to change his focus to music. He did just that, and after graduating with a degree in music, he served in WWII where he played in Red Cross shows for the soldiers. After the war, Brubeck formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet and went on to have a storied career with roughly 125 albums to his name. He continued performing well into the 2000s, and along the way was recognized with a National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Smithsonian Medal, numerous honorary degrees, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dave Brubeck was one day shy of 92 when he passed away on December 5, 2012.
