Died On This Date (November 10, 2009) Dick Katz / Jazz Pianist
Dick Katz
March 13, 1924 – November 10, 2009
Dick Katz was a jazz pianist and arranger who, throughout his career, played with the likes of Benny Carter, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. He landed a record deal with the legendary Atlantic Records in 1958. And in 1966, he co-founded Milestone Records, a respected label that released albums by the likes of McCoy Tyner, Paul Bley and Rollins. The label was absorbed by Fantasy Records in 1972. Katz was also a respected music educator and writer, penning numerous jazz-related essays and liner notes throughout his 60-year career. Dick Katz was 85 when he died of lung cancer on November 10, 2009.

What separated James Booker from the countless other New Orleans pianists of his era was that he was a virtuoso on the instrument and could just as easily play classical as he could R&B, blues and jazz. In 1949, Booker made his first record for the storied Imperial Records and was soon doing session work for the likes of Fats Domino and Lloyd Price. He was just 15. Booker released a handful of records during the early ’60s, but he was struggling with a growing drug habit. His career hit an upswing in the mid ’70s, when he wowed the crowd at the 1975 New Orleans Jazzfest. That resulted in a record deal with the respected Island Records and tours with the likes of 

Stacy Rowles was a respected trumpet and flugelhorn player and a singer, who made a name for herself throughout the Los Angeles jazz scene. The daughter or noted composer and pianist, Jimmy Rowles, she started playing the piano at age six, but eventually moved over to the trumpet. Throughout her career, Rowles played with Maiden Voyage, Jazz Tap Ensemble and the Jazz Birds. She made a handful of her own albums for Concord and Delos Records, including 1984’s Tell it Like it Is, which some consider to be her best. Stacy Rowles, 54, died on November 5, 2009 of injuries sustained in an earlier car accident.
Bobby Scott was a notable jazz pianist who, remarkably, turned professional when he was just 11. By the time he was 15, he was touring with the likes of