Died On This Date (March 7, 1971) Harold McNair / Jazz Flute Great
themusicsover Harold McNair
November 5, 1931 – March 7, 1971
Harold McNair was a respected jazz flautist and saxophonist who followed a less-than-traditional way to jazz greatest. Born in Jamaica, McNair spent the early years of his career making Island music. He also sang Calypso. McNair recorded his first album, 1960’s Bahama Bash, in Miami, Florida, and in 1960, he moved to Europe where he toured with Quincy Jones before settling in London. He also played on the scores of several Paris films and television programs. Soon, McNair joined up with Charles Mingus, but the quartet was quickly derailed thanks to a U.K. musicians’ strike. McNair released several albums throughout his career, and played on recordings by the likes of Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Blossom Dearie, Donovan, and Ginger Baker. Harold McNair died of lung cancer on March 7, 1971. He was just 39 years old.
What You Should Own
Blossom Dearie was a bebop jazz vocalist and pianist who became popular during the 1950s. After a brief time working in New York City, Dearie moved to Paris in 1952 and formed a vocal group. She made her first recordings in France before moving back to the United States in the late ’50s. She soon signed to Verve Records who released her first six albums. Dearie’s popularity began to grow in the U.S. thanks in part to regular early appearances on television’s The Today Show. She also recorded a song that became popular from it’s use in a Hires Root Beer ad campaign. Over the course of her long career, she released many popular albums for the biggest jazz and pop labels in the industry. Dearie continued to be a popular club draw in New York City and London well into the 2000s. Later generations were exposed to her songs thanks to placements in such films as The Squid and the Whale and Kissing Jessica Stein. Blossom Dearie was 84 when she passed away on February 7, 2009.
