Walt Dickerson
April 16, 1931 – May 15, 2008
Walt Dickerson was a jazz vibraphonist that who played what is generally referred to as post bop. Down Beat magazine called him the best new artist in 1962. Over the years, he worked with Andrew Hill, Andrew Cyrille, John Coltrane and Sun Ra. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 80.
Frederick “Gene” Lees
February 8, 1928 – April 22, 2010
Gene Lees was a respected music critic, biographer and historian who also found success as a songwriter. Already an established journalist in his home country of Canada, Lees became the editor of Down Beat in 1959. He also wrote for the New York Times, Stereo Review, High Fidelity and the Toronto Star, to name a few. Lees wrote liner notes as well. Albums by John Coltrane, Quincy Jones and Stan Getz include his work. He also collaborated on several jazz biographies and wrote a couple of respected historical books on jazz as well. As a lyricist, Lees wrote the words for songs by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charles Aznavour and Bill Evans. His songs have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Sarah Vaughan, and Queen Latifah, to name a few. Gene Lees was 82 when he passed away in his home on April 22, 2010.
Ozzie Cadena
September 26, 1924 – April 9, 2008
Ozzie Cadena was born in Oklahoma City in 1924, but soon moved to Newark, New Jersey with his family. After he served in WWII, Cadena enrolled in a New York music school where he studied the bass and piano. His first music job was on a jazz radio show back in Newark. It was there that he was hired by the legendary Savoy label to work as an in-house producer. During his eight years at Savoy, Cadena worked on recordings by the likes of Cal Tjader, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Esther Phillips, John Lee Hooker and many more. In the years after he left Savoy, he spent time at Prestige, Blue Note and Fantasy Records. Cadena moved his family to Hermosa Beach, California in the mid-‘70s and continued to work with the music he loved, mostly booking and promoting shows at jazz clubs around Los Angeles, including the legendary Lighthouse, known as one of the flashpoints of West Coast Jazz. Ozzie Cadena suffered a stroke in 2007 and passed away of pneumonia on April 9, 2008 at the age of 83.
Lee Morgan
July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972
Lee Morgan was a jazz trumpeter who was one of the key figures of the hard bop style. He received his first trumpet on his 13th birthday, and within five years, he was playing in Dizzy Gillespie’s band. In 1956, Morgan was signed by the legendary Blue Note label where he recorded over two dozen albums. His The Sidewinder of 1963 was his biggest release and is considered one of jazz’s landmark albums. As a sideman, Morgan played on recordings by over 250 musicians. His most noteworthy contributions were to John Coltrane’s Blue Train, Art Blakey’s Moanin’, McCoy Tyner’s Tender Moments, and Stanley Turrentine’s Mr. Natural. On February 19, 1972, Lee Morgan was shot and killed by his girlfriend after the two got in a fight between two of his sets at an engagement. He was 33 years old.
Michael Brecker
March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007
Michael Brecker was a highly regarded and influential jazz saxophonist who many considered the greatest since John Coltrane. Over a career that spanned nearly four decades, Brecker won 15 Grammys and collaborated with a list of greats that includes pop stars like Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, John Lennon and James Taylor; and jazz icons like Horace Silver, Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. He also played in the Saturday Night Live house band during the ’80s. Michael Brecker was 57 when he died from complications of leukemia.
Thanks to Brian McCloskey for the assist.
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