Died On This Date (February 23, 1997) Tony Williams / Jazz Drummer

Tony Williams
December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997

tony-williamsTony Williams was an influential jazz drummer who is generally remembered for his early work with Miles Davis.  He played with Davis throughout most of the ’60s.  Under his own name, Williams released 14 albums between 1964 and his death, most of which were with Blue Note.  As a sideman, Williams added drumming talents to albums by the likes of Allan Holdsworth, Branford Marsalis, Eric Dolphy, Herbie Hancock, and Stan Getz, to name a few.  Williams also played drums on Album by former Sex Pistols lead singer, John Lydon’s band, Public Image Ltd.  Tony Williams was 51 when he died of a heart attack on February 23, 1997.

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Tony Williams

Died On This Date (January 11, 2010) Dennis Stock / Celebrated Music Photographer

Dennis Stock
July 24, 1928 – January 11, 2010

Photo by Rene Burri/Magnum Photos

Dennis Stock was a celebrated photographer who, over the course of some six decades took some of the most iconic pop culture photographs in history.  He is perhaps most famous for his stark 1955 photo of James Dean walking through a rainy Times Square, but he also pointed his camera toward many of the jazz greats of the era.  Some of his more familiar images were of Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington.  Dennis Stock was 81 when he passed away on January 11, 2010.



Died On This Date (November 10, 2009) Dick Katz / Jazz Pianist

Dick Katz
March 13, 1924 – November 10, 2009

dickkatzDick 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.



Died On This Date (November 4, 2009) Art D’Lugoff / Owned The Village Gate

Art D’Lugoff
August 2, 1924 – November 4, 2009

art
Photo by Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times

Art D’Lugoff was a highly respected jazz impresario who opened the Village Gate in New York in 1958.  The Greenwich Village jazz club became world famous thanks to D’Lugoff’s bookings of such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and many more.  Though mostly known as jazz venue, thanks in part to numerous “Live at the Village Gate” jazz albums over the years, D’Lugoff also hosted rock, blues, and R&B acts like Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Aretha Franklin.  He does however, have the dubious honor of refusing to book a young Bob Dylan.  D’lugoff closed the club in 1994 due to financial troubles.  In later years, he was instrumental in the development of the National Jazz Museum of Harlem, and acted consultant for the 2008 opening of a new jazz club, Le Poisson Rouge, which stands in the original location of the Village Gate.  Art D’Lugoff passed away at the age of 85 on November 4, 2009.



Died On This Date (October 24, 2008) Merl Saunders / Played With The Grateful Dead

Merl Saunders
February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008

With Jerry Garcia
With Jerry Garcia

Merle Saunders was an exceptionally talented keyboard player who was a familiar face along the jamband scene beginning in the early ’70s.  He first teamed up with the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia in 1971, and together they made several albums throughout the years.  Saunders also sat in with the Dead on many occasions.  He also fronted his own band with whom he recorded as well.  Over the years, Saunders has collaborated with Bonnie Raitt, Miles Davis, Widespread Panic, and Phish.  In 2002, Saunders suffered a serious stroke which eventually lead to his death in 2008.  He was 74.

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Live At Keystone, Vol. 1 - Bill Vitt, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn & Merl Saunders