The Music Never Stops

As the year winds down, I would like to take a few moments to honor those from the world of jazz who have passed away this year.

Alice McLeod Coltrane (August 27, 1937 – January 12, 2007) was a woman of many talents, including but not limited to jazz pianist, harpist, organist, and composer. She was the wife of jazz legend John Coltrane; playing piano in his band from 1965 until his death in 1967. She continued playing with her own groups, moving toward freer and more meditative forms of jazz. Coltrane was a devotee of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba, devoting much of her life as a spiritual leader, changing her name in the late 1970s to Turiyasangitananda. A renewed interest in her music in the 1990s lead to the release of the compilation album Astral Meditations in 1999, as well as a new album Translinear Light in 2004.

Alice Coltrane died of respiratory failure at West Hills hospital and medical center in Los Angeles, California on January 12, 2007.

Michael Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was one of the most influential saxophonists since John Coltrane, performing in multiple genres including jazz-fusion and pop with artists such as Frank Zappa, Aerosmith, James Brown, and Chick Corea, leaving behind a legacy that includes a discography of more than 900 albums. His career as a recording artist began in 1969, on the album Score, playing in a band with his brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker. His greatest achievements were his own albums, under his own name and with the Brecker Brothers band, as well as his work with the group Steps Ahead. In the summer of 2005, it was announced that Michael Brecker had myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder, which would later progress to leukemia. He continued to work sporadically, completing his last album two weeks before his death.

Michael Brecker died from complications of leukemia at a hospital in New York City on January 13, 2007.

Max Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an innovative modern jazz percussionist whose sheer mastery of the drum kit set the stage for bebop and every resulting genre of jazz. He was the last surviving member of the circle of musicians, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gellespie, and Thelonius Monk whose innovations brought about a revolutionary new style to jazz known as bebop, characterized by unpredictable rhythms and complex harmonies which demanded technical virtuosity. Throughout his life, he continued to redefine the role of the drum set, constantly setting new standards for the possibilities of the drums. His career spanned the greater portion of a century and has included work with jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gellespie, as well as his work with Clifford Brown and their innovations which led to hard bop (a powerfully driven sub-genre of bebop).

Max Roach died of undisclosed causes on August 16, 2007.

Josef  ‘Joe’ Erich Zawinul (July 7, 1932 – September 11, 2007) was a jazz keyboardist and composer most famous for his work with Cannonball Adderly and with the jazz fusion group Weather Report. He moved to the United States in 1959, playing with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Washington until he was hired by Cannonball Adderly in 1961. It was with the Cannonball Adderly Quintet that Zawinul would write Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, one of his most famous compostions. He then composed several charts with Miles Davis before joining up with saxophonist Wayne Shorter to form the jazz fusion group, Weather Report, for which he would compose the chart Birdland. After the breakup of Weather Report, he persued a solo career with his own group, the Zawinul Syndicate, with which he led until shortly before his death.

Josef Zawinul died of Merkel cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, in Vienna, Austria on September 11, 2007.

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a true piano virtuoso who possessed a technique that was elaborate and meticulous, yet modest and graceful. He played with many of the jazz greats including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald, earning himself eight grammy awards along the way as well as the respect of the jazz community. Count Basie once said of him, “Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I’ve ever heard.” Despite suffering a stroke in 1993, he continued touring and recording after his recovery.

Oscar Peterson died of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on December 23, 2007.