Versatility and innovation are two terms that most appropriately can be applied to trumpeter Randy Sandke, although he considers himself more of a survivor who
PAUL OLIVER, 90, on August 15 in Oxfordshire, England. A British academician who wrote some of the first scholarly studies of the blues in the
GLEN CAMPBELL, 81, on August 8 in Nashville, TN after a lengthy and public battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Originally from Delight, Arkansas, he was a
BARBARA COOK, 89, from respiratory failure on August 8 in New York City. A singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s
CHUCK LOEB, 61, on July 31 after suffering from cancer for several years. A versatile guitarist, composer and producer, he was best known for his
JOE THOMAS, 84, on July 26. As a child, he learned to play alto and soprano saxophone, trombone, flute and piano, and taught himself to
Traveling the Clarinet Road Evan Christopher is passionate about two things: the style in which he plays his musical instrument, and the adopted city which
WILLIAM MITCHELL, 94, on June 29 in Placenta, California after suffering multiple injuries from a recent fall. A stellar ragtime pianist since 1950, he had
KAREN MELTON, 73, on June 29 in St, Louis, MO following a series of debilitating strokes. A diploma graduate of the Research Hospital School of
BIRCHALL SMITH, 90, on June 28 in Morgan Hill, Californa. While an undergraduate at Purdue University in 1947, was co-founder and the cornetist of the
GERI ALLEN, 60, on June 27 from cancer in Philadelphia. A pianist/composer/educator, she was a Guggenheim Fellow and Director of Jazz Studies at the University
MICHAEL REILLY, 67, from cancer on May 26 in Danville, Calif. Originally from Chicago, he had a long and varied career that took him from
RICHARD HAWK, 82, on March 4 from a heart attack in Overland Park, Kansas. A successful entrepreneur who headed numerous ventures in the fields of
On July 17, groundbreaking was held for an Educational and Visitors Center across the street from the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, New
The Campaign There is a GoFundMe fundraising campaign currently underway that hopefully would facilitate purchase of the building that has housed Hermann’s Jazz Club in
What a Wonderful World August 16 will mark the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong recording “What a Wonderful World,” which became his best-loved song. The
RICHARD HAWK, 82, on March 4 from a heart attack in Overland Park, Kansas. A successful entrepreneur who headed numerous ventures in the fields of
The Man from Circleville The man the public came to know as Ted Lewis was born Theodore Leopold Friedman on June 6, 1890 in Circleville,
, Ohio honored its favorite son the weekend of June 9-11 with the grand re-opening and 40th anniversary celebration of the Ted Lewis Museum. The
Despite inclement weather, attendance at the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced as 425,000, the same as 2016, but under the record
JOHN CIESLAK, 81, from cardiovascular issues on May 19 in Scottsdale, AZ. A multi-instrumentalist, best known as a longtime member of Igor’s Jazz Cowboys. Garbed
Larry “Link” Linkin’s name may not be all that familiar to most jazz fans, but this master clarinetist and retired president of the trade organization
From the San Diego Jazz Fest & Swing X 2017 For the past 38 years, the appetizing combination of turkey and jazz has drawn jazz
GREGG ALLMAN, 69, due to liver cancer complications on May 27 in Savannah, Georgia. A founding member of the Allman Brothers band, he overcame family
