Chicago area reedman Ron Dewar has died.

Chicago area saxophonist/clarinetist Ron Dewar died on January 4th, he was 82. Dewar had a long association with the University of Illinois Jazz Band as a student and in faculty and guest artist capacities later in his career. It was while playing with the Chicago Hot Six in the early 70s that he developed a passion for New Orleans Jazz that led him to study the clarinet masters. He founded and arranged for the Memphis Nighthawks, a student-led early jazz focused group based out of the University of Illinois. Dewar toured with notables including Elvis Presley and can be heard soloing on studio recordings in various styles as part of a diverse career that included explorations of Brazilian music in the 1980s.