For remembrances grouped by month as they ran in the print edition, including all entries prior to April 2018, look in the Final Chorus Archive, individual past issues, or use the search feature.
Steve Lawrence, of Steve & Eydie, has died at 88. The son of a Jewish cantor his own professional singing career began when we was
Rocky Giglio, who died on February 8th at 86, began playing in his hometown, Utica, New York, in the Thomas Proctor High School band and
Trombonist Bill Allred died on February 1st at 87. He was one of the largest figures of his generation in classic jazz and leaves a
Forrest Helmick, trumpet player and founder of the Blue Street Jazz Band, died at home on December 29th. He was 66 years old. He was
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
Visual artist Robert Andrew Parker died on December 27th at age 96. Among an extensive body of work he painted record covers for labels including
Dr. Lee Eliot Berk, the namesake and second president of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, was a champion of music who dedicated his
Steve Caddick passed away on November 5th, he was 73 years old. He spent his last day singing his favorite songs surrounded by his family.
Chicago based jazz bassist John Bany died on 5 November 2023, he was 81. He was the fifth in a generational family legacy of bassists
Manfred “Manni” Selchow died on November 5th, he was 87. While he was a good enough pianist to earn a scholarship, Manfred Selchow quickly realized
Two weeks ago in a conversation about the blues, I pulled up our profile of Norman Vickers to illustrate his story of watching a forgotten
Jim Syoen informs us that Jimmy LaRocca, New Orleans trumpeter and son of Original Dixieland Band cornetist Nick LaRocca, has died at the age of
Morgan Powell, a composer and jazz trombonist, died on August 20th, he was 85. A graduate of the famous University of North Texas Music Program
William Shepherd, Jr. died on August 29th, he was 89. He toured with the Tommy Dorsey/Warren Covington Orchestra in the late 50s before turning to
Frans Sjöström, a Swedish saxophonist who modeled his style on Adrian Rollini, died on August 19th, he was 78 years old. He was one of
British born drummer Barry “Kid” Martyn died on July 17th, he was 82. He first heard New Orleans jazz on Alistair Cooke’s Letter from America
Tony Bennett (August 3rd, 1926 – July 21st, 2023) was the last of the original crooners. Younger than Frank Sinatra and others with whom he
Trombonist Tom Artin died on July 27th, he was 84. He began playing in junior high school under the direction of composer John Harbison, in
Clarinetist Ryoichi Kawai (1940 – August 2023) founded The New Orleans Rascals in 1961 as an extension of the Original Dixieland Jazz Club of Osaka
Bay Area bandleader, clarinetist and cornet player, Earl Scheelar (1929-2023) died peacefully on July 28, 2023. Few have shown greater leadership keeping Classic Jazz alive,
Harriet Choice died on July 13th, she was 82 years old. In 1968, she became the first jazz critic at the Chicago Tribune had ever
A mainstay of the jam sessions staged for decades by the Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse, N.Y., Richard (Dick) P. Sheridan, 88, died on May
Friends in St. Louis have announced that Al Stricker, banjo player. Historian, and spokesperson for the St. Louis Ragtimers, died on July 13 in St.
The music community is saddened by the incalculable loss of legendary entertainer, broadcaster, and ragtime scholar Max Morath, who died at the age of 96
