The Final Chorus

Mike Currao, a proud member of The Banjo Hall of Fame passed away February 7th, after a brief illness. Mike was born into a musical

One of the greatest Polish jazzmen, Zbigniew Jacek Namysłowski, died on February 7th, he was 82. Namysłowski was a multi-instrumentalist – by education a pianist

Dick Rippey passed away in the first hour of 2022. He was 88 years old. His remarkable jazz family was profiled in our December 2017

Cornetist Dave Holo passed away November 25, 2021, he was 73. After moving from his home state of Montana to Seattle several decades ago he

Chet Jaeger of the Night Blooming Jazzmen died on January 4th, he was the best 97 year old cornet player around. His father was a

Terry Teachout died on January 13th, he was 65. He was well known for his biographies of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and H.L. Mencken. He

The Wikipedia entry for Sandra Jaffe reads, in full, “Sandra Jaffe (March 10, 1938 – December 27, 2021) was an American club owner. She founded

Pianist and composer David Frishberg died on November 17th, he was 88.  He was known for witty and often humorous lyrics of a style that

Tubist, Mike Walbridge, 84, passed away November 20, after a brief illness. Renowned for his magnificent bass playing and extensive recording credits, Mike was also

Dan Zeilinger, a well know Southern California jazz musician and host of Trad Jazz Today, died  on October 31st.  His mother was from the Philippines,

Trombonist Dave Donohoe passed away on October 23, he was 81. Well known among jazz musicians inn the UK he shared the local focus on

Banjoist and guitarist Ken Salvo passed away peacefully in Florida on September 15th, he was 74. Sandra, his wife of 52 years predeceased him by

Trombonist, broadcaster, writer and jazz historian, Mike Pointon died on November 1st at the age of 80. A well known figure on the UK jazz

It was with his band that she started taking drum lessons in the late 1940s. She began playing drums professionally in the early 1950s and

On September 17, 2021, Paweł Tartanus, singer, banjoist and guitarist died in Warsaw after a long illness. One of the leaders of traditional jazz in

After being in failing health for the last couple of years, Phil Kirk died on Oct. 1, 2021.  Phil was the leader and trumpet player

Jazz trumpeter Roy Tate, Jr., died on July 3d of this year, he was 84. He recorded his first album with the Queen City Jazz

Music educator Jim Widner, passed away from a heart attack on October 3rd. He was 75 years old. Primarily a bass player he toured with

In August, we lost a towering titan of ragtime and hot jazz piano. Mark Allen Jones passed away in his home in Carmel, CA. He

“I should have gone in and pounded the table,” he said, “but that isn’t my style.” Wally Holmes didn’t need to pound tables; throughout his

George Wein, jazz promoter, pianist, and producer, died in Manhattan on September 13; he was 95. He was the founder of the Newport Jazz Festival,

Phil Schaap, who moved on to another bandstand yesterday, was an unusually complex figure: he was his own novel, someone who deserves a Moliere or