The Final Chorus

David “Red” Lehr died on January 5th, he was 83. He was from a musical family with his mother playing piano for their church and

Carol Leigh (Whitman), highly-regarded classic jazz vocalist, died December 22nd.  Carol was a consummate performer of both familiar and obscure 20’s jazz and blues tunes,

Alto Saxophonist and flautist Jeff Clayton died from Kidney cancer of December 17th. He was 66 years old. He trained on oboe and English horn

Sadly, Steve Radeck informs us that “Professor” Don Burns has died at the age of 81. Don was a familiar ragtime entertainer in western New

Jack Kuncl, 86, passed away December 7 from complications of Coved-19. He was best known as the banjoist with the Salty Dogs Jazz Band since

Joseph Brem, a past president of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society, passed away on November 22 in Scottsdale, AZ, he was 90 years old. A

Michael Brooks passed away at home in Newark, NJ on November 20, 2020. Born in 1935 his early career was spent as an editor and

We are saddened by the news of the passing of legendary drummer Viola Smith, who died October 21 at her home in Costa Mesa, California.

Ira Sullivan died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at home in Miami on September 21. He had performed for a couple of Pensacola JazzFests and had

Ragtime pianist Richard Eugene Kroeckel died October 11th, he was 75. Though he was born in Indianapolis most of his career was centered in Colorado.

Dr. Cleve Baker died on  August 12, 2020, he was 85 years old. He loved the history of ragtime and jazz and how it intersected

One of the most recognizable jazz writers of recent decades, Stanley Crouch, died on September 16th, he was 74. In 1979 he renounced the black

Dan Reid filled the lives of so many with his wisdom, his wit, his generosity and his love Daniel J. Reid, Jazz aficionado, true friend,

Trombonist, vocalist, and band leader Steve Yocum died of leukemia on September 4th, he was 69. Born in St. James, New York he started playing

A journalist and jazz promoter, David Booth Cooper died on August 15th, he was 87. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps he was a life long

Known for its musical heritage, Mason City has produced a number of successful performers and educators and is the site of the annual North Iowa

A lifelong “Friend of Jazz”, Al White passed away on July 20, 2020, at his home in Hot Springs, Ark., he was 92. With his

William (Bill) Howland Kenney III, died on July 26th, he was 80 years old. He was a professor at Kent State from 1966 on, teaching

Helen Elizabeth Jones Woods died in Florida of Coronavirus on July 25th, she was 96. As a little girl she was fascinated by the trombone

Dr. James McCauley Vandivier died on July 14th, he was 86. Over 48 years as a physician he took on leadership rolls within his field

Rudy Emilio Torrini, a jazz and aviation enthusiast well loved in the St. Louis area, succumbed to his illness on June 7, 2020, he was

Nora Louise Hulse, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away July 24, she was 88. Her mother had trained at Chicago’s American Conservatory of Music, so when

Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, who was known by his stage name Bent Fabric, died on July 28th, he was 95. He is remembered for the catchy hit