DAVE PELL, 92, on May 8 in Canoga Park, California. Played in the big bands of Tony Pastor, Bobby Sherwood, and several others in his late teens before moving to California. Performed on Bob Crosby’s radio show and was a member of the Les Brown Orchestra for eight years.
Playing with the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Zoot Sims, and Stan Getz, Pell was identified with the contrapuntal sound of West Coast Jazz of the ’50s and ’60s. Began working with his own ensembles, mostly an octet. He owned and played one of Lester Young’s two tenor saxophones.
