Gone but not forgotten

[Frankie Sumatra]

Very sad news indeed.

[Doug-o]

I was just listening to him on my Ipod this morning. Turns out he died last Wednesday.

R.I.P. Bobby Byrd

[MissNikki]

I was awfully upset to hear that Marcel Marceau had passed on at the weekend...

Miss Nikki xXx

[Don Marco]

Seems like every time I come on this forum it's bearing bad news...

On Wednesday Joseph Abraham Gottlieb - aka Joey Bishop, last surviving member of the Rat Pack - passed away.

DM

[master g]

The great Norman Mailer is off: "How dare you scorn the explosive I employ?"

[Frankie Sumatra]

The great Norman Mailer is off: "How dare you scorn the explosive I employ?"

Indeed, a veritable giant of the literary world has passed on.

[Mister Missouri]

I must admit that I kinda thought he'd gone already but the only man who could teach Elvis a thing or two about how to wear a jumpsuit, Robert Craig 'Evel' Knievel Jr., has gone to that great big stunt show in the sky

[Sam Jose]

I see old Ike has hitched his final ride on his rocket 88. Not known for being the most gentle of souls,or a particularly good husband to Tina, he was there at the beginning when rock'n'roll began and that's cool with me !
I'm sure we'll dig out some Ike related tunes for the Vegas show this Saturday on www.subcity.org, between 12 and 2 in the pm !!

[Dino Martini]

Oscar Peterson died at the age of 82 from kidney failure at his home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga on Sunday 23rd December 2007. His wife and daughter were with him during his final moments.

During a truly illustrious career spanning seven decades, he played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He's also remembered for the trio that he led in the 1950's with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar.

Peterson's impressive collection of awards include all of Canada's highest honours, such as the Order of Canada, as well as seven Grammys and a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 1997. He was regarded as Canada's national treasure, and had 60 full years of being considered the top jazz pianist in the world.

"A jazz player is an instant composer," Peterson once said in an interview, while conceding jazz did not have the mass appeal of other musical genres. "You have to think about it, it's an intellectual form."

Peterson's stature was reflected in the admiration of his peers - Duke Ellington referred to him as the "Maharajah of the keyboard", while Count Basie once said "Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I've ever heard".
Peterson's keyboard virtuosity, propulsive sense of swing, and melodic inventiveness influenced generations of jazz pianists who followed him. Herbie Hancock said Peterson's impact was profound.

Needless to say, some of his recordings will be aired as a tribute on "LLJ", on Leith FM this Sunday.

[Frankie Sumatra]

R.I.P. Esbjorn Svensson.

[Frankie Sumatra]

R.I.P. Isaac Hayes.

[FrankM]

From Joe Turner through Ray Charles, Aretha are just some of the artists with a Vegas connection Jerry Wexler has produced. He was taken home to die last week, his life support machine was switched off Thursday and his death announced yesterday.




Rolling Stone

['Wild Card' Kitty]

Bettie Page: 1923 to 2008

An Icon of Pin-Up and for Fetishists everywhere, some would say the definitive Pin-Up model. Her influence extends throughout imagery and Artwork across the spectrum of Media.

Gone, but definitely not forgotten.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_en_ot/obit_bettie_page;_ylt=Ao49NqxFabMiybFnMSxbi7.s0NUE

['Wild Card' Kitty]

Eartha Kitt

1927-2008

Slightly belated as she sadly passed away from cancer on Christmas Eve, but I only heard the other day.
Fabulous iconic woman with a great song catalogue including the seminal classic (and best version in my opinion) "Santa Baby". A teasing temptress famous for her growl and facial expressions, she went on to appear in the 60's Batman series at Catwoman.

More info:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3965130/Tributes-paid-to-Eartha-Kitt.html

[Dino Martini]

[*]John Martyn OBE (born Iain David McGeachy) on 11 September 1948 in New Malden (Surrey), died 29 January 2009.

Having had the experience of working with him way back in the ‘70s, when I was the regional Promotions person for Island Records (imho, the best record company, ever), and seeing him perform on many occasions in all sorts of venues all over the world, I’m very sad indeed and I’m trying hard to hold my feelings in check here. The problem is that my emotions are those of a fan of his immense musical & creative talent, and also those of someone who had to deal with his, er, ’awkward’ personality from time to time - usually at an occasion that was most inappropriate or likely to be as difficult as possible for everybody else that was present at the time! Oh yes, like many others, I could tell you tales about the cantankerous, drunken, obnoxious, and downright un-lovable side of Big Bad John - but I’ve never really seen any point in that. I suspect that many artists of his calibre have a few demons and some “less-than-desirable” personality defects but, in John’s case, those traits faded into insignificance the instant he picked up his guitar and started to perform. With his catalogue of amazing songs and his unique style, he had a magical ability to mesmerise and charm audiences. And we loved him for that.

Although he started out as a ’folkie’, John wasn’t afraid to incorporate jazz, rock, reggae or contemporary influences in his music, and he wasn’t afraid to use ‘technology’ either - witness his creative use of an Echoplex machine long before KT was even a twinkle in Mr & Mrs Tunstall’s eyes! He worked with many high-profile musicians, including his friend & long-time bass/double bass player Danny Thompson, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Phil Collins and Lee ‘Scratch‘ Perry. John had a career that spanned forty years, and he was, without a doubt, one of the most prolific and distinctive artists of his generation.

It’s pretty well documented that John enjoyed a “rock & roll lifestyle” and that he struggled with his addiction to alcohol. However, it’s probably worth repeating his legendary quote (in Q Magazine) “If I could control myself more, I think the music would be much less interesting. I'd probably be a great deal richer but I'd have had far less fun and I'd be making really dull music."

John had a large cyst under his right knee which burst in 2003, and he had to have the lower limb amputated. Even though that required him to spend most of his time in a wheelchair, it didn‘t stop him from performing, and he was awarded an OBE in the 2009 New Year honours list.

The statement posted today on his website (http://www.johnmartyn.com) reads: "With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning."

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but the music he made will live forever.