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TRIBUTE: |
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This is
the place where Steve Gadd remembers
his good friends and
colleagues
who have passed
on. Please read on and learn about these
astounding musicians.
Also,
feel free to click on their photos to find out
more and check out their music. |
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www.louiebellson.info |
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LOUIE BELLSON
Bellson
was an Italian-American jazz drummer. He was
a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and
is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.
He performed on more than 200 albums with such greats as
Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey,
Harry James, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald,
Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton,
James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Mel Torme,
Joe Williams, Wayne Newton and Bellson’s late wife Pearl Bailey. |
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DAVE CARPENTER:
Bassist Dave Carpenter appeared on over two hundred
recordings, and had dozens of television, film theme and
soundtracks to his recording credit. He worked with major
artists including Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman,
Mike Stern, Allan Holdsworth, Sadao Watanabe, Alan Pasqua
and Herbie Hancock. He appeared as a soloist with the
Los Angeles and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras plus
Tanglewood and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras.
Carpenter was a founding member of the "Lounge Art Ensemble"
along with Bob Sheppard and Peter Erskine, and was hailed
by listeners and critics alike for his playing on both acoustic
and electric basses. "He was not only a bassist's bassist,
but a pianist's bassist, a drummer's bassist," said Erskine.
"Dave Carpenter was a BAND's bassist supreme. He made
any piece of music sound and feel better by his incredible
musicianship, uncompromising beat and unerring ability
to choose the right note at the right time. His musical
presence will be sorely missed by all
who knew and heard him."
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www.dongrolnick.com |
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DON GROLNICK:
Don Grolnick was a very talented pianist and composer whose
death in 1996 at the age of 48 from cancer was a major loss. In
a short time Don became a sought-after session musician. Don
eventually worked on hundreds of recordings with artists like
Linda Ronstadt, Steely Dan, and Bonnie Raitt. In 1974,
he began what was to become a long musical partnership
with James Taylor.
www.allaboutjazz.com
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www.michaelbrecker.com |
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MICHAEL BRECKER:
Throughout his career, Brecker recorded and performed
with numerous jazz and pop music leaders, including
Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell,
a ccording to his Web site. His most recently released recording,
Wide Angles, appeared on many top jazz lists and won two
Grammys in 2004.
His technique on the saxophone was widely emulated, and
his style was much-studied in music schools throughout the
world. Jazziz magazine recently called him "inarguably the
most influential tenor stylist of the last 25 years,"
according to a press release from his family.
www.newsday.com |
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RICHARD TEE:
Richard Tee was
a highly regarded R&B
and funk session
keyboardist, who's worked on hundreds
of sessions by every
major name in the rock, soul
and R&B
worlds. A top
rate
keyboardist in studio. Richard Tee died in
1993 after an
extensive and impressive career as
a keyboardist.
"THERE ISN'T A DAY THAT GOES BY WITHOUT
A THOUGHT OF TEE, THEY BRING SMILES TO MY FACE,
JOY TO MY HEART AND MUSIC TO MY SOUL
I MISS YOU MY FRIEND
TILL WE MEET AGAIN"
-Steve Gadd |
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www.richardtee.com |
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GERRY NIEWOOD:
Gerry Niewood was an instrumentalist (soprano, alto, tenor,
baritone saxophones; flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo, clarinet)
who has lent his melodic invention to artists as diverse as:
Chuck Mangione, Peggy Lee, Simon and Garfunkel,
Sinead O'Connor, Anne Murray, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis,
Mark Murphy, Gil Evans, Astrid Gilbeto, Judy Collins,
Frank Sinatra and Gerry Mulligan to name only a few.
-AllAboutJazz.com
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MARK MANETTA:
Mark Manetta died far too soon. You'll probably know Mark
best from his work as the guitarist on many of Chuck Mangione's
recordings. He also played with Ben Vereen, the Rochester and
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras, and many others.
Mark taught and/or influenced dozens of the gifted
guitarists who've come out of Rochester.
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MICHEL PETRUCCIANI:
French jazz pianist Petrucciani worked with some of the best
jazzmen and rhythm sections in the world. Among them were
drummers Steve Gadd, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette; bass
players Dave Holland, Gary Peacock, Eddie Gomez, Stanley
Clarke, Cecil McBee; guitarists Jim Hall, John Abercrombie,
John Scofield; saxophonists Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh,
Joe Lovano, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, David Sanborn
and Gerry Mulligan, not to mention the legendary trumpeter
Dizzy Gillespie. |
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www.michel-petrucciani.de |
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ERIC GALE:
Gale was a leading American jazz and session guitarist.
He was a top studio guitar man, and a first call session
player on many dates from the '50's through the '90's. His
reliable accompaniment can be appreciated on scores of
records as a sideman, and through his own efforts as leader.
He was with the Drifters, Jackie Wilson, the Flamingos and
Maxine Brown, beforeplaying in the 60s with King Curtis,
Jimmy Smith, David “Fathead” Newman, Mongo Santamaria
and Aretha Franklin. He was in 1975, a founder of the influentia
l funk band Stuff along with artists including Steve Gadd,
Cornell Dupree and Richard Tee. They played regularly at
Mikell's in Manhattan and released four popular
albums for Warner Brothers.
-AllAboutJazz.com |
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VINNIE RUGGERIO:
Ruggiero was incredible drummer from
New York who
recorded with Slide Hampton and
taught legions of drummers.
He moved up to Rochester, N.Y. to
work with Chuck & Gap
Mangione,
and raise his family. He also recorded with Sal
Nistico and The
Jazz Brothers.
"Vinnie was a hell of a player. He had an understanding
of
Philly Joe, Elvin and Tony and he had a great
pocket. So it
was real exciting watching him play." -Steve Gadd
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Charles, Vinnie & Philly Joe |
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TONY WILLIAMS:
Tony Williams was regarded by many observers as the greatest
jazz drummer of his era. He was both an inspiration and a
profound influence to countless young drummers, and his
innovative explorations, notably with the classic Miles Davis
Quintet of the Sixties, were a major factor in shaping the
development not only of small-group jazz, but also jazz-rock
fusion. In the mid-70s, he returned to an acoustic jazz setting in
1976 with the stellar VSOP band, a virtual reformation of the Davis quintet which reunited him with Hancock, Shorter and Carter, plus trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. The drummer continued to
lead his own groups in the 1980s, and recorded a number of
albums as leader for Blue Note. In the 1990s, he toured and
recorded with the four members of the quintet once again, this
time as an overt Miles Davis tribute band, with Wallace Roney
on trumpet.
-JazzHouse.org
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GENE KRUPA:
Krupa was an influential American jazz and big band drummer
and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant
style. Many consider Krupa to be one of the most influential
drummers of the 20th century, particularly regarding the
development of the drum kit. Many jazz historians believe
he made history in 1927 as the first kit drummer ever to
record using a bass drum pedal.
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BUDDY RICH:
Arguably
the greatest jazz drummer of all time, the legendary
Buddy Rich exhibited his love for music through
the dedication
of his life to the art. His was
a career that spanned seven
decades, beginning
when Rich was 18 months old and
continuing until
his death in 1987.
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www.buddyrich.com |
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MEL LEWIS:
Lewis was a drummer, jazz musician and band
leader. He was
born in Buffalo,
New York to Russian immigrant parents. Lewis'
cymbal work
was unique and added qualities to his groups that
are hard to describe, but that
are recognized immediately. He had fourteen Grammy nominations, authored a drumming
book, and
taught at the William
Patterson State College in New Jersey.
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RONNIE DAVIS:
Ronnie
Davis was a terrific drummer who's recorded
performances are currently out of print. if you
can find
Chuck
Mangione's "Quartet", you'll hear his
crisp tasty
small group playing and amazing latin
chops (always a
requirement with Chuck).
Then another side of his playing
is with The
Bill Watrous Big Band,
both The Manhattan
Wildlife
Refuge and Tiger
Of San Pedro feature his
explosive big
band concept.
Ronnie was also a great latin
percussionist playing on
both of Chuck's Together & Land
Of Make Believe concerts,
he did
return to play in Chuck's 1994 "Hat Is Back" concerts.
He also played extensively in the Rochester area
in the
early 70's with Gap Mangione, Joe
Romano and Louis
Macintosh.
You can find his percussion work on several
of Gap's earlier recordings such
as, And
The Kids Call It
Boogie and Sing
Along Junk. Sadly Ronnie passed
away in 1996, hopefully these recordings
will
eventually be reissued because his playing
certainly deserves documentation. |
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GROVER WASHINGTON, JR:
For
some twenty-five years, Grover
Washington, Jr., who died
in December 1999, was among the most
beloved instrumentalists
in popular music. He
maintained the middle ground between jazz
and
rhythm-and-blues with great style and grace. Washington
is considered by many to be one of the founders of the
smooth jazz genre.
For Grover Washington, Jr., making music was always more
than just recording hits, touring and selling records. It was
about personal choices within a personal journey, the continual evolution of an artist creating a sound, a niche, and a style
that became undeniably his own. |
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www.gwjrmusic.com |
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RALPH ORTIZ:
"Ralph Ortiz, perhaps the most-familiar bassist on the local
club scene with bands such as Prime Time Funk, died this
morning after a short battle with cancer. He was 52. Besides
Prime Time Funk, over the last few decades Mr. Ortiz played
in dozens of bands, some with long careers, some brief moments
of song: Cabo Frio, the Hot Sweets, the Shakes, Mother Freedom,
the Believers, Greg Walker & the Powerglide Blues Band, Kicks, Saratoga. Cohen remembers Mr. Ortiz joining him and a handful
of other local musicians and flying to Paris a decade ago to back
the Louisiana Zydeco bluesman Sherman Robertson,
and then Lyle Lovett’s backup singer Francine Reed."
-Jeff Speevak, February 2, 2009
"I feel very honored
and priviledged to have been in the studio
recording
with Steve Gadd. Also, to have
him come in and listen
to or sit in with different
bands I've been in. I find it hard to believe
I've been touched by Gadd so many times. I'm
blessed. "
-Ralph Ortiz |
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DOM CHACAL:
Ronnie
Chacal was a percussionist on the Paul Simon
Born at the Right Time tour. He appeared on the
Rhythm of the Saints album with Steve Gadd. |
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JOE MORELLO:
was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with
The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing
in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such
pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk". Popular for its
work on college campuses during the 1950s, Brubeck's group
reached new heights with Morello. In June 1959, Morello
participated in a recording session with the quartet —
completed by the alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and the
bassist Eugene Wright — that yielded "Kathy's Waltz"
and "Three to Get Ready," both of which intermingled
3/4 and 4/4 time signatures |
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CORNELL DUPREE:
In a remarkable 5 decade career, Cornell Dupree played on
literally thousands of sessions and worked with a staggering
list of artists that includes James Brown, Miles Davis,
Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway, Elvin Jones, B.B. King,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Herbie Mann, Jimmy Smith,
and many more.
www.allaboutjazz.com |
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