Soon we celebrate the Day of the Dead (November, 2) and we want to take advantage of the date to remember all those Smooth Jazz, Jazz and music artists that we have been saying goodbye in this tragic 2020 marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We begin our chronological memory on February 11: Lyle Mays, dies at 66. Pianist who for more than 40 years was part of the group of guitarist Pat Metheny. He had a long and recognized career as a jazz keyboardist, with great musical influence since he was a child, because his mother and father played the piano and the guitar. In 1977 he co-founded the group Pat Metheny, with which he won 10 Grammy Awards over four decades, the last one in 2005 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
On March 6, McCoy Tyner, pianist and composer, one of the members of the historic John Coltrane jazz quartet in the 1960s, died at the age of 81.
On March 12, the Coronavirus kept the life of Marcelo Peralta, he entered the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid on March 5 and could not overcome it. The 59-year-old saxophonist died of COVID-19, news that his wife and three children received while serving quarantine in Madrid.
On March 24, Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango died from the coronavirus, at the age of 86. Author of the hit ‘Soul Makossa’. His style is essentially a fusion of jazz, soul and African rhythms. His dispute with Michael Jackson was famous, who admitted that he used a fragment of the Dibango theme on his single «Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin‘», which he included on his Thriller album. And his subsequent fight with the rights to the version that Rihanna made.
On March 31, COVID-19 took another of the greats of Jazz, Wallace Roney. At 59 the trumpeter died. He studied with Miles Davis from 1985, until the latter’s death in 1991. Wallace credits Davis with helping him in the way of his creative approach to life, as well as being his music teacher, mentor and friend; in fact, he has the distinction of being the only trumpet player Davis personally mentored.
On April 3, we lost the wonderful songwriter and singer Bill Withers at age 81 to heart complications. In his legacy he leaves us songs like “Lean on Me”, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Use Me”, “Just the Two of Us”, “Lovely Day” and “Grandma’s Hands”.
On April 11, Onaje Allan Gumbs passed away at the age of 70. Jazz pianist, composer, producer and conductor. He collaborated with Norman Connors, Buster Williams, Avery Sharpe and Woody Shaw among others, in addition to publishing his solo albums.
On April 26, at the age of 78, Hamilton Bohannon, Stevie Wonder’s drummer, accompanying artists such as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Four Tops and more, passed away. In the 70s he released solo with big hits like“Let’s Start the Dance‘.
On May 9, one of the mainstays of Rock & Roll, Little Richard, was leaving at the age of 87. American singer, songwriter, and pianist, considered one of the most influential and important pioneers in the history of Rock and Roll and an influential figure in music and popular culture for seven decades. His music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, such as soul and funk. And it helped shape the rhythm and blues for future generations.
The month of June has been especially tragic in terms of losses. On June 9, at the age of 69, singer Bonnie Pointer, a member of The Pointer Sisters, passed away.
On June 25, Jaume Nebot said goodbye, a great person, a magnificent businessman and one of the architects of the success of the Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival.
And on June 28, we shared a double sadness: at the age of 46, drummer Khari Parker, who we have listened to in recent years in collaborations with Dave Koz and Brian Culbertson, has passed away. And the same day the pianist and singer Freddy Cole passed away at the age of 88. Known for being the little brother of Nat ‘King’ Cole, he had a consolidated artistic career that he vindicated with his song ‘I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me‘.
On the last day of June, the 30th, Johnny Mandel passed away. At the age of 94, the composer and arranger who worked alongside stars such as Quincy Jones, Frank SInatra, Stan Getz and Tony Bennett, in addition to creating unforgettable soundtracks such as the one for the MASH series, said goodbye.
The month of July left us musically orphans when on July 6, Ennio Morricone passed away. At the age of 91, he left behind the soundtrack of more than five hundred films and television series. It received an honorary Oscar in 2006 and won the Oscar for best soundtrack in 2016 for The Hateful Eight. In 2020 he was awarded, posthumously, the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, shared with fellow composer John Williams.
On September 10, Ronald Bell, co-founder of the mythical band Kool and the Gang, heavyweight of funk music and author of great hits such as ‘Celebration’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ and ‘Ladies Night’, died at 68 years old. His group Kool and the Gang, in 1978, won a Grammy Award for their contributions to the soundtrack of ‘Saturday Night Fever’, a film starring John Travolta.
Until now, this year leaves us as the last loss at, October 20, the death of José Padilla. DJ and producer, considered the father of “chill out”, became famous in the 90s for his compilations “Café del Mar”. He died after trying to overcome colon cancer and a losing streak due to the musical stoppage of the Pandemic that forced him to make a collection among his followers to be able to face his debts.
