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A number of estimable jazz artists have passed away this year, and naming all of them will be difficult for me. But I have tried to list down some of them, at least those that weere my personal favourites. The musicians emerged during different periods – although some of them just a few years apart – and shared their love for jazz, but still came out with different ways of playing. This was due to their social backgrounds and interactions, which informed the ways they adjusted to the external environment and to individuals within and outside their different styles of performing jazz.
For me, there’s no debating about the contributions made by saxophonists Lou Donaldson and David Sanborn, drummer Roy Haynes, Brazilian pianist Sergio Mendes, multi-instrumentalist-arranger Quincy Jones, guitarist Russell Malone and trumpeter Jim Rotondi.
They were all virtuosos who spun endless variations – fast, single-note runs, slow-paced melody lines and rich chords around which they embellished their improvisations; and the polyrhythmic accompaniment, which allowed greater flexibility for the soloist. With these qualities, they gave to mainstream, as well as modern jazz fans great delight.
Last surviving member
The last surviving member of the original Art Blakey Quintet that in 1954 introduced “hard bop,” Donaldson passed away November 9, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, eight days after his 98th birthday. Pneumonia was the presumed cause of his death.
He had continued to perform until 2017 when he officially announced his retirement. Donaldson’s alto sound was big and robust and instantly caught the listener’s ear with a style that would not escape jazz enthusiasts’ tastes.
Most of his memorable albums include his collaboration with late guitarist Grant Green on Cool Blues, backed by drummer Baby Face Willette and Brother Jack McDuff on the Hammond B3 organ; and Good Gracious!, released 1963, accompanied by Green, drummer Ben Dixon and organist John Patton. With these releases, he became one of the pioneers of the late-1950s saxophone, organ, drums and guitar quartet format. Charlie Parker-influenced and playing with an earthy, blues-based style, Donaldson found more acceptance. Gravy Train, Here ‘Tis, and The Natural Soul also featured this format and became more popular than any of his previous projects. In all these, his playing had more control than the honking and screeching heard on others who were in this format.
But it was the Alligator Bogaloo album, released 1967, that really showcased his potential as one of the outstanding contributors to the sound of happy jazz. He combined the old with the new, merging his talents with those of then rising young jazz stars in guitarist George Benson, organist Lonnie Smith and cornetist Melvin Lastie, Sr. On drums was Leo Smith.
Roy Haynes
Drummer and bandleader Roy Haynes died on November 19, in Nassau County, New York, aged 99. The recipient of many awards and honours, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, he was one of the few remaining musicians from the bebop revolution. From the late 1940s, he performed with leading jazz figures, such as saxophonist Lester Young, pianist Thelonius Monk, trumpeter Miles Davis and singer Sarah Vaughan.
Haynes recorded almost 30 albums and co-led several others, including A Life in Time, which covers his long career during the evolution of modern jazz from the 1940s to present time; Out of the Afternoon with pianist Tommy Flanagan and saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk; Question and Answer with guitarist Pat Metheny; Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker; and Fountain of Youth. For his 85th birthday, he celebrated with a series of remarkable shows at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Manhattan, performing with special guests, including the late pianist Chick Corea.
Regardless the path each chose, with their skills and knowledge, they became major players of jazz of varied styles.
In their own divergent ways, each applied musical concepts in a way that asserted one’s sense of identity, but without losing their intimacy for the music called jazz.
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