Sadly, with so many sensible jazz artists passing in such a brief time frame, it was crucial to mix their obituaries into this one column. My apologies.
Sheila Jordan, a self-taught singer of Charlie Parker recordings who grew to become a major pioneer in bebop and the artwork of scat singing, died on August 11 at her condominium in Manhattan. She was 96.
Jordan recorded her first album, “Portrait of Sheila” (Blue Notice Information, 1963), on the age of 34. As the primary vocalist to be recorded on the label, she was proclaimed as a brilliant new voice in jazz. Such good publicity, alongside along with her fierce vocal fluctuations, stored audiences enchanted and allowed her to etch out a modest singing profession that continued into her 90s. As a single mom, she held down a full-time job to boost her solely daughter, Tracy. As soon as her daughter was in school, Jordan returned to the stage and to recording. She recorded greater than a dozen albums, together with “Sheila Jordan Dwell at Mezzrow,” launched when she was 92, and “Portrait Now,” launched earlier this yr. The nonagenarian by no means stopped performing. She was normally accompanied by pianist/composer Steve Kuhn and bassists Harvie S (he and Jordan typically recorded or carried out completely as a duet) and avant-gardist Cameron Brown.
As a local of Detroit, a fertile jazz land, Jordan had a possibility to immerse herself within the jazz scene. In her early years, she carried out and jammed with bebop pianist and composer Barry Harris, who described her as “one of many nice modern voices in jazz.” They remained mates and carried out collectively from time to time in New York Metropolis till his loss of life. Harris died shortly after their efficiency with an all-star ensemble at Flushing City Corridor. Harris
She acquired the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2012, and two years later, her biography, “Jazz Youngster: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan,” was printed, written by vocalist and educator Ellen Johnson. Jordan’s glowing status as an ingenious tune stylist led her to the Metropolis Faculty of New York, the place she grew to become an artist-in-residence and taught there from 1978 to 2005. She was additionally on the school on the College of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jordan impressed generations of musicians and vocalists throughout her profession. She had the identical fearlessness as her daring hero Charlie Parker. When it got here to exploring music, her purpose was to push past jazz boundaries whether or not she was scatting, exploring some realm of avant-gardism, or singing a well-traveled commonplace. Her contributions to jazz and her artistic model will inspire many generations to come back. “Sheila put her life on the road for the music all her life,” mentioned trombonist and composer Craig Harris.
David F. Gibson, whose clean drumming capability caressed the vocals of Joe Williams and Diane Schuur or might rapidly segue right into a hard-driving melodic pressure to energy the large deal legacy swing bands of the Duke Ellington, Rely Basie, and Cab Calloway orchestras, and smaller ensembles, died on July 30. He was 72.
“I’m honored to have collaborated with Dave on my forthcoming 2025 launch, ‘Squeeze in Tight: Jazz and Blues Songs for Solidarity.’ Dave performed drums and maintained a formidable presence all through the album’s manufacturing; all the time pushing me and our workforce to do our greatest and swing as exhausting as doable. He was like that: Go for broke, each time,” based on Jazz Energy Initiative co-founder, managing director, and inventive director Eli Yamin.
Gibson’s exploding pressure earned him intensive stints with Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Huge Band, Illinois Jacquet Huge Band, Solar Ra Arkestra, David Murray Huge Band, and — up till his transition — the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He was the co-producer and collaborated [with Radam] on the “Radam Schwartz Organ Huge Band” self-titled album launched independently in 2020. “Dave Gibson was a consummate drummer, an extremely massive ensemble participant,” mentioned trombonist and composer Craig Harris. “He made everyone within the band sound good; he lifted nice gamers even increased. He was a magical artist.”
After Gibson’s commencement from Temple College, the native of Philadelphia discovered his craft as an energetic participant on town’s vibrant jazz scene, the place he rapidly earned an area status because the younger drummer of selection. His enjoying capability caught the eye of saxophonist and composer Odean Pope, who invited Gibson to affix his Saxophone Choir. He appeared on the 1985 debut album “The Saxophone Store” that featured eight of Pope’s fellow saxophonists, who included Philly’s native legend Bootsie Barnes. “Dave was a unprecedented drummer/percussionist and an amazing large band drummer that made him invaluable. He was from the Max Roach college of drumming,” mentioned saxophonist and proprietor of Invoice’s Place Invoice Saxton.
After leaving Philly, Gibson adopted New York Metropolis as his second residence and related with Harlem’s ingenious jazz neighborhood. “The lengthy musical journey Dave Gibson and I shared as neophytes within the Rely Basie Band, directed by Frank Foster, was the start of many experiences collectively that included the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton Band, and Cab Calloway Band,” mentioned saxophonist and composer Persistence Higgins.
Gibson later joined considered one of Harlem’s most invigorating jazz bands — the Sugar Hill Quartet, which included bandleader Higgins with pianist Marcus Persiani, bassist Andy McCloud, and bassist Alex Hernandez. The famous quartet loved lengthy residencies on the famend St. Nicks Pub, Lenox Lounge, and Smoke Jazz Golf equipment. “His enjoying was all the time ingenious, modern, delicate and all the time swinging,” famous Higgins.
Joe Daley, the multi-instrumentalist who defied the assemble of musical genres as a composer and arranger for large bands, marching bands, small ensembles, and enjoying with an astounding group of musicians from Gil Evans to Warren Smith, Invoice Dixon, Natalie Service provider, Sam Rivers, Jayne Cortez, and Carla Bley, died on August 3 in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was 75.
Throughout his prolific profession as a musician, Daley devoted three a long time of his life as a music instructor for the New York Metropolis and Englewood, New Jersey, public college methods. He impressed numerous younger musicians till his retirement in 2005. The Harlem native was honored to have been the band director at Wadleigh JHS 88 and affiliate director of the Manhattan Borough-Vast Band ( 1972–1976). Daley was a graduate of the Manhattan College of Music, the place he earned a bachelor’s diploma in efficiency in 1972 and a grasp’s diploma in music training in 1973.
His fundamental devices have been the tuba (major), trombone, and euphonium. As a composer and bandleader, he earned popularity of his works, together with “The Seven Lethal Sins” (2011); “The Seven Heavenly Virtues” (2013); after which in 2014, “Portraits: Wind, Thunder and Love,” which incorporates the multimovement suite ”Wispercussion: 5 Portraits of Warren Smith” and the “Tuba Trio Chronicles” (2015). His artistic imaginative and prescient and musicality could be skilled as a co-founding member of the eclectic ensemble Hazmat Modine, and his personal teams: the Ebony Brass Quintet and Earth Tones Ensemble.
“Joe Daley was an amazing musician and buddy; he helped me throughout some very robust instances. He was very soft-spoken — I by no means heard him elevate his voice to anybody,” mentioned trombonist and composer Dick Griffin. “He was an amazing composer and arranger. The items he organized for his Ebony Brass Quartet have been sensible.”
Daley was a artistic musician, composer, and educator. He leaves behind an inventive perspective that can have a profound impression on generations of future college students and listeners.
