there was a time when you'd regularly see him or bump into him around london, he was always at the parties, always up for sharing stories and chatting to fans. Incredible energy and a very genuine sort of person, particularly exceptional given the career he'd had. He'd played with all the greats, starting at 16 when he played drums for Martha and The Vandellas. It's amazing that he embraced the new as he always had done and continued to break musical boundaries well into his 60s. Cannot salute this gentleman enough.
really sad to hear this - nova is one of my favourite jazz albums. RIP.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
Really sad to hear about this. To be honest, it doesn't surprise me that he stayed open to new styles and forms into his twilight years. That was true of people like Miles or Lester Bowie, it's true of people like Ornette Coleman, and I'm sure it could be applied to any number of jazz musicians who don't approach the music as something to be handled with surgical gloves or preserved in amber. RIP.
Loved his interviews on the Gilles Peterson show the mans passion for what he did was obvious and his music on the soul jazz comps and 4 tet collaborations blew me away will be missed very sad news.
Comments
feel so lucky to have seen him play.
"Gutted"? Is that what the kids are saying these days?
RIP