These jazz, blues and otherwise musical artists, journalists, industry leaders, educators
and related personages died in 2011 — compiled by W. Royal Stokes and Ken Franckling. Sadly we have no comparable list of the jazz and blues greats born in 2011.
MARGARET WHITING, BRIAN RUST, MILTON BABBITT, GEORGE SHEARING, EDDIE KIRKLAND, JOE MORELLO, PINETOP PERKINS, BILLY BANG, GIL SCOTT-HERON, RAY BRYANT, ALEX STEINWEISS, AMY WINEHOUSE, FRANK FOSTER, DAVID HONEYBOY EDWARDS, MASON COUNTRY THOMAS, FRANK DRIGGS, WALTER NORRIS, PAUL MOTIAN, BILL TAPIA, PAUL BLAIR, BOB BROOKMEYER, SAM RIVERS, BARBARA LEA
Trumpeters Barry Lee Hall Jr., Allen Smith, Jimmy (Chops) Jones, Roger DeVuyst, Don Ferrara, Niel Parker, Paul Phillips, Andrzej Pysbielski, Snooky Young, Alan Rubin, Michael Elliott Ridley, Richard Turner, Uan Rasey, Reg Service; trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader Jens Winther; trumpeter and bassist Gary Deary; trumpeter and educator Charles (Chuck) Miller; trumpeter and former president of Local 802 of the New York City Musicians’ Union Johnny Glasel; trumpeter, bandleader, and educator Dan Terry
Trombonists Erling Kroner, Bill Bardin, Hawe Schneider, John DeMasi, Papa Bue; trombonist, bandleader, writer, and editor Al Webber; trombonist, tuba player, educator, and festival director Alan Adams; trombonist and percussionist David Weir Tuttle
Valve trombonist, bandleader, composer, and educator Bob Brookmeyer
Saxophonists Bill Scarlett, David L. Williams, Zim Ngqawana, Ted Nash (uncle of saxophonist Ted Nash), Gil Bernal, Nelson Hernandez, Tommy Melville, Piet Noordijk, Mike Carrick, Stanley Barber; saxophonist and singer Betty Smith; saxophonist and bandleader George Botts Sr.; saxophonist, composer and arranger Frank Foster; saxophonist, clarinetist, and multi-instrumentalist Mason “Country” Thomas
Clarinetist Ian Wheeler; clarinetist, singer, and club owner Yvonne “Dixie” Fasnacht
Woodwind player Sidney Cooper
Tuba and euphonium player Brad Felt
Harmonica player George “Mojo” Buford
Violinist Billy Bang; violinist and guitarist Wedeli Köhler; violinist, bandleader, composer, arranger, musicologist, and writer André Hodeir
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, educator, and Loft Jazz pioneer Sam Rivers
Pianists Tricia Woods, Bill Triglia, Arnie Carruthers, Horst Mühlbradt, Frans Elsen, Johnny Pearson, James Wade Mouton, Velzoe Brown, Ray Bryant, Tom Garvin, Francois Cahen, Wolfgang Lauth, Johnny Raducanu, Roger Williams, Bess Bonnier, Marty Harris, Walter Norris, Gordon Beck, Art Hillery, Al Vega; pianist and Bavarian Jazz Institute founder Richard Wiedamann; pianist, composer, and bandleader George Shearing, pianist and jazz club co-founder Klaus Rudolf Elleringmann; pianists and composers György Szabados, Paul West; pianist, accordionist, and kalimba player Erico Noir (Eric J. Schwarz), pianist and singer Pearl Thuston Brown, pianist, trombonist, bandleader, and educator Andy Wright; pianist and composer Don Newey; jazz pianist and cabaret performer Georg Kreisler
Keyboardist Kristian Schultze
Organist Odell Brown
Vibraphonist Bosko Petrovic
Guitarists Russell Norkin, Poppa Neutrino (David Pearlman), Buddy Charleton, Cornell Dupree, Manuel Galbán, Ron Lopez, Ladi Geisler, Hans Reichel; guitarist and singer Melvin Sparks; guitarist, educator, and writer Charles H. Chapman
Ukulele player Bill Tapia
Bassists Charles Fambrough, Curtis Mitchell, David Shapiro, Ned Mann, Harald Johnsen, Reginald Curry, Steve Freeman, Paul Mildé; bassist, pianist, and drummer Stanley Wright; bassist and educator Graham Collier
Drummers Jack Menna, Tony Levin, Herman Ernest III, Eric Delaney, Eddie Marshall, George Reed, Butch Ballard, Erich Bachträgl, Keith (Keef) Hartley, Reed Vaughan; drummer and percussionists Daniel Perez; drummer, bandleader, and educator Joe Morello; drummer, percussionist, and inventor Armen Halburian; drummer and educator Freddie Gruber; drummer and cymbalsmith Roberto Spizzichino; drummer, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian, drummer, educator, conductor/bandleader, composer, arranger, and author Clem DeRosa
Percussionists Tito Cepeda, Ritchie Barrientos; percussionist and singer Eugenio Arango (Totico), percussionist, bandleader, and club owner Vitin Santiago; percussionist and composer Ralph MacDonald
Washboard player and founder of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band Bill Donahoe
Singers Margaret Whiting, José Luis Moneró, Mae Wheeler, Mary Birt, Ottilie Patterson, Jimmy Roselli, Joe Lee Wilson, Amy Winehouse, Norma Zimmer, Lil Greenwood, Ross Barbour, Dolores Hope, Dinah Kaye, Beryl Davis, Christiane Legrand, Jimmy Norman, Daniela D’Ercole, Myra Taylor, Christine Rosholt; singer and documentary film producer Mary Cleere Haran; singer and bassist Bob Flanigan; singer and composer Gene McDaniels; singer, songwriter, and pianist Joe Mogotsi; singer, record producer, and label executive Sylvia Robinson; singer and bandleader singer and bandleader Daniela D’Ercole; singer, pianist, actress, and educator Barbara Lea; singer and actress Milly Ericson
Bandleader Pupi Campo; bandleader, singer, and saxophonist Orrin Tucker; band leader, pianist, clarinetist, guitarist, and banjo and accordion player Mickey Correa; bandleader, singer, saxophonist, and drummer Edmundo Ros
Dancer Jerry Ames
Actor and narrator Dietmar Mues; actor, pianist, and singer Al Israel
Composers Hans Ulrich Engelmann, Fred Steiner, Ruth Roberts, Pete Rugolo; composer and educator Milton Babbitt, Jerry Ragovoy; composer, pianist, trumpeter John Barry; composer, lyricist, arranger, and pianist Hugh Martin; composer, poet, spoken word performer, singer, percussionist, social and political activist, writer Gil Scott-Heron; composer, poet, singer, club owner Fran Landesman; composer, arranger, and conductor Russell Garcia; composer and educator Michael Garrick
Arranger and bandleader Wardell Quezergue
Writers Pit Huber, Charles Graham, Heinz Steinert, Jean-Pierre Battestini, Joan Peyser, Mike Hazeldine; writer and musicologist Christopher Small; writer, educator, composer, and trombonist Charles Hamm; writer and jazz advocate Jack McCray; Latin music historian Ernie Ensley; writer, editor, and broadcaster Paul Blair
Poet Ira Cohen
Discographers Brian Rust, Jos Willems
Music publisher and first president of the Association of Independent Music Publishers in the 1970s Michael “Mickey” Goldsen
Photographers Ron Hudson, Paul Gerhard Deker, Robert Whitaker; photographer and painter T. Lux Feininger
Art director and graphic designer Alex Steinweiss; graphic designer, photographer, and promoter John Haxby
Broadcasters Danny Stiles, Stan Martin, Phyllis Campbell
Filmmaker Bruce Ricker
Audio pioneer Edgar M. Villchur
Record producers Jack Lewis, Randy Wood; record producer and record store owner Bobby Robinson
Publicity director for Blue Note Records and jazz advocate Ruth Mason Lion (second wife of Blue Note founder Alfred Lion)
Musical director and pianist Morty Jacobs
Choreographer Roland Petit
Club owners Larry Friedlander, Kimball Allen; club manager Willi Geipel; founder of New York’s floating concert hall Bargemusic, violinist, and violist Olga Bloom
Talent agent, manager, producer, and executive Harold Davison
Jazz society founder and editor Betty Tardy Forrest (wife of Jimmy Forrest)
Producer Kym Bonython; producer, historian, and photo archivist Frank Driggs
Record store owner Ray Smith
78-RPM record collector Alexander Loulakis
Philanthropist Agnes Varis
Jazz supporter Vaclav Havel
Blues, cabaret, gospel, pop, folk, country, R&B, reggae, soul, world music, zydeco, etc. performers and industry participants Mick Karn, Gerry Rafferty, Trish Keenan, Remmy Ongala, Gladys Horton, Haydain Neale, Lhasa de Sela, Gary Moore, Eddie Kirkland, Sherman Washington Jr., Pinetop Perkins, Loleatta Holloway, Lacy Gibson, Hazel Dickens, Phoebe Snow, Ben Andrews, Luis Gonzalez, Carl Gardner, Clarence Clemons, Facundo Cabral, Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell, Rob Grill, Raymond Jones, Kenny Baker, Steve Popovich, Andrew Gold, Lloyd Knibb, John Carter, David Mason, John Maus, Dan Peek, Joe Arroyo, Kenny Baker, Delois Barrett Campbell, Jane White, Fred Imus, Marshall Grant, Billy Grammer, Jani Lane, Jerry Leiber; Nick Ashford, Guus Van Hove, Esther Gordy Edwards, David Honeyboy Edwards, Jeanne Carroll, Rob Grill, Wade Mainer, Carl Oglesby, Mehdi (Mehdi Favéris-Essadi), Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Wilma Lee Cooper, Vesta Williams, Jessy Dixon, Johnnie Wright, Marv Tarplin, Bert Jansch, Mikey Welsh, David Bedford, David Hess, Barry Feinstein, Paul Leka, Liz Anderson, Cory Smoot, Heavy D (Dwight Errington Myers), Bhupen Hazarika, Doyle Bramhall, Lee Pockriss, Moogy Klingman, Andrea Truden, Jimmy Bloom, Coco Robicheaux, Ken Russell, Don DeVito, Barry Llewellyn, Andrew Kazdin, Hubert Sumlin, Howard Tate, Dobie Gray, Bob Burnett, Philip Burrell, Billie Jo Spears, Cesária Évora, Warren Hellman, John Atterberry, Slim Dunkin (Mario Hamilton), Dan “Bee” Spears, David Gold, Johannes Heesters, Adrienne Cooper, Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said); Robert Dickey, Israel Baker, Jim “Motorhead” Sherwood