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Nancy Wilson_121418

Nancy Wilson

Photo: Steve Granitz/Getty Images

News
Nancy Wilson, Legendary Vocalist, Dies At 81 nancy-wilson-legendary-vocalist-and-jazz-icon-dies-81

Nancy Wilson, Legendary Vocalist And Jazz Icon, Dies At 81

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The three-time GRAMMY winner’s lasting influence touched several genres
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 14, 2018 - 11:09 am

Legendary vocalist, actor, and pillar of the jazz community Nancy Wilson died on Dec. 13 at her home in Pioneertown, Calif., after a long battle with illness. She was 81.

Nancy Wilson Wins Best Jazz Vocal Album

In her nearly six-decade career, Wilson touched many musical genres. Known for her unique vocal phrasing, sultry tone and prowess for turning songs into stories, her catalog weaved through jazz, R&B and pop. She worked with the likes of Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing and toured with Sarah Vaughan, Ruth Brown, Nat “King” Cole and more.

Born on Feb. 27, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson arrived on the scene in 1961 with her debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today.” Three years later, her breakout moment came with “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” which earned Wilson her first GRAMMY Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for the 7th GRAMMY Awards. The song also climbed to No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100, giving Wilson the biggest chart hit of her career. 

Wilson went on to win two additional GRAMMYs in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category for her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) at the 47th GRAMMY Awards and the follow-up, 2006’s Turned To Blue at the 49th GRAMMY Awards, the title track of which came from a Maya Angelou poem.

From 1996 through 2005, Nancy Wilson hosted NPR’s “Jazz Profiles,” a documentary series profiling the legends and legacy of jazz.

“Nancy was a self-described "song stylist" whose refined vocals contributed to her success as a versatile artist who was able to create unique interpretations of songs that extended beyond the jazz genre, says Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. “Nancy's musical talent and sophisticated style will inspire audiences for years to come. She will be dearly missed, and our sincerest condolences go out to her loved ones at this difficult time.”

https://twitter.com/johnlegend/status/1073480603453022208

So sad to hear about the passing of the great Nancy Wilson. She was a magical performer. I'm so glad I was able to spend time with her and hear her beautiful voice in person.

— John Legend (@johnlegend) December 14, 2018

Wilson is survived by her three children and five grandchildren. In accordance with Wilson’s last wishes, a celebration of her life will be held in lieu of a funeral service. Details are forthcoming.

Wilson’s legacy lives on in the recordings she leaves behind for posterity as well as in the immeasurable influence she’s had on the countless artists who have followed the guidance of her light and the generations to come.

Dolly Parton Honors Her Late Brother Floyd’s Life

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Tony Allen

Photo: Chiaki Nozu/WireImage

News
Tony Allen, Pioneer Afrobeat Drummer, Dies At 79 tony-allen-influential-nigerian-drummer-co-founder-afrobeat-dies-79

Tony Allen, Influential Nigerian Drummer & Co-Founder Of Afrobeat, Dies At 79

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"Without Tony Allen, there would be no afrobeat," Fela Kuti once said of the drummer and musical director of Kuti's influential band Africa '70
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 1, 2020 - 3:36 pm

Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, the man Brian Eno once described as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived," died of a heart attack yesterday in Paris. He was 79 years old.

https://twitter.com/Jidenna/status/1256044510213218305

Rest In Power to Tony Allen, The Godfather of Afrobeat Rhythms. Thank you for giving us the sound that would change our lives and our destiny as a people. pic.twitter.com/UXcoN3yF5k

— Jidenna (@Jidenna) May 1, 2020

Allen is known as a co-founder of Afrobeat for his groundbreaking work with his musical compatriot Fela Kuti in the '60s and '70s as drummer and musical director for Kuti's group Africa '70. The musical style they created together combined West African fuji music with American jazz and funk for some powerfully rhythmic and original that continues to influence musicians in many genres today. 

"The epic Tony Allen, one of the greatest drummers to ever walk this earth has left us," Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea wrote in a tribute post. "What a wildman, with a massive, kind and free heart and the deepest one-of-a-kind groove. Fela Kuti did not invent afrobeat, Fela and Tony birthed it together."

The Nigerian drummer moved to Paris after Kuti died in 1997 and continued to perform and record in a variety of styles, working with French musician Doctor L and English musician Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz. Allen published his autobiography, Tony Allen: An Autobiography of the Master Drummer of Afrobeat, in 2013.

GRAMMY winner Angélique Kidjo mourned Allen on BBC's Newsday, saying, "What I want to remember from them is our musical conversation, our laughter, our joy. They are gone, but they are not gone for me."

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_og47JqAJn

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angelique Kidjo (@angeliquekidjo)

Rest In Power to Tony Allen, The Godfather of Afrobeat Rhythms," wrote GRAMMY-nominated artist Jidenna. "Thank you for giving us the sound that would change our lives and our destiny as a people."

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Behind The Board: Catch Up With Afrobeats Hitmaker Kel P In Nigera To Talk Music Production

 

 

Lee Konitz

Lee Konitz performs in 1992

Photo: Frans Schellekens/Redferns

News
Remembering Jazz Saxophone Legend Lee Konitz remembering-jazz-saxophone-legend-lee-konitz-cool-jazz-pioneer-and-miles-davis

Remembering Jazz Saxophone Legend Lee Konitz, "Cool Jazz" Pioneer And Miles Davis Collaborator

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Konitz, who died at 92 due to complications from COVID-19, recorded and featured on several dozens of albums as a leader or sideman alongside many jazz greats
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Apr 18, 2020 - 4:00 pm

The jazz world lost one of its most revered artists this week (April 15) with the passing of Lee Konitz, the legendary, award-winning composer and saxophonist best known for his pioneering work in the "cool jazz" style as well as his contributions to Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool sessions between 1949 and 1950. 

Konitz, who died in Manhattan at 92 due to complications from COVID-19, held a prolific seven-decade career, which included runs and collaborations with several icons in the jazz world, including Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Stan Kenton's Orchestra, Warne Marsh, Lennie Tristano, Bud Powell and several others. 

Born in 1927 in Chicago, Konitz began his jazz journey at a young age. Inspired by early jazz and big band greats like Benny Goodman, he began on clarinet, at age 11, which he traded for a tenor sax and then moved to the alto sax. By 1945, he went pro and began to work with fellow jazz musicians, and future regular collaborators, like Jerry Wald, Tristano, Claude Thornhill and his orchestra, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan.

Between 1949 and 1950, Konitz joined icon Miles Davis and several other musicians in a series of recording sessions, which would later comprise the latter's 1957 compilation Birth Of The Cool, a landmark album in the jazz canon. The album, along with Konitz's unique style, would go on to help establish and define the "cool jazz" sound, a more subdued, lighter take on the genre that broke away from the faster, complex bebop style then dominating the era. 

Read: 'Bitches Brew' At 50: Why Miles Davis' Masterpiece Remains Impactful

Miles Davis, Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan at the "Birth of the Cool" recording sessions in 1949

Lee Konitz (center), alongside Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan, at the Birth Of The Cool recording sessions in 1949

While Konitz was "influential in the development of the so-called cool school," The New York Times writes, he also varied his style, "from an early unaccompanied saxophone solo album, to post-bop, free improvisations and a string of innovative duets," Billboard notes. Altogether, he recorded and featured on several dozens of albums as a leader or co-leader and sideman, including works with jazz icons as well as non-jazz artists like Elvis Costello; Konitz played on the latter's 2003 album, North.

Like the true jazz serviceman he was, Konitz continued to perform live into his 90s before his passing, The New York Times notes.

Lee Konitz is survived by his five children, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

10 Essential Cuts From Jazz Piano Great McCoy Tyner

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Krzysztof Penderecki

Photo: Archie Kent/ullstein bild/Getty Images

News
GRAMMY-Winning Composer Krzysztof Penderecki Dies remembering-avante-garde-polish-composerconductor-krzysztof-penderecki-known-exorcist

Remembering Avante-Garde Polish Composer/Conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, Known For 'The Exorcist' & 'The Shining'

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The GRAMMY-Winning Penderecki, who died on Sunday at age 86, was a master of dissonance in the classical world, but also influenced Radiohead and landed in many famous films
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Mar 30, 2020 - 5:18 pm

The music world lost a true giant on Sunday, as GRAMMY-winning composer conductor Krzysztof Penderecki died at the age of 86. Best known for the use of his works in such classic films as William Friedkin's The Exorcist, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island as well as David Lynch's "Twin Peaks," many heard Penderecki's signature dissonant compositions, developed early in his career, without knowing it. But he also went on to broaden his musical range, landing him in the top tier of composers and conductors of his time.

https://twitter.com/JnnyG/status/1244222286124720128

https://t.co/QNPKVGXUOR

What sad news to wake to. Penderecki was the greatest - a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man. My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world. https://t.co/fRyy53aaEJ

— Jonny Greenwood (@JnnyG) March 29, 2020

Born in Polland in 1933, Penderecki made a name for himself in his 20s with his atonal works such as his 1960 piece Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, an avant-garde piece for 52 strings which earned the young composer the UNESCO award, the first of many critical accolades he would earn. In 1968, he was the recipient of the Recording Academy Trustee's Award.

In 1972 he started his conducting career with the London Symphony Orchestra, recording at Abbey Road studios, and the Polish National Symphony Orchestra. He also accepted guest residencies in Germany in and, later, at Yale University in the '70s. He won his first career GRAMMY Award for 1987 for Best Contemporary Composition for Penderecki: Cello Concerto No. 2. He'd go on to win three additional GRAMMY Awards and earn a total of eight nominations in his career.

Penderecki's influence was far reaching in the music world. Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood tweeted, "Penderecki was the greatest - a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man. My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world."

Greenwood, who names Penderecki as an inspiration for some of his own orchestral music, namely his score for the film There Will Be Blood, told NPR in 2012, "I saw him doing these very peculiar sounds, and it was all notated on paper. And yet an orchestra turned it into a strange, otherworldly collection of textures. And I loved it. And then when I saw it live, I really loved it. It was 100 times better than the recordings, and I've been obsessed ever since."

The Polish Ministry of Affairs announced his death on Sunday, though no cause of death was given. Penderecki is survived by his wife of more than five decades, Elzbieta, and by his son and two daughters.

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Joe Diffie, Country Music Veteran And GRAMMY Winner, Dies From Coronavirus At 61

 

McCoy Tyner performs at the 2010 Middelheim Jazz Festival

McCoy Tyner performs at the 2010 Middelheim Jazz Festival

Photo: Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns

News
McCoy Tyner: 10 Essential Cuts 10-essential-cuts-jazz-piano-great-mccoy-tyner

10 Essential Cuts From Jazz Piano Great McCoy Tyner

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The Philly pianist, who recently died at 81, tore up the rulebook as part of the John Coltrane Quartet and as a prodigious solo artist
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Mar 7, 2020 - 10:25 am

John Coltrane might not have scraped the heavens without McCoy Tyner there to tether him to terra firma. "My current pianist, McCoy Tyner, holds down the harmonies, and that allows me to forget them," Coltrane said in a 1961 interview. "He's sort of the one who gives me wings and lets me take off from the ground from time to time."

Tyner began playing with the former's John Coltrane Quartet in 1960, just as its leader slipped out of the binds of bebop and embraced modal jazz. But rather than focusing on coloring outside the lines, he chose to anchor the music with a 100-pound weight. With his mighty left hand, he gave Trane, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones a launchpad for explosive improvisations.

The jazz world now mourns its humble-yet-intrepid giant of the piano. Tyner died this week, Friday, March 6, of unknown causes, as reported by his nephew, Colby Tyner, to The New York Times. He was 81.

https://twitter.com/RealMcCoyTyner/status/1236004016062189568

A statement from the Tyner family: pic.twitter.com/uZH2wHKN67

— McCoy Tyner (@RealMcCoyTyner) March 6, 2020

Born in Philadelphia, Tyner cut his teeth in the Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer, saxophonist Benny Golson and a revolving-door lineup of trombonists, bassists and drummers. In 1958, a year prior to joining that band, Coltrane recorded Tyner's composition, "The Believer," at Rudy Van Gelder Studios.

When the pair joined forces, the results were some of Coltrane's most memorable albums: 1961's Coltrane Jazz, My Favorite Things and Olé Coltrane; 1962's Coltrane Plays The Blues; and 1965's epochal A Love Supreme, the latter of which was nominated for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance - Small Group Or Soloist With Small Group and Best Original Jazz Composition at the 8th GRAMMY Awards, held in 1966. 

For The Record: John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'

After A Love Supreme, Coltrane began experimenting with bigger, more feverish free jazz ensembles. Tyner parted ways with him in 1965, but his story hardly ended there. As a solo artist and as a leader, he won five GRAMMYs, including Best Jazz Instrumental Performance for 1987's Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane and 1995's Infinity as well as Best Jazz Instrumental Album for 2004's Illuminations. His post-Coltrane body of work proved his ability to play either delicately or maximally when the setting called for it.

To celebrate the legacy of the late Tyner, the Recording Academy is highlighting his 10 essential cuts — with or without Coltrane.

"My Favorite Things" (from John Coltrane's My Favorite Things, 1961)

This Sound Of Music tune began as a cutesy ode to kittens, mittens and kettles, until Coltrane doused it in kerosene and set it on fire. His later disembowelment of "My Favorite Things" aside, the 1961 studio version is the definitive take—an innovative Eastern vamp with a sense of spiritual joy. Over its 13-minute runtime, Tyner cycles Rodgers and Hammerstein's melody to the point of hypnosis. When the key change hits, the quartet takes flight like geese with the moon on their wings.

"Inception" (from Inception, 1962)

When Tyner didn't have Coltrane around, he often let his right hand take over for him. On Inception, his debut album with a trio, bassist Art Davis and drummer Elvin Jones mostly take a background role as Tyner displays breathtaking dexterity on the ivories. Despite the density of his lines, Tyner stays importantly light, breezy and tuneful on the title cut, even as he puts the pedal to the floor during his modal pontifications.

"Reaching Fourth" (from Reaching Fourth, 1963)

If Thelonious Monk was known for his major sevenths, Tyner's calling card was voicing chords in fourths—a technique that helped lay the foundation for contemporary jazz. "Fourth chords have a mysterious stasis, refusing to commit to major or minor," pianist Ethan Iverson explained in a 2018 essay about Tyner. To that end, the title track from 1963's Reaching Fourth, with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Roy Haynes, is a fiery showcase for Tyner's favorite interval.

"Jinrikisha" (from Joe Henderson's Page One, 1963)

When it comes to clean and simple bossa-and-bop, Joe Henderson's debut Page One is hard to beat. Strangely, Tyner—due to a conflicting contract with Impulse!—was credited on the album art as "Etc." Despite not making the marquee with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Pete La Roca, Tyner delivers some of his subtlest, featheriest playing ever across the album, especially on the original "Jinrikisha," named after another word for a rickshaw.

"Pt. 1 — Acknowledgement" (from John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, 1965)

A Love Supreme is well-known as Coltrane's transformational statement, in which he escaped from drugs and alcohol and into the arms of his Creator. Despite his inventions, the results would be nearly unrecognizable without Tyner. His stabbed chords—again, fourths!—on "Pt. 1 — Acknowledgement" are the what-ifs, second-guesses and entrenched doubts intrinsic to any hero's journey. Meanwhile, Coltrane plays the role of Arjuna, slaying psychic monsters with his horn.

"Blues On The Corner" (from The Real McCoy, 1967)

Tyner continued playing with Henderson after Page One, joining him for Blue Note classics In 'n Out (1964) and Inner Urge (1966). The so-called "Phantom" returned the favor on The Real McCoy, a quartet date with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones that featured three of his signature songs: "Passion Dance," "Search For Peace" and "Blues On The Corner." The latter tune is the wittiest and best of them all, in which he stretches the titular form like taffy and reveals universes within.

"Song Of Happiness" (from Expansions, 1969)

One of Tyner's most cerebral works, Expansions features contributions from trumpeter Woody Shaw, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and alto saxophonist Gary Bartz; the latter two are also respectively credited on clarinet and wooden flute. At this stage, Tyner's playing had grown borderless and oceanic, and "Song of Happiness" shimmers like refracted light, with flutist Bartz merrily approximating birdsong.

"A Prayer For My Family" (from Sahara, 1972)

Tyner rang in the 1970s by signing to Orrin Keepnews' Milestone label and recording Sahara, a terrific African- and Japanese-inspired album in which he played the flute and koto. Transcultural voyaging aside, Sahara's center of gravity is "A Prayer For My Family," an impassioned work for solo piano that manages to be both trippily multidimensional and straight down the church aisle.

"Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit" (from Enlightenment, 1973)

Recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with saxophonist Azar Lawrence, bassist Juni Booth and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, the sprawling Enlightenment is firmly in former associate Coltrane's impassioned-seeker mode. Sitting through its 70 minutes can lead to brain melt, but the swaggering, ill-tempered closer, "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit," makes this demanding trip worth it.

"Love Surrounds Us" (from Uptown/Downtown, 1989)

Tyner mostly stayed strong throughout the 1980s, a trying era for jazz. Despite occasionally dated era production, he made excellent work with his trio and his big band. Uptown/Downtown, recorded over two nights at the Blue Note in Manhattan, shows the latter in fighting form. Muscular, driving and exciting, "Love Surrounds Us" could have been recorded in any decade and proves that even in his third act, Tyner was formidable with or without his old boss Coltrane.

The GRAMMY Jazz Family Tree

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.