Category Archives: 2022

Charnett Moffett

What do Ellis, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Jordan, Arturo Sandoval, David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, Harry Connick, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Kenny Kirkland, Kevin Eubanks, Anita Baker and Tony Williams have in common? One very uncommon bass player. In a lifetime that lasted just 54 years, Charnett Moffett laid the foundation for hundreds of the most important jazz recordings of all time. Renowned for the depth of his tone and the height of his creative imagination, Charnett Moffett might be remembered as the most heard player most people never heard of.

James Mtume

James Mtume was born into jazz royalty and grew up at the intersection of Rhythm and Blues. Philadelphia producer and percussionist James Mtume was the son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and raised by his stepfather, pianist James Forman. After serving his apprenticeship under the likes of Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner, Mtume struck under his own name with a series of successful jazz-funk and R&B records in the 70s.

Taylor Hawkins

Taylor Hawkins was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums. Before joining the band in 1997, he was the touring drummer for both Sass Jordan and for Alanis Morissette. Hawkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of Foo Fighters. He was voted “Best Rock Drummer” in 2005 by the British drumming magazine Rhythm. Taylor Hawkins died at the age of 50 on March 25, 2022.

Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd was an American singer and actress. In 1980, she and her daughter Wynonna formed the duo known as The Judds, which became a very successful country music act, winning five Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association Awards. The Judds stopped performing in 1991. However, Wynonna continued to perform as a solo artist, and occasionally reunited with her mother for tours as The Judds. Naomi struggled with mental health issues throughout her life. She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30, 2022, the day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Alan White

Alan White was an English drummer, best known for his tenure in the progressive rock band Yes. He joined Yes in 1972 as a replacement for original drummer Bill Bruford. He appeared on 43 albums with the band, 17 of which were original studio albums. In 1969, White joined John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band. He notably played drums on the singles “Instant Karma” and “Imagine”, as well as most of Lennon’s 1971 Imagine album. In addition to his work with Yes and John Lennon, White performed on over 50 albums by other musicians, notably George Harrison, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Joe Cocker and The Ventures.

Gary Brooker

If they gave out an award for the least famous person responsible for the most famous song, Gary Brooker would have another claim to fame. As the writer and singer of “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” Brooker was the voice behind one of the most listened-to records of all time. But behind the scenes, he was a veritable Forrest Gump of British rock, collaborating with the likes of Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bill Wyman, Jeff Beck and Andrew Lloyd Weber. Though he was a multi-instrumentalist who was as comfortable with a coronet or a trombone as behind a keyboard, it’s that silken voice that will have us be tripping the light fandango for all time.

Vangelis

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, known professionally as Vangelis, was a Greek musician, composer, songwriter and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient and classical orchestral music. He was best known for his Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire, as well as for composing scores to the films Blade Runner, Missing, Antarctica, The Bounty and Alexander. Having had a career in music spanning over 50 years and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music, and modern film music.