Tributes

Seven decades of jazz: Ahmad Jamal

Jazz Program Highlights Tributes

US jazz pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal has died aged 92 after an award-winning career spanning more than seven decades. Listen Anytime to Friday Jazz Session with Alex Siegers for a celebration of his musical performances and his compositions

Ryuichi Sakamoto – 17.01.52 – 01.04.23

Tributes

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the renowned Japanese musician, composer, and actor, passed away on April 1st, 2023, at the age of 71. His death was confirmed by his family.

Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023)

Jazz Tributes

One of America's greatest jazz saxophonists, Wayne Shorter, has died at the age of 89 in a hospital in Los Angeles. Shorter played a central role in three of the most significant jazz groups of the 20th century: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis's quintet, and Weather Report. He also collaborated with musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana, and Steely Dan. Listen to our FineJazz tribute to Shorter on Friday Jazz Session at 7:00pm.

Joe Bussard (July 11, 1936 – September 26, 2022)

Jazz Tributes

Joe Bussard, renowned as the world's leading collector of jazz, blues, bluegrass, country and folk recordings from the early 20th century has passed away at the age of 86. His archive of between 15,000 and 25,000 records, primarily 78 rpm discs, is a preservation of music so rare, it's importance will live on well beyond his passing.

Pharoah Sanders (October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022)

Jazz Tributes

The passing of saxophonist Pharoah Sanders this week saw one of the last remaining giants of a golden era for jazz music leave this mortal coil for his beloved higher plane. Ever spiritual, his rich, meditative tenor tones blessed not only some of the finest and most important works of John Coltrane's career, but left behind a legacy of over 30 albums of music as a leader, and many important collaborations with artists such as Alice Coltrane, Leon Thomas, Done Cherry and more.

The music of the funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II, Monday 19 September, 2022

Tributes

The music played at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday in Britain was a stirring and integral part of the ceremony. Alongside traditional service hymns were some of Queen Elizabeth's personal favourite compositions. We have gathered a full playlist of all the music that featured during the main procession, the funeral service at Westminster Abbey, and the Committal Service at Windsor Castle on Monday 19 September, 2022.

Ramsey Lewis (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022)

Tributes

Ramsey Lewis, the iconic jazz pianist and composer who scored on the pop charts with hits “The In Crowd,” "Hang On Sloopy" and "Wade In The Water" died peacefully at his home in Chicago at 87.

Vale Bob Barnard AM: 1933-2022

Jazz Program Highlights Tributes

Australian trumpeter and cornetist, Bob Barnard has died at 88. A jazz icon has passed, but we are the richer for his life. He grew up in a Melbourne musical family and continued to pass down his knowledge and experience to his children and even his grandchildren, which included our FineMusic Artist-In-Residence, pianist Casey Golden.

He started playing cornet at 12, because the family band (led by his mother Kath Barnard) needed a trumpeter. But he was also deeply impressed by a record of Muggsy Spanier, as well as Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Sidney Bechet, Bunk Johnson and Graeme Bell. He toured New Zealand and Papua New Guinea ... ... ...

Tribute to Paul Goodchild

Tributes

For any of us Philharmonia choristers, Christmas means Messiah, and the highlight of the oratorio, for as long as most of us can remember, has been Paul Goodchild’s obbligato to The Trumpet Shall Sound. His cut-glass articulation and elegant dynamic restraint were always a delight, and we waited, like impatient children at Christmas, to hear what fresh ornamentation he had up his sleeve this year.

Nigel Butterley Remembered

Tributes

Nigel Butterley OAM, the Sydney composer, has died at the age of 86. Having learned to play the piano at the age of 5, Butterley attended Sydney Grammar. In those days, Grammar had no music department, and the young musician had to turn to the Conservatorium for tuition. After a spell in London, studying under Ivy Priaulx Rainier, Butterley returned to Australia.