Lionel Kramer photo courtesy of Cooksie Kramer BY PAUL DE BARROS The Seattle area jazz community lost one of its dearest members on February 8, when drummer, teacher, and concert presenter Lionel Kramer was taken by lung cancer. He was 85. “Lionel was always the...
Bill Ramsay photo courtesy of the Ramsay family BY PAUL DE BARROS The Northwest jazz community lost a giant March 2, when multi-reed man Bill Ramsay passed. He was 95. A founding member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO), alum of the Count Basie Orchestra,...
Wally Shoup photo by Shirley Wong BY DENNIS REA Influential saxophonist, bandleader, painter, and writer Wally Shoup passed away peacefully on March 5 in Seattle after a long illness. For decades, Shoup was a leading advocate of free improvisation and a mentor by...
Elliot “Mack” Waldron photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn BY PAUL RAUCH The Seattle jazz community lost a dear friend and iconic supporter in the passing of Elliott “Mack” Waldron on January 24, 2024, of complications from lung cancer at age 82. The long-time...
Jay Clayton photo courtesy of the artist BY PAUL RAUCH Internationally acclaimed jazz vocal master, educator, and longtime Seattle resident Jay Clayton passed on December 31, 2023, at age 82. Born Judith Colantone in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 28, 1941, Clayton...
