Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Trumpeter, Educator Jim Rotondi Dies at 61
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Ann E. Ward (1949–2016)
(Photo: Courtesy of the artist/Facebook)Pianist and educator Ann E. Ward, one of the most recognized female composers of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, July 18 at her home on the South Side of Chicago. She was 67.
Ward’s death was confirmed by her uncle, jazz vocalist Ben Farnandis.
A gifted improviser who was also an accomplished vocalist and African percussionist, Ward was born into a musical family in Chicago in 1949. Her career began as a concert pianist at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. After graduation from Kentucky State University with a degree in music composition, she began performing with the Ken Chaney Experience.
A tireless supporter of the Chicago arts community, Ward appeared frequently in productions with the city’s more prominent theater companies, including Steppenwolf and North Light, serving as pianist and music director. Later, she became an integral part of the AACM, especially as a member of the Great Black Music Ensemble, in which she performed boldly and brilliantly alongside vocalist Dee Alexander, reedist Douglas Ewart, trombonist George Lewis, flutist Nicole Mitchell, reedist Mwata Bowden and saxophonist Ed Wilkerson, among others.
Ward was a musician whose commitment to furthering the creative arts was matched only by her passion for educating and inspiring new generations of artists. She was a teacher in the Arts and Humanities Programs for the Betty Shabazz International Charter Schools on Chicago’s South Side, and served as Minister of Music at Chatham Bethlehem Presbyterian Church for more than 20 years. Ward also volunteered her time to serve as the director of the AACM School of Music on the campus of Chicago State University.
“I attribute my experiences in music and the arts to the wonderful people who have shared their knowledge, time, talent and support with me over the years. With God and my special ‘musical family,’ I have been blessed to sustain my self as a viable performer, educator and artist,” Ward wrote on the Great Black Music Ensemble’s website.
On Facebook, friends, colleagues and family offered condolences and expressed gratitude for the contributions Ward made to the Chicago creative music community.
“We lost one of the pillars of the AACM Chicago today: the gifted vocalist, pianist, teacher and administrator of the AACM, Mama Ann E. Ward,” wrote Art “Turk” Burton, a Chicago-based percussionist and AACM member. “She spent many years unselfishly giving of herself to the community and the AACM. I am honored to have performed with her on many occasions locally and internationally. I am sure she will be in the celestial orchestra doing what she does best.”
Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.
Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!
Jul 11, 2024 12:23 PM
The incomparable Charles Lloyd swept the 72nd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll, becoming the first artist ever to earn…
“Being president of Blue Note has been one of the coolest things that ever happened to me,” Was said. “It’s a gas to serve as one of the caretakers of that legacy.”
Jun 4, 2024 12:21 PM
Sitting with Don Was is a comfortable and unhurried exercise. He may seem slightly reserved at first, but ideas and…
“She reminds me of my childhood and makes we want to cry,” Cécile McLorin Salvant, pictured here with writer Ashley Kahn, said of Dianne Reeves.
Jun 11, 2024 12:31 PM
Italy’s Umbria Jazz Winter is one of those rare annual festivals that not only coincides with a major holiday —…
Maria Schneider said of Decades, her new compilation release: “I just wanted to create something, put it in a beautiful box and say, ‘Look at what we did.‘”
Jun 18, 2024 12:00 PM
Maria Schneider opened the sleek black box and placed it on a coffee table in her Manhattan apartment. Inside lay the…
