Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Chicago songwriter and bassist-turned-violinist Johnny Frigo died Wednesday of complications relating to a fall. He was 90.
Frigo’s musical life began with the violin, which he played as a child before switching to the tuba in middle school. In high school, in a move he admitted was partly to attract girls, he switched again to the upright bass. The bass would take him on the road with with the big bands of both Dorsey brothers, as well as that of Chico Marx.
After returning from Coast Guard service in World War II, Frigo began to pen and perform tunes for radio and TV background music. His most well-known number was “Hey, Hey, Holy Mackerel,” a song about the 1969 Chicago Cubs.
In the 1980s, Frigo switched instruments yet again, this time back to the violin. He lived out his musical life as a virtuostic jazz violinist, booking regular gigs at Chicago’s Green Mill.
Health problems forced him to cancel some appearances last year, but his wife Betty said he was planning to play festivals in Italy and Holland before he fell in the lobby of his condo building two weeks ago.
Besides his wife, survivors include a son, Rick, a jazz drummer; and a sister, Dolly Bray.
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
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“We thought it’s important that Ronin has a new statement,” said Nik Bärtsch of his band’s latest album, Spin. “The sound is differently produced, so it reflects more of who we are.”
Apr 21, 2026 10:00 AM
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Bollani demonstrates at the piano during a live Blindfold Test in Umbria, Italy, while writer Ashley Kahn, right, and translator Greg Burk look on.
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