Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Ellis Marsalis performs at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 7, 2017.
(Photo: Erika Goldring)The following serves as a tribute to the musicians we have lost to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 was a factor in the recent demise of each of the following artists.
Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of a famous New Orleans family that has produced some of the top bandleaders and trendsetters in jazz, suffered COVID-19 symptoms and was awaiting test results when he died April 1. He was 85. Highly regarded as a pianist and educator, Marsalis was enshrined as an NEA Jazz Master along with his sons Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason in 2011.
In addition to playing on several of his sons’ albums, he also recorded many discs as a leader, including Ellis Marsalis Trio (1991), Whistle Stop (1994) and On The First Occasion (2013).
Marsalis was born in New Orleans in 1934. After earning a B.A. in music education from Dillard University in 1955, he played modern jazz with local colleagues until enlisting in the Marine Corps the following year. He soon became a member of the Corps Four, a Marines jazz quartet that performed on TV and radio to boost recruiting efforts.
In the 1970s, Marsalis studied music education at Loyola University, eventually earning a master’s degree. In 1974, he became the director of jazz studies at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts high school, mentoring such artists as Reginald Veal, Terence Blanchard and Harry Connick Jr. After three years teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, he joined the faculty of the University of New Orleans, where he spent 12 years heading the jazz studies department. To celebrate his retirement in 2001, the entire Marsalis family performed together, as heard on the live recording The Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration.
Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz died April 15 in New York from complications caused by pneumonia and COVID-19. He was 92. An NEA Jazz Masters fellow and a member of the DownBeat Hall of Fame, the Chicago-born Konitz was revered for his work alongside Miles Davis on a series of 1949 and 1950 nonet recordings that eventually were compiled into the landmark 1957 album Birth Of The Cool.Konitz would go on to record dozens of albums during a career that spanned nine decades. Subconscious-Lee, an early leader date that featured pianist Lennie Tristano, exhibited a bebop influence, even as the saxophonist helped to define the “cool” sound that would rise to prominence on the West Coast.
In a 2017 interview with DownBeat, Konitz discussed a concept that he’s closely associated with: the contrafact, a musical work based on an earlier composition. “That’s a technique I just picked up along the way from whoever invented it, whether it was Bird or whoever,” he said. “I thought it was a legitimate addition to the vocabulary. I consider it equivalent in some way to adding homemade lyrics to a melody that you could deliver the standard changes on. But then you change them somehow.”
Bassist Henry Grimes passed away April 15 at age 84. His death was attributed to complications from COVID-19. The Juilliard-trained Grimes worked with Konitz, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and Cecil Taylor, among others.
Grimes’ leader debut, The Call, was released in 1965, but after a prolific period in New York early in the decade, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1968. Finding little work, he dropped out of the music scene altogether. In 2002, a social worker tracked down Grimes, who didn’t own an instrument at the time. William Parker eventually gave him a bass, setting in motion one of the more intriguing comebacks in jazz history. Grimes went on to play hundreds of concerts, and appeared on Spirits Aloft, a 2010 duo project with drummer Rashied Ali, as well as guitarist Marc Ribot’s 2014 album, Live At The Village Vanguard.
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Percussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.
Aug 11, 2026 12:53 PM
The inaugural LA Jazz Festival, originally scheduled to run Aug. 7–23 with dozens of events across Los Angeles’…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM
Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli with Tony Bennett at their wedding reception in 1998.
Aug 4, 2026 12:32 PM
Well, what can be said about Tony Bennett that you don’t already know? As I type this, I’m listening to Tony…
