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…
Bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa worked with Kenny Barron, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Heath and Jon Faddis.
(Photo: Steven Sussman)DownBeat acknowledges the recent passing of four important figures in the jazz world: bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa (age 67), producer/designer Don Schlitten (age 93), author/journalist Doug Ramsey (age 91) and guitarist/singer Georg Wadenius (age 80).
Bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa died on April 28, after being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, an aggressive and devastating form of cancer. From Osaka, Japan, Kitagawa arrived in the United States in 1988. Drummer Ben Riley introduced Kitagawa to piano legend Kenny Barron more than 30 years ago, and the bassist became a key member of Barron’s trio. He also worked with many other greats including Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Heath and Jon Faddis. —Frank Alkyer
The award-winning record producer, photographer and designer Don Schlitten passed away on Feb. 9 at the age of 93. Born in the Bronx, Schlitten was a life-long New Yorker who at 23 years old co-founded Signal Records, a label that was later sold to Savoy. Schlitten worked for decades as a producer for Prestige, where he also became the art director. In the early 1970s, Schlitten teamed with legendary label executive Joe Fields to work with Cobblestone, Muse and Onyx records. In 1975, he created Xanadu Records, a collaboration with his wife, Nina. His classic photos grace the covers of more than 400 albums including those by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollings and Frank Sinatra. These photos and more will be presented in an upcoming book, Love And Understanding: The Jazz Photography of Don Schlitten, scheduled to come out in August on Fantagraphics Books. —Frank Alkyer
Author, educator, journalist and jazz critic Doug Ramsey passed away on May 19 at the age of 91. Ramsey’s work went well beyond the borders of music. He served as a television anchor, correspondent and news executive in seven major cities as well as the chief correspondent of UPI Television News (UPITN). He wrote about journalism, politics, economics, the environment and more for a variety of major publications. In the jazz world, Ramsey was known for his work with JazzTimes, the Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly, The Dallas Morning News and others. His book Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond was honored with an ASCAP Creed Taylor Award and Jazz Journalist Association’s Best Book award. He received the JJA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. He was among the first jazz critics to embrace the internet with his award-winning blog, Rifftides. —Frank Alkyer
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The Swedish guitarist, singer and composer Georg Wadenius died in his sleep on April 30, just days before his 81st birthday. Establishing himself on the Swedish scene after dropping out of medical school, he was instrumental in such bands as Made in Sweden and Solar Plexus and worked with high-profile Swedish artists Cornelis Vreeswijk and Pugh Rogefeldt both as a guitarist and electric bass player. In the late ’60s and early ’70s he also wrote, sang and performed music for children that to this day remains popular with new generations of Swedish children. After meeting the American bluegrass singer Stefan Grossman on tour in Sweden, Grossman introduced him to members of Blood Sweat & Tears, who were fascinated by his Jim Hall- and John McLaughlin-inspired playing. He played with BS&T for three years starting in 1972. From 1979 to 1985 he was part of the Saturday Night Live Band and soon became one of the most sought-after session players in New York, often with up to four gigs per day. —Tør Hammerø
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