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Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Lou Rawls, who possessed an unmistakable baritone voice, died Jan. 6 after battling lung cancer. He was 72.
While Rawls’ is best known for his array of pop hits (“Love Is A Hurting Thing” and “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”), the Chicago-born singer also frequently delved into jazz and drew on the music’s improvisational spirit for his lengthy, and influential, spoken-word monologues.
The gospel-trained Rawls recorded his first solo album, Stormy Monday, with the Les McCann Trio in 1962. A few years later, the singer was the voice on many of producer David Axelrod’s early innovations in fusion. Two of those tracks were recently compiled on David Axelrod – The Edge: David Axelrod At Capitol Records 1966-1970 (Blue Note). In 2003, he paid tribute to a notable jazz singer on his disc Rawls Sings Sinatra (Savoy Jazz).
“I don’t put myself in any particular category,” Rawls once said. “Whatever the occasion calls for, I rise to the occasion. There are no limits to music, so why should I limit myself?”
Aaron Cohen
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