« Free MP3 - "Naima" | Main | Free MP3 - "Think of One" »

It's a sad day when a jazz musician dies, but it's just crushing when they go young. Tony Reedus, 49 years-old, passed away a week ago at JFK airport from a pulmonary embolism after stepping off a flight from Italy:

A man with a big heart and a big beat, drummer Tony Reedus cared for other people the way he cared about making a band swing.

"He was true blue, he'd do anything for you," said pianist Mulgrew Miller, who knew Mr. Reedus as a youth in Memphis, where the drummer was born, and later employed him in his trio in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"He was supersensitive," said his wife, violinist Jenise Grice-Reedus. "He'd see a person who was sad and would go talk to that person, and would have another friend for life."

"He was a funny guy," said organist and pianist Mike LeDonne, with whom Mr. Reedus regularly performed. "Just a sweetheart, that's what Tony Reedus was, and great to work with."

Ugh...this is just shocking...and so sad...especially since his uncle, the great pianist/composer/producer, James Williams, just passed away a few years ago. He was only in his mid-50's.

Pianist Jonny King, who had played with Tony for over two decades had this to say over at The Jazz Corner:

Tony's death is a great, great loss to the jazz world, to the "regular" world, and to me and Tony's many other good friends. Tony was one of the funniest, most quotable, most tell-it-like-it-is people I've ever known. I started playing with him in the mid 1980s, when I wasn't even 20, and we spent countless hours playing, bs-ing, griping about the Yankees or a record date or something else, and laughing. My friends and family all still use plenty of the hilarious expressions Tony taught us, and as I now think back, I met many of those friends through Tony. Because Tony was the opposite of a self-promoter and simply refused to play any "marketing" games in the music business, I think many jazz fans do not realize what a phenomenal musical resume Tony compiled -- Dexter Gordan, Bags, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Taylor and pretty much anyone else you can think of. Older drummers, those heroes of the generation before us, often told me how much they admired Tony's originality and groove and beat and ... More than anything else, however, we'll miss his friendship. Tony -- be cool, say hi to James, and know how much we'll miss you. Love to Niecy, Cameron and the rest of Tony's family.

Jonny

Rest in Peace, Tony Reedus.

Name (required)
Email
Website
Remember personal info? Yes   No
Comments

home | music | democracy | earth | money | projects | about | contact

Site design by Matthew Fries | © 2003-23 Consilience Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Consilience Productions, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All contributions are fully tax deductible.