Benny Bailey has died

[J.A.W.]

This is a terrible month for jazz... I just heard that Benny Bailey was found dead in his Amsterdam apartment. His death is confirmed here.

Edited April 29, 2005 by J.A.W.

[king ubu]

Oh no! So glad I saw him at his last gig here... not outstanding, but he had his own way with the trumpet, and that was fun to witness!

Will have to spin his Candid album again soon, like that one a lot!

[Hardbopjazz]

This has been a horrible past 2 to 3 weeks for jazz. I can't wait till it is over.

RIP Benny.

Edited April 29, 2005 by Hardbopjazz

[sidewinder]

My goodness, words fail me. I see that BB was 80 at time of death so I guess he had a good run though. This is really sad though as I really like his work with the CBBB. I'll have to put 'More Smiles', 'Fellini' and the Rearward 2LP on right now in recognition, really liked his flugel playing. Sadly, I never did get to see him play. RIP - may he rest in peace.

A true ambassador for US jazz in Europe.

Edited April 29, 2005 by sidewinder

[jazzbo]

crap

[sheldonm]

R.I.P.!

[White Lightning]

R.I.P.

- A terrible month for every Jazz lover.

[JSngry]

Well, shit.

I never did meet Benny Bailey, but I dug him nevertheless.

[catesta]

R.I.P.

- A terrible month for every Jazz lover.

Indeed.

We don't need another month like this one.

RIP, Benny.

[brownie]

It seems it took two weeks to discover he was dead in his apartment!

How very sad!

Looks like a whole generation of musicians is going away!

Benny Bailey was one of the most underrated player ever.

A very nice man I had the pleasure of meeting when I was able to attend rehearsals of the

incredible band Quincy Jones was gathering in Paris to play in the short-lived musical 'Free

and Easy'. back in 1960.

Bailey was in top form then and impressed every one around.

Edited April 29, 2005 by brownie

[gslade]

A very sad month

At least he had a long life and left the gift of music

RIP

[sidewinder]

It seems it took two weeks to discover he was dead in his apartment!

That sucks..

[doubleM]

Aw, man... enough with the deaths already! I loved Benny Bailey's playing. I saw him at the Village Vanguard in '95, and he was a huge inspiration at the time. He was very kind and approachable, too. R.I.P., Benny.

[Spontooneous]

I've been collecting his records for close to 20 years. What a player! He consistently surrounded himself with the best people -- or they included him in their plans -- and had great taste in material on the relatively rare occasions when he was leader.

His one solo on Dexter's "Sophisticated Giant" made me a fan for life.

Some other favorite Bailey outbursts (so many of his solos ARE outbursts): On his "Grand Slam" disc on Storyville, on Charlie Rouse's "Upper Manhattan Jazz Society," and all over the Clarke-Boland Big Band records.

RIP and thanks, Benny.

[stevebop]

I posted this elsewhere earlier today but there are enough Benny Bailey fans here to post again:

Enough Already!

Arnie Lawrence, Stan Levey, Percy Heath, Jimmy Woode, NHOP to name a few and now Benny Bailey.

I got to know Benny when I decided to feature his music on my radio program in August of 2003. The occasion was his 78th birthday. The more I kept digging, the more I found until it was obvious that all five hours were going to be about Benny and his musical output. I called him in Amsterdam a couple of times and we had some nice conversations, he giving me little informational tidbits about his recordings with Dexter and Quincy and Klook and others. I later sent him a copy of the program on CD and he wrote me back the sweetest thank you note. What follows is my playlist for that show. Thank you for the music Benny. RIP

Steve Schwartz

THE MUSIC OF BENNY BAILEY (b. 8/13/1925)

Listed by artist: selection, album (label)

7:05pm

Benny Bailey: I Remember Love, I Remember Love (Laika)

Benny Bailey: Johanna's Waltz, Angel Eyes (Laika)

Benny Bailey: Home (Where Shadows Fall), Enja

7:33pm

Benny Bailey: Aquarian Moods, Serenade to A Planet (EGO (LP))

Benny Bailey: Reflectory, Grand Slam (Storyville)

7:54pm

Bernhard Pichl: North Star Street, On The Corner (Unknown)

Harry Arnold Orchestra: Meet Benny Bailey, Quincy Jones Jazz 'Round Midnight (Verve)

8:10pm

Kenny Clarke: Jay Mac; Jumpin' There; Confirmation, Complete 1946-1950 (Jazz Factory)

Benny Bailey: Yardbird Suite, I Thought About You (Laika)

8:32pm

Dexter Gordon: At Ronnie's, Revelation (Steeplechase)

Dexter Gordon: Red Top, Sophisticated Giant (Columbia)

8:55pm

Benny Bailey: One of Those Love Songs, Islands (Enja)

Domagoy Ralasic: I Should Care, The Bag is Packed (Timeless)

Benny Bailey: While My Lady Sleeps, While My Lady Sleeps (Gemini)

9:22pm

Teddy Edwards/Benny Bailey: Out of Nowhere; Bird Legs, Steady With Teddy 1946-1948 (Cool and Blue)

Lionel Hampton: Rag Mop, Hamp (Decca/MCA)

Benny Bailey: Peruvian Nights, I Remember Love (Laika)

9:45pm

Eric Dolphy: The Meeting, The Berlin Concert (InnerCity)

Eric Dolphy/Abbey Lincoln: T'aint Nobody's Business, Candid Dolphy (Candid)

Charlie Rouse/Benny Bailey: L'il Sherry, Upper Manhattan Jazz Society (Enja LP)

10:07pm

Benny Bailey: Maud's Mood; Hard Sock Dance, Big Brass (Candid)

Quincy Jones: Stockholm Sweetnin', Q Live in Paris Circa 1960 (Qwest/WB)

Benny Bailey: Fallen Feathers, The Music of Quincy Jones (Argo)

10:34pm

Les McCann/Eddie Harris: The Generation Gap, Swiss Movement

Charlie Mariano: Blooz, Concerto Pour une Voix (M&I Records)

10:56pm

Stan Getz: Topsy, In Sweden 1958-1960 (Dragon)

Clarke/Boland Big Band: Griff's Groove, Big Band Sound (MPS/BASF)

Clarke/Boland Big Band: I'm Glad There Is You, En Concert avec Europe (Europe1)

11:18pm

Freddie Redd: Lost Love, Redd's Blues (Blue Note)

Billy Mitchell: Prompt, De Lawd's Blues (Xanadu)

11:36pm

Benny Bailey: Mirrors, Mirrors (Freedom LP)

Benny Bailey: I Thought About You, I Thought About You (Laika)

Benny Bailey: If You Could See Me Now, Laika

11:55pm

Benny Bailey: Groovin' High, No Refill (TCB Records)

END

[Guest akanalog]

strangely just yesterday i picked up the benny bailey album "islands" before hearing this sad news. i was warned it wasn't so good, but i like it a lot. nothing amazing, but i like electric jazz and for that, it is a very nice album. bailey has a nice tone and plays nice solos and the backing by eberhard weber on bass, for one, is suprisingly good. weber is playing in a lot more direct fashion than on his own albums. i always like sigi schwab and he sounds good on guitar here and the yugo guy on drums i am not familiar with is good too. you can tell this album was produced in the sense some guy i have never heard of wrote all the tunes and then these 4 guys played them-perhaps more profesionally than passionately. the tunes themselves are not so good, not bad but nothing great. but the musicians transcend the music and i for one, think bailey and schwab and weber is an interesting combination and worth checking out.

[clifford_thornton]

Terrible news. OK, this has got to stop!

[marcello]

The summer after Dexter Gordon made his USA comeback, I went to the Vangusrd to see him and had a pleasent surprise in that Benny Bailey was playing trumpet with him. That was nice to hear.

As a aside: only in New York could you go see Dexter Gordon with Benny Bailey at the Village Vanguard and sit at a table with Rahsaan Roland Kirk on one side of you and the actor Peter Boyle on the other.

[mikeweil]

I saw him with the CBBB and as guest soloist with some local Latin Jazz / Salsa orchestra - his tone was unique, that cry in it. Another great loss - RIP Benny!

[agriffith]

Sorry to hear this. RIP the great Benny Bailey.

[LAL]

R.I.P

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Shit, not another one gone.

Benny was so under appreciated industry wide, I guess mainly due to his living and playing across the pond. What a well rounded player. A rare jewel of trumpet players, he could easily go from playing lead to jazz, with no compromise in either role.

RIP Benny. Thanks for the music and joy you brought to us.