David Fathead Newman, R.I.P.

[HolyStitt]

Sad news.

I have had Mr. Gentle Mr. Cool for years but only I recently picked up Diamondhead, Life, and Song for the New Man, which I have been loving.

Thank you for the music Mr. Newman.

[Stereojack]

This really hurts. Have always loved Fathead's soulful spirit. I'll be listening tonight!

[Shawn]

I was already in full-on depression today, this news just makes it worse.

R.I.P. Fathead.

[rostasi]

Big shame.

Always a reminder to go see the guys whose music you grew up with

whenever the opportunity arises: Sonny, Pharoah, etc...

[mikeweil]

And Hog Cooper too!

Trying to get into my first Ray Charles concert in 1961, huge crowd in the foyer of the Hammersmith Odeon, I was crushed up against this huge black man in evening dress. What a surprise later, to see him playing baritone in the band. What was he doing in the foyer? I don't know.

A GREAT band baritone player. He didn't solo much, but what a firm yet soft bottom he provided! Particularly in Hank Crawford's band.

RIP Hog.

Great story!

R.I.P. Leroy "Hog" Cooper - I couldn't say it better ... but still, is there any solo on Hank's or any other's records?

[BruceH]

Very sad news. RIP Mr. Newman.

[Joe]

Hog Cooper can be heard to advantage on THE LEGENDARY BUSTER SMITH record, as well as RETURN TO THE WIDE OPEN SPACES, which documents one of those Caravan Of Dreams gigs mentioned earlier in this thread.

[JSngry]

Fathead spoke The Native Tongue as well as it has ever been been spoken.

Let those with ears hear.

[Jim Alfredson]

Damn.

Damn damn. One of my absolute favorite tenor players. I had the pleasure of seeing him many times, often in very intimate settings and even play on the same stage (not with him, unfortunately). One of my best memories is seeing him with Mose Alison. On every tune, Fathead would only take a single chorus, and play some of the most heavy shit in that one chorus, leaving everyone desperately wanting more. Finally, after doing this again and again throughout the night, I just couldn't take it anymore and yelled out, "KEEP PLAYING, FATHEAD!" He just smiled and let Mose do his thing.

A master. RIP.

[John L]

Fathead spoke The Native Tongue as well as it has ever been been spoken.

Let those with ears hear.

Amen! Fortunately, he left us and future generations quite a lot to listen to.

I last heard him live in the Spring. He was still in good shape then.

RIP, Fathead. There are no substitutes.

[Joe G]

A beautiful sound and a stately presence. The Real Deal.

[sheldonm]

...a real gentle soul. I had many opportunities to photograph David and spoke with him many times. Karen and David once gave me some pie ...probably around the time of his birthday or maybe new years eve.... I don't recall. They were always very kind to me.

As ejp626 said, I met him at the Showcase a few weeks ago to see David and he was not playing.

This is one of the last photographs I made of him.

RIP

m~

[Chuck Nessa]

Two favorite Fathead memories; first at the Top of the Gate with Dr John backing Allen Toussaint and later at a Ray Charles reunion at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Ray, Hank, Fathead, Marcus and "Hog". An amazing experience. I wanted to add Don Wilkerson to the mix but Hank said "we don't have two tenor parts".

[AndrewHill]

RIP, Fathead.

[mjzee]

This one hurts. RIP, Fathead.

Acknowledgement should be make of the great streak of albums he made for HighNote. Consistently high quality. The lion in winter, indeed.

[makpjazz57]

...a real gentle soul. I had many opportunities to photograph David and spoke with him many times. Karen and David once gave me some pie ...probably around the time of his birthday or maybe new years eve.... I don't recall. They were always very kind to me.

As ejp626 said, I met him at the Showcase a few weeks ago to see David and he was not playing.

This is one of the last photographs I made of him.

RIP

m~

Mark, that one is a real beauty to be treasured. We sure are sad tonight in our home.

Marla

[Soul Stream]

Shocked. Just saw him November 15th here in Austin, he was with Curtis Fuller...went to the workshop they put on that afternoon also. He played here every year at the Jazz at St. James Church. 3rd time I've seen him here. How wonderful he was to hear and see. I never could believe I was actually seeing him play live. It was like seeing giants walk the earth. Really, really, really sad to hear this. Didn't know he had cancer. Looked and sounded great. Wearing all black and a black beret, silver mustache, soul patch, goatee... a statesman if I ever saw one. They played Blue Train....Curtis said it was the first time in years he had played it...Fathead said he didn't know, just wanted to play the tune with Curtis. Glad I got a chance to see him, I was blessed by being here on the earth at the same time he was.

Some of my personal favorites with David Newman...

Mellow Soul-Don Patterson.

Think-Lonnie Smith

Ray Charles presents Fathead Newman

Edited January 22, 2009 by Soul Stream

[king ubu]

Sad news

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I'm feeling a bit better this morning. Listening to David's first four Atlantic albums is good for what ails you.

One of the most incredible things about David was the way he was continually at the top of his game all the way through. While "Fathead" is a wonderful album, it's no more wonderful than "Captain Buckles" and "Lonely Avenue", from the early seventies, "Heads up", from the eighties, or "Keep the spirits singing" and "Davey blue", from 2000 and 2001.

And in addition, David was, with King Curtis and Maceo Parker, one of the three classic R&B sax players. I guess at bottom I'm still just an R&B fan who likes the jazz that's closest to home best. And no one was closer to home than David. I don't think I'd have found half the music I have found and loved but for him.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Hog Cooper can be heard to advantage on THE LEGENDARY BUSTER SMITH record, as well as RETURN TO THE WIDE OPEN SPACES, which documents one of those Caravan Of Dreams gigs mentioned earlier in this thread.

I didn't know Hog was on that Buster Smith. One I've neglected to buy. Must rectify that.

He plays a very nice solo on one track - "Four five six" - of Hank Crawford's first album "More soul".

In the tag of "Doodlin'" on Ray Charles' "Rock + Soul = Genius" - a live big band performance from the Paris Olympia in October 1961 - he plays the most hilariously soupy fills I've ever heard. This is a good CD for Hog, as on the next track, James Moody's "The story", he exchanges fours with (I think) Marcus Belgrave.

MG

[Hardbopjazz]

Someday there will be no more old folks

What a lonely old world this will be

Children's voices at play will be still fonding

The day they take old folks away.

Damn! Another one checks out to that great gig in the sky.

RIP David. Thank you for all the wonderful music.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Hardbopjazz

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I thought I’d post a list of David’s albums as a leader or co-leader.

FATHEAD: RAY CHARLES PRESENTS DAVID NEWMAN – ATLANTIC 1304 (11/1958) (with Ray Charles)

SOUNDS OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES – RIVERSIDE 327/1178 (4/1960) (with James Clay)

STRAIGHT AHEAD – ATLANTIC 1366 (12/1960)

FATHEAD COMES ON – ATLANTIC 1399 (5&11/1961)

HOUSE OF DAVID - ATLANTIC1489 (3/1967)

DOUBLE BARRELLED SOUL – ATLANTIC 1498 (8/1967) (with Jack McDuff)

BIGGER AND BETTER – ATLANTIC 1505 (3/1968)

MANY FACETS OF DAVID NEWMAN – ATLANTIC 1524 (3&12/1968 & 2/1969)

CAPTAIN BUCKLES - COTILLION 18002 (11/1970)

LONELY AVENUE – ATLANTIC 1600 (11/1971)

THE WEAPON - ATLANTIC 1638 (9/1972)

NEWMANISM – ATLANTIC 1662 (1974)

MR FATHEAD - WARNER BROS 2917 (1976)

FRONT MONEY - WARNER BROS 2984 (1977)

KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE – PRESTIGE 10106 (5/1977)

CONCRETE JUNGLE – PRESTIGE 10104 (11/1977)

BACK TO BASICS – MILESTONE 9188 (5&11/1977) (without strings etc)

SCRATCH MY BACK – PRESTIGE 10108 (3/1979)

RESURGENCE - MUSE 5234 (9/1980)

STILL HARD TIMES – MUSE 5283 (4/1982)

HEADS UP – ATLANTIC 81725 (9/1986)

FIRE – ATLANTIC 81965 (12/1988)

BLUE HEAD – CANDID 79041 (9/1989) (with Clifford Jordan)

RETURN TO THE WIDE OPEN SPACES - AMAZING 1021 (1990)

BLUESIANA TRIANGLE - WINDHAM HILL JAZZ WD0125 (3/1990) (with Art Blakey & Dr John)

BLUE GREENS 'N BEANS – TIMELESS 351 (5/1990) (with Marchel Ivery)

MR GENTLE MR COOL – KOKOPELLI 1300 (6/1994)

UNDER A WOODSTOCK MOON – KOKOPELLI 1314 (6/1996)

CHILLIN' – HIGHNOTE 7036 (12/1998)

KEEP THE SPIRITS SINGING – HIGHNOTE 7057 (3/2000)

DAVEY BLUE – HIGHNOTE 7086 (5/2001)

THE GIFT – HIGHNOTE 7104 (10/2002)

SONG FOR THE NEW MAN – HIGHNOTE 7120 (10/2003)

I REMEMBER BROTHER RAY – HIGHNOTE 7135 (8/2004)

CITYSCAPE – HIGHNOTE 7150 (8/2005)

LIFE – HIGHNOTE 7166 (9/2006)

DIAMONDHEAD – HIGHNOTE 7179 (10/2007)

In addition, there’s this

BLUESIANA 2 - WINDHAM HILL JAZZ 10133 (4/1991)

on which I’m not clear whether he’s a co-leader or not.

And hundreds, perhaps thousands, of albums as a sideman.

MG

[B. Goren.]

Obituary in AAJ.

[blind-blake]

I once saw him playing in a band at the opening of a posh mall in Westchester County (NY). People were just walking by him and his band, but it didn't stop him from playing his heart out. During an intermission, we spoke and he couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. A class act, in addition to a great musician.

[ghost of miles]

I'm sure this has been posted before, but I just added it to the Night Lights post and thought I'd put it in this thread as well: