Lew Soloff RIP

[alankin]

According to Wikipedia and a source on Facebook, trumpet player Lew Soloff died today.

"Lew Soloff (February 20, 1944 - March 8, 2015) from New York City was a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He worked with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973. Prior to this, he worked with Machito, Gil Evans, Tony Scott, and Tito Puente."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lew_Soloff

[GA Russell]

RIP. I remember him well from BS&T.

[sidewinder]

Damn, yet more bad news. RIP - a fine lead player, I first became aware of him via his work with Clark Terry's Big Bad Band.

[Stereojack]

From Jazz Promo Services:

This is from his daughter's facebook page:

"Tonight I lost my dad. We flew to New York to spend the week with him and my sister, enjoyed the day together, had dinner at our favorite grub spot. On the way home, he suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed into my arms on the sidewalk in front of my husband and children. I performed CPR with the help of a passerby and continued to assist after EMTs arrived. He died at the scene, was resuscitated, made it through an angioplasty but couldn't stabilize afterward and passed away just before 1:00 AM.

My dad was amazing. He could drive me f***ing crazy, but that didn't make him any less essential to my life. He loved his grandkids. He loved my sister and me. He was one of the greatest trumpet players in the world and I'm so proud to be his daughter. I'm so happy to carry on a fraction of his musicality in the now rare moments that I pick up my violin.

Dad had more friends than anyone I know. He was always on the phone. Always. Even when it was totally inappropriate. He was so loved by so many. His life overflowed with people who cared for him. I am so thankful for you all.

I am devastated. I can't picture my life or my kids' lives without him in it. It doesn't seem real. It's definitely not fair. But I am so grateful to have spent my dad's last day on Earth together in New York City.

Please keep my family in your thoughts and respect our privacy during this awful time. We're hurting badly.

We will release details about a Memorial as we're able to piece things together."

https://www.facebook.com/lew.soloff?fref=nf

Fans, friends and colleagues have been paying tribute online to trumpeter Lew Soloff who has died at the age of 71. Born in Brooklyn on 20 February 1944, Soloff was brought up in Lakewood, New Jersey and began on piano as a young boy taking up trumpet when he was 10 studying at Juilliard Preparatory and later the Eastman School of Music. After graduating he played in practice bands with fellow students such as Chuck Mangione, and continued in graduate school at Juilliard before embarking on a full blown musical career playing latin-jazz with Machito, and jamming with the likes of Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones. Performing with Maynard Ferguson and the Joe Henderson / Kenny Dorham Big Band he joined the Gil Evans Group and his other credits in the 60s included Clark Terry, Tito Puente, and Eddie Palmieri. With Blood, Sweat And Tears from 1968 to 1973, he racked up nine Gold records and a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1969.

Lew Soloff - Solea

Lew Soloff (tp)

Steve Richman (cond) Harmonie Ensemble New York

[BillF]

Very sorry to hear that. Saw him in 1978 in the Gil Evans Orchestra and in the 90s in the Carla Bley Orchestra. Always liked his trumpet playing.

[gmonahan]

BS&T was THE "rock" band of my jazz-oriented youth. I'm saddened by this news. RIP

[soulpope]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIPV48LnLdg

Thank you for the Music and R I P

[TedR]

As a junior high school and high school trumpet student, I and others in the trumpet section tried to emulate Lew Soloff (unsuccessfully). Listened to the BS&T tunes with his solos over and over again. Very sad to hear this.

[Van Basten II]

Very fine player indeed, never got the chance to see him live , enjoyed his work especially with the Mingus Big band

[Steve Reynolds]

Heard him once. Last December on a Sunday night with Ray Anderson's Pocket Brass Band in front of a small crowd.

He was incredible playing like he was 40 years younger.

Afterwords, he was joking that that was all he had for the night. Being it was 2 sets playing *that* music, pretty incredible he played what he played.

I'm very blessed to have experienced that night. Seeing someone on the trumpet in their musical prime at 70.

Fwiw, I doubt he needed that gig - I'm sure he did it for Ray and for the music

God speed - RIP sir

[JSngry]

RIP. His evolution did not stop. It was quiet but it never stopped. RIP.

[Mark Stryker]

Some lovely words from Wynton Marsalis that speak to the closeness among the fraternity of trumpet players. https://www.facebook.com/wyntonmarsalis/posts/10153063797442976:0

[CJ Shearn]

RIP............ another huge loss. What Wynton wrote was GREAT.

Edited March 8, 2015 by CJ Shearn

[Justin V]

I was going to see him perform for the first time later this month. Until looking at his credits on Allmusic, I didn't realize how many albums that I have with him or how many albums I'd like to have. Rest in peace, Mr. Soloff, and thank you for the music.

[Joe]

Too young. Mr. Soloff can heard to fine advantage here:

[sgcim]

RIP. He had universal respect from the thousands of musicians he worked with.

[jeffcrom]

When I think of Lew Soloff, I think first about his work with the Gil Evans Orchestra, where he was not only lead trumpeter and frequent soloist, but took on a role akin to the concertmaster in a symphony orchestra. He cued sections, set riffs, and kept the brass tight.

The last time I heard him, a few years back, he was soloing over some of my elementary band charts. His nephew was in the band at a suburban Atlanta school, and for two two years he timed his visits to his sister to coincide with his nephew's spring band concerts so that he could sit in. I was the only guy in the area writing jazz arrangements for elementary band, so they used some of my charts.

RIP, LS.

[marcello]

Great musician and music lover. He was always playing somewhere!
There's a recording that he made with Elvin on drums (Yesterdays) that is outstanding!

A great friend and mentor to hundreds, maybe thousands, of musicians. Big loss for the community.

Edited March 9, 2015 by marcello

[medjuck]

Saw (and met) him when he was with BS&T then several times with Gil Evans and finally with the Gil Evans band after Gil's death. Glad that at that last gig I briefly talked to him and told him how much I had liked one of his compositions on one of the records he did under his own name. (It took me many years to learn to stop trying to be too cool to tell people when you admire their work.)

[sidewinder]

With the Gil Evans Orchestra was the only time I ever saw him live I think and I agree, he was the dominant lead voice in that ensemble.

[mikeweil]

Very sorry to hear that. Saw him in 1978 in the Gil Evans Orchestra .....

Must have been around that time that I saw him perform with Evans in a Frankfurt club ... R.I.P.

What can you say about such a great player? That's like losing an elder brother. Oh my ...

[Hardbopjazz]

R.I.P. Lew. Thanks for the music.

[clifford_thornton]

Sad to hear of his passing - he definitely made a mark.

[JohnS]

Very sorry to read this. A great player,

[mr jazz]

Enjoyed his recordings with Charles Earland. RIP