Bob Belden - RIP

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Several close friends of Bob are posting on Facebook that he has died. RIP to a masterful arranger and overall nice guy.

[sidewinder]

I had been hoping to hell all day that we would not hear this news. RIP, a considerable loss to jazz.

[king ubu]

Very sad news.

[sgcim]

Very sad to hear. RIP.

[erwbol]

RIP. What an awful way to go.

[jazzbo]

Bye Bob. Thanks for all the great music.

[hgweber]

sad news. RIP.

[alankin]

Such sad news. RIP.

[colinmce]

Hard days. RIP.

[mjzee]

The other shoe drops. Very sad. Too young. RIP.

[Rooster_Ties]

Expletive. I didn't know Bob, but we all benefited from and know a lot of the work he did for BN -- probably more than I'll ever know. I understand more than a few things even escaped from the vaults (both legitimately, and in a few cases, otherwise), from him having liberated them -- and for that I'll always be immensely grateful.

Barely much more than 10 years older than me is pretty darn young to go -- though as my father is getting close to 90 (and me nearly in my late 40's), my definition of 'young' has certainly shifted in recent years.

Would be interested in reading a rundown of everything he was involved in over the years, *outside* of his own writing, recording, and performing. I'm sure the list would include 5x as many projects that I've owned (or at least heard) than I was previously aware of (or at least could remember).

Big, big loss.

RIP, RIP.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Rooster_Ties

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Jeez, bad news. RIP

[danasgoodstuff]

A great loss, his enthusiasm came thru clearly in everything I saw that he was involved in, and more importantly he turned that love of music into finished projects, so for getting all those rare grooves reissued and especially for getting GG @ the Mozambique issued in the first place, THANK YOU SIR!

[JSngry]

Fuck you, Belden. godDAMNit.

This hurts.

[clifford_thornton]

Damn - so young. RIP, and thanks.

[Cyril]

Sad news. He was only 58. R.I.P.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/161488-bob-belden-musician-producer-arranger-writer-historian-dies-at-58

[Rooster_Ties]

Didn't Bob post here a time or three? - at some point (years ago). Not a whole lot, I know, but maybe a dozen times (total), as best I'm recalling.

What was his userid? Would love to read back through his posts.

I also recall reading some blog-posts(?) of his about some previously and totally unreleased stuff at some point. Maybe that Tony Williams pseudo-punk(-ish) band thing came through him? - the one with vocals. And I'm remembering something about a bunch of unreleased Herbie Hancock jingle-work (and some other way-lesser-known work of his, that he did uncredited, of course). And maybe a couple individual tracks that Miles Davis produced (but didn't play on) from around 1969? - that I'm vaguely remembering that Dave Holland and maybe Jack D. were on?

Anyone have any links to any of that? Would love to read some more of Bob's writing in that more casual kind of context -- especially in light of events now. Always loved his liners, but sometimes there's even more personality that comes through in even less formal contexts.

Always meant to try and chat him up by email at some point or another, about a tiny handful of specific and still-unreleased BN sessions (Knowing me, I'm sure you all can guess about which one in particular, which I think 'surfaced' through him), just to get his personal thoughts on it. Except, I thought he'd never consent to putting any words about it in print (even in email), so I had this crazy notion of trying to chat him up at some point at a concert (if I ever got up to New York), or maybe by phone. Opportunities no longer possible.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Rooster_Ties

[mikeweil]

A true jack-of-all-trades in the jazz world ...

... that's what he really was. He did such a great job to real high standards as a reissue producer, and was a fine musician who paid his dues. R.I.P. Funny, yesterday I held his CDs in my hands for the first time in years ...

[Hardbopjazz]

Sad, R.I.P.

[Teasing the Korean]

The Black Dahlia is one of the greatest crime jazz albums ever, easily on a par with the best 1950s/early 60s crime jazz.

How sad. 58 is awfully young.

RIP.

[jlhoots]

The Black Dahlia is one of the greatest crime jazz albums ever, easily on a par with the best 1950s/early 60s crime jazz.

How sad. 58 is awfully young.

RIP.

Agreed.

Also Turandot as mentioned elsewhere.

[jazzbo]

Didn't Bob post here a time or three? - at some point (years ago). Not a whole lot, I know, but maybe a dozen times (total), as best I'm recalling.

What was his userid? Would love to read back through his posts.

I also recall reading some blog-posts(?) of his about some previously and totally unreleased stuff at some point. Maybe that Tony Williams pseudo-punk(-ish) band thing came through him? - the one with vocals. And I'm remembering something about a bunch of unreleased Herbie Hancock jingle-work (and some other way-lesser-known work of his, that he did uncredited, of course). And maybe a couple individual tracks that Miles Davis produced (but didn't play on) from around 1969? - that I'm vaguely remembering that Dave Holland and maybe Jack D. were on?

Anyone have any links to any of that? Would love to read some more of Bob's writing in that more casual kind of context -- especially in light of events now. Always loved his liners, but sometimes there's even more personality that comes through in even less formal contexts.

Always meant to try and chat him up by email at some point or another, about a tiny handful of specific and still-unreleased BN sessions (Knowing me, I'm sure you all can guess about which one in particular, which I think 'surfaced' through him), just to get his personal thoughts on it. Except, I thought he'd never consent to putting any words about it in print (even in email), so I had this crazy notion of trying to chat him up at some point at a concert (if I ever got up to New York), or maybe by phone. Opportunities no longer possible.

I think his posts were some time ago deleted. IIRC he was "indno" . . (in the know).

[GA Russell]

RIP. He was someone whose efforts I felt were more important than his records.

[Teasing the Korean]

Agreed.

Also Turandot as mentioned elsewhere.

I will check it out. The Black Dahlia is the only thing I know about him.

[Larry Kart]

Didn't Bob post here a time or three? - at some point (years ago). Not a whole lot, I know, but maybe a dozen times (total), as best I'm recalling.

What was his userid? Would love to read back through his posts.

I also recall reading some blog-posts(?) of his about some previously and totally unreleased stuff at some point. Maybe that Tony Williams pseudo-punk(-ish) band thing came through him? - the one with vocals. And I'm remembering something about a bunch of unreleased Herbie Hancock jingle-work (and some other way-lesser-known work of his, that he did uncredited, of course). And maybe a couple individual tracks that Miles Davis produced (but didn't play on) from around 1969? - that I'm vaguely remembering that Dave Holland and maybe Jack D. were on?

Anyone have any links to any of that? Would love to read some more of Bob's writing in that more casual kind of context -- especially in light of events now. Always loved his liners, but sometimes there's even more personality that comes through in even less formal contexts.

Always meant to try and chat him up by email at some point or another, about a tiny handful of specific and still-unreleased BN sessions (Knowing me, I'm sure you all can guess about which one in particular, which I think 'surfaced' through him), just to get his personal thoughts on it. Except, I thought he'd never consent to putting any words about it in print (even in email), so I had this crazy notion of trying to chat him up at some point at a concert (if I ever got up to New York), or maybe by phone. Opportunities no longer possible.

I think his posts were some time ago deleted. IIRC he was "indno" . . (in the know).

Don't recall "indno," but if instead you're thinking of "You Must Be" (as in "You must be in the know"), that was sometime record producer Milan Simich, brother of onetime U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic (they spell their last name differently).