Categotry Archives: Musicians

Marie Marcus, Cape Cod’s “first lady of jazz,” died on Oct. 10 from complications of a stroke. She was 89.
Marcus was only four years old when she started playing the piano. At 13, she made her professional debut at Jordan Hall in Boston. She briefly attended the New England Conservatory of Music, but her heart was not into playing classical music. Marcus loved jazz, and was almost expelled for playing swing music in class.
In the 1930s, Marcus moved to New York City and landed a job playing the piano for mobster Dutch Schultz at his restaurant, Kean’s Steakhouse. After her shift ended, she trekked up to Harlem to listen to the greatest jazz musicians of the time perform at the Cotton Club and Tillie’s Kitchen. She was one of the only white faces in the crowd.
A shy woman, Marcus was eventually persuaded to play for legendary jazz pianist Thomas “Fats” Waller. He was so impressed with her talents that he offered to teach her the stride piano whenever he was not on tour.
Marcus played Miami Beach and appeared on radio and television as a member of the band, Preacher Rollo and the Five Saints, during the 1950s. When she moved back to Massachusetts, she performed at the Coonamessett Club in Falmouth, the Panama Club in Hyannis and the Olde Inn on Cape Cod.
Marcus also recorded seven albums and formed the Cape Cod Jazz Society. She received several honors in her lifetime, including the George Foster Peabody medal and the Annual Living Treasure Award for her achievements in the music industry.

Carl Charles Fontana, a jazz trombonist who played with Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington, died on Oct. 9 from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 75.
Born in Monroe, La., Fontana first picked up the trombone when he was six years old. He played in a dance band lead by his father, Collie Fontana, then worked to obtain a master’s degree at Louisiana State University.
Two years before graduation, however, jazz master Woody Herman invited Fontana to join the group, Third Herd. Fontana postponed college, joined the band and toured all over the country, performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City and on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”
In 1957, “The Captain” moved to Las Vegas and delved into its music scene. He lent his horn skills to numerous collaborations, including performances with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra. He also gave workshops at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• Sound Clips of Fontana’s Trombone Work

Franco Corelli, one of the top opera stars of the 20th century, died. Cause of death was not released. He was 82.
Born in Ancona, Italy, Corelli was only 30 years old when he won the Maggio Musicale competition in Florence. That same year, he made his debut as Don Jose in “Carmen” at Spoleto.
Hundreds of singing engagements followed as Corelli appeared at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, The Royal Opera in London and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The Met was his favorite venue; he performed there every season from 1961 to 1976.
Corelli sang with many of opera’s greatest voices, including Maria Callas and Birgit Nilsson. A handsome man, he was often cast as the romantic lead in “Don Carlo,” “Aida” and ” La Boheme.”
• Sound Clips of Corelli Performances

Eugene George Istomin, a classical pianist who gave more than 4,000 concerts, died on Oct. 10 from liver cancer. He was 77.
Istomin began playing the piano as a child and made his concert debut at the age of six. By the time he was 12, he was studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
At 18, Istomin made two professional debuts in the same week — playing Johannes Brahms’ “Second Piano Concerto” with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
In 1951, Istomin began a 20-year relationship with violinist Alexander Schneider and cellist Pablo Casals. A year and a half after Pablo died in 1973, Istomin married the cellist’s widow, Marta. At the time, she was the director of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; she’s now president of the Manhattan School of Music.
One of the first great classical pianists born in America, Istomin also collaborated with violinist Isaac Stern and cellist Leonard Rose. The trio of musicians worked together to record numerous albums of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Mozart.

Rosey Nix Adams, a country music singer, died on Oct. 24. Cause of death is still under investigation. She was 45.
Adams, who was the daughter of the late country music singer June Carter Cash and Edwin ”Rip” Nix, was found dead with bluegrass fiddle player Jimmy Campbell, 40, inside a parked bus in Clarksville, Tenn. Officials said they may have died from carbon monoxide emanating from six heaters on the bus. Drug paraphernalia, including needles and pipes, were also located near the bodies.
A singer/songwriter, Adams performed as a back-up singer for David Grey and Slim Whitman.

Don Lanphere, a saxophone player who was known as the “grandpop” of jazz in Seattle, died on Oct. 12 of hepatitis C. He was 75.
Lanphere began playing the tenor and soprano sax as a teenager. He toured with bands in Seattle and studied music at Northwestern University in Illinois. In the 1950s, he moved to New York City where he became captivated by post-World War II bebop — and heroin.
Lanphere played with many jazz greats, including Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and Max Roach, but his drug and alcohol addictions hurt him professionally and personally. By 1960, he had returned to Washington to run his father’s music store.
Lanphere started playing again in 1969 when he and his wife Midge became born-again Christians. He gave up drugs, became a music teacher and recorded 13 albums under his own name. For the past few years, he made Monday morning appearances on “The Don and Bud Show” on KBCS, 91.3 FM. He also played lead tenor in the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

Elliott Smith, a singer/songwriter who received an Academy Award nomination in 1998, died on Oct. 22 at the age of 34. According to earlier news reports, cause of death was a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. However, further tests by the coroner were inconclusive.
Smith studied the piano and guitar when he was a child. During middle school, he changed his named to Elliott, and began composing his first songs. He graduated from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and performed in the bands, A Murder of Crows and Heatmiser. But it was his solo albums — “Roman Candle,” “Elliott Smith” and “Either/Or” — that earned Smith his underground fan base.
In 1997, he was approached by director Gus Van Sant with a request to use six of his songs on the “Good Will Hunting” soundtrack. The exposure brought Smith a recording deal with DreamWorks Records and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Miss Misery.” His sixth and final album, “From a Basement on the Hill,” will be released on Oct. 19, 2004.
• Watch the Elliott Smith Video, “Son of Sam”