Posts Tagged Eulogy
Archive
February 24, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti has died. He was 101, a month off turning 102 in fact. What a life. The poet and publisher would have been important had he never written a word himself – he was a founder and co-owner of the legendary San Francisco bookstore and imprint City Lights and as a publisher he was […]Archive
February 13, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Milford Graves
Milford Graves, one of the pioneering free-jazz drummers, has died. He was 79. One of the players to free the drum kit from its primary time-keeping role, Graves played the trap set like it was a set of percussion instruments, disparate, like he was a percussionist. He would sometimes hold two sticks in each hand […]Archive
February 12, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Chick Corea
Chick Corea has died. He was 79. The legendary pianist and composer was one of the greats in modern jazz – as both bandleader and sideman; a constant innovator. He could be remembered alone for his hand in Miles Davis’ turn to the electric, Corea’s Rhodes such a crucial element on the classic album, Bitches […]Archive
January 31, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Double K (Michael Turner)
Sad news overnight to hear of the passing of Michael Turner aka Double K from the brilliant hip-hop duo People Under The Stairs. No cause of death announced as yet but he was just 43. Sad news indeed for hip-hop fans, perhaps particularly on the back of the recent shock announcement of the death of […]Archive
January 1, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. MF Doom
The rap visionary – one of the greatest MCs in the game – MF Doom has died. He was just 49. He passed away on October 31, his family grieving him in private before announcing the news just as 2021 started. Sad news for many of us waking up to a new year. In fact […]Archive
December 9, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Harold Budd
Harold Budd has died. The composer and pianist was 84. It’s said he died due to complications from coronavirus. Budd was a poet, an avant-garde composer, a musician for hire and someone who released solo albums and collaborated – including John Foxx of Ultravox and a long-running partnership with Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. He […]Archive
November 30, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Ryan Brady (Take It Away Podcast)
There’s a special bond that develops with radio hosts – and now podcast hosts – and their long-time listeners. Usually we don’t meet, we often have no idea what the person looks like. But we carry their voice in our head. We listen to them for hours and hours and we form a picture in […]Archive
October 26, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Diane di Prima
The poet Diane di Prima has died. She had suffered a long illness and was 86. She was a force. Feminist writer and activist, memoirist, a poet from her teen years – she was known not just for her own brilliant work but as a teacher and for her friendships with other important writers, among […]Archive
October 9, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen has died. He was 65. Cancer finally took him after 15-20 years of on/off battling. He had recovered. He was back. And then he wasn’t. In recent times it’s clear he was ‘hidden’ from public, the band’s run over. Their final album arriving some years ago now. It was Wednesday morning, NZ […]Archive
September 21, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Stanley Crouch
The jazz critic and writer Stanley Crouch has died. He was 74. He published widely, including essays, novels, plays and poetry – but he is best known for his music criticism. And within that jazz. He was a rigid purist. He hated hip-hop, he was in vocal opposition to rap and its tendencies to lead […]Archive
September 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman