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Orrin Keepnews, one of the most influential and respected figures in jazz died at the age of 92 at his home in El Cerrito, California on 1 March.

Keepnews founded the Riverside jazz record label in 1953 with the help of Bill Grauer, an old college friend. As editor of The Record Changer, Orrin was already on first name terms with most of the leading figures in jazz at that time.

It was with great regret that we learned of the sudden death of Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, bass player extraordinaire, at the tragically early age of 70. He was the very archetype of the solid, deep-in-the-groove bass players, always on the button with the rhythm and punching on the accents perfectly. In Booker T and The MGs he meshed with Al Jackson’s sparse drum patterns, forming the bridge to Steve Cropper’s chopping guitar phrasing and allowing Booker T Jones Hammond to float on top, together making up the most perfect instrumental group ever to have laid down a groove - and what a groove. 

Ace’s Alec Palao remembers Dan Hicks, former Charlatan and leader of the Hot Licks, who died on 6 February 2016 of cancer.

It’s hard for me to offer the standard obituary for Dan Hicks. He really was a one-off, and I am truly honoured that I had the opportunity to work with him on more than one occasion. It’s also hard to categorize his style of music, although one oft-used description was folk-jazz, or as Dan would joke, “fo-jazz.” Western swing, bluegrass, ragtime and the blues all fit in there somewhere too, but it’s Hicks’ lyrical persona, the drily witty erudite raconteur with a keen eye for observation, that elevates him to the ranks of the truly inspired. ‘Canned Music,’ ‘I Scare Myself,’ ‘How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away,’ ‘Capo On My Brain,’ ‘Euphonious Whale,’ and so many others: his legacy is a finely-honed, devastatingly-humoured cache of brilliance.

We're pleased to announce that Bob Lind will be returning to Europe for some very special gigs in August and September. See Bob's own site for full details: http://boblind.com/gigs/

Soul singer Freddie Hughes died last week from complications in part due to Covid-19. His pal Alec Palao fondly remembers the man with the high-reaching, eminently soulful voice.