Category: people

Julian Bream, One Of 20th Century’s Great Classical Guitarists And Lutenists, Dead At 87

“As performer and developer of the guitar and its repertory – and as a leading reviver of the lute’s Renaissance repertory – Bream, who has died aged 87, was one of the instrument’s towering figures of any generation.” All the more notable is that Bream was, to a great extent, self-taught on both instruments. – The Guardian

Geoffrey Nunberg, Sociopolitical Linguist Known From NPR, Dead At 75

“Dr. Nunberg’s day jobs were in academia and in a Silicon Valley think tank, but his deepest preoccupation was in understanding how human beings communicate through words, from slang and vulgar slurs to political messaging and professional jargon. … He published several books, including essay collections and The Ascent of the A-Word, about the popularity of a certain seven-letter term applied to annoying bosses or people who used to be called heels and jerks … and, for more than 30 years, provided commentaries on language for the NPR program Fresh Air.” – The Washington Post

Matt Herron, Photojournalist Who Documented Civil Rights Struggle In Deep South, Dead At 89

“A child of the Depression and a protégé of the Dust Bowl documentarian Dorothea Lange, Mr. Herron assembled a team of photographers to capture the clashes between white Southerners and Black protesters, aided by their white Freedom Rider allies, as they sought to claim the rights they had been legally granted a century before.” – The New York Times

Singer Trini Lopez, 83, Of COVID

At the peak of his popularity he was asked by guitar manufacturer Gibson to design two models, the Trini Lopez Standard and the Lopez Deluxe, owners of which include Dave Grohl and Noel Gallagher. In the mid-60s he was releasing as many as five albums a year, though that slowed in the late 70s. While he continued performing, he released very little music until 2000, when he began recording again and released a further six albums. – The Guardian

Charlie Parker at 100

In his too short, too fast, too hard, too brilliant 34 years, Parker transformed an art form, no less than Mozart or Chopin or Gershwin did in their similarly brief time among us. Like those revolutionaries, Parker played his instrument – alto saxophone – with astonishing virtuosity. But Parker also did as much as anyone (and more than most) to forge a musical language, one that dominated 20th century jazz and continues to influence it in the 21st. – Chicago Tribune