Collecting the names of musicians who die in any single span of time, as NPR does at the end of each year, can be an occasion for tribute or reflection or an exercise in collapsing days, a gateway to a specific moment of pain or gratitude. The truth at the end of 2020 is that the tremendous and overwhelming volume of loss nearly renders the need for that kind of reminder irrelevant. Throughout this relentless year it has been constantly renewed.
We lost icons in every genre: founders and innovators and steadfast traditionalists. The world of jazz, so reliant upon elders to anchor its constantly developing notion of history and legacy, bore an especially heavy burden. (Our colleagues at Jazz Night In America have spent much time already remembering and paying tribute to those lost this year.) What follows is a memorial to musicians we lost in 2020. They are listed below in chronological order by the date they left us.
Jaap Schroder
Dutch violinist, conductor, pedagogue, and specialist in the historically informed performance movement
Dec. 31, 1925 - Jan. 1, 2020
Neil Peart
Rush drummer, Canadian rock deity
Sept. 12, 1952 - Jan. 7, 2020
Steve Martin Caro
The sweet-voiced singer for baroque-pop band The Left Banke
Oct. 12, 1948 - Jan. 14, 2020
Barry Tuckwell
Australia-born principle French horn of the London Symphony Orchestra
March 5, 1931 - Jan. 16, 2020
Claudio Roditi
Brazilian jazz trumpeter and composer
May 28, 1946 - Jan. 17, 2020
David Olney
Beloved Nashville singer-songwriter
March 23, 1948 - Jan. 18, 2020
Jimmy Heath
Saxophonist and big band leader nicknamed "Little Bird"
Oct. 25, 1926 - Jan. 19, 2020
Nedda Casei
American mezzo-soprano and Met Opera regular turned labor leader
Sept. 9, 1932 - Jan. 20, 2020
Sean Reinert
Metal drummer who explored unknown worlds with Cynic and Death
May 27, 1971 - Jan. 24, 2020
Bob Gulotti
Endlessly creative jazz drummer and educator, charter member of The Fringe
Nov. 28, 1949 - Jan. 25, 2020
Bob Shane
Founding member of the Kingston Trio
Feb. 1, 1934 - Jan. 26, 2020
Reed Mullin
Founder and drummer for metal/punk band Corrosion of Conformity
Feb. 12, 1966 - Jan. 27, 2020
Lucien Barbarin
Suave and playful trombonist, scion and upholder of New Orleans jazz traditions
July 17, 1956 - Jan. 30, 2020
Peter Serkin
Classical pianist studied in traditional repertoire but drawn to new sounds
July 24, 1947 - Feb. 1, 2020
Andy Gill
Gang of Four guitarist, whose style helped define post-punk
Jan. 1, 1956 - Feb. 1, 2020
Lynn Evans Mand
Voice behind hit songs "Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop"
May 2, 1924 - Feb. 6, 2020
Nello Santi
The most authoritative interpreter of Italian Opera
Sept. 22, 1931 - Feb. 6, 2020
Mirella Freni
Italian soprano, known for embodying Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme
Feb. 27, 1935 - Feb. 9, 2020
Lyle Mays
Jazz keyboardist, longtime anchor of Pat Metheny Group
Nov. 27, 1953 - Feb. 10, 2020
Joseph Shabalala
Founder of Africa's vocal ambassadors Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Aug. 28, 1940 - Feb. 11, 2020
Reinbert de Leeuw
Dutch conductor and pianist who fought to bring contemporary classical music into the spotlight
Sept. 8, 1938 - Feb. 14, 2020
Ja'Net Dubois
Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and composer who co-wrote and sang "The Jeffersons" theme
Aug. 5, 1932 - Feb. 17, 2020
Andrew Weatherall
Genre-defying musician who was an instrumental DJ in England's acid house scene
April 6, 1963 - Feb 17, 2020
Jon Christensen
Norwegian jazz drummer, member of Keith Jarrett's Belonging Quartet
March 20, 1943 - Feb. 18, 2020
Pop Smoke
The stop-in-your-tracks voice of Brooklyn drill and a new and commanding hip-hop star
July 20, 1999 - Feb. 19, 2020
Elyse Weinberg
A late '60s singer-songwriter and guitarist once lost to time and later rediscovered by crate-diggers
Oct. 25, 1945 - Feb. 20, 2020
David Roback
Founder of Rain Parade, Opal and Mazzy Star, psychedelic adventurer
April 4, 1958 - Feb. 24, 2020
McCoy Tyner
Pianist who revolutionized jazz harmony, in and out of the John Coltrane Quartet
Dec. 11, 1938 - March 6, 2020
Charles Wuorinen
Pulitzer Prize-winning avant-garde composer
June 9, 1938 - March 11, 2020
Danny Ray Thompson
Manager, saxophonist and key creative force of the Sun Ra Arkestra
Oct. 1, 1947 - March 12, 2020
Doriot Anthony Dwyer
One of the first women to be awarded principal chair for a major American orchestra
March 6, 1922 - March 14, 2020
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
Lead vocalist of seminal industrial band Throbbing Gristle.
Feb. 22, 1950 - March 14, 2020
Suzy Delair
French star of music halls and mid-century films
Dec. 31, 1917 - March 15, 2020
DJ Black N Mild
News Orleans bounce DJ and radio personality
1976 - March 19, 2020
Aurlus Mabele
The Congolese king of soukous music
Oct. 26, 1953 - March 19, 2020
Kenny Rogers
Aug. 21, 1938 - March 20, 2020
Ray Mantilla
Percussionist and leader of bands that played "Latin Jazz with authentic Latino rhythms"
June 22, 1934 - March 21, 2020
Mike Longo
Jazz pianist, composer, advocate and longtime associate of Dizzy Gillespie
March 19, 1937 - March 22, 2020
Eric Weissberg
Banjo virtuoso known for the surprise hit song "Dueling Banjos"
Aug. 16, 1937 - March 22, 2020
Nashom Wooden
Fixture of New York's gay club scene, the drag queen known as Mona Foot
1969 - Mach 23, 2020
Manu Dibango
Cameroonian saxophonist who brought African pop to the West
Dec. 12, 1933 - March 24, 2020
Jan Howard
Country singer and songwriter, author and Grand Ole Opry mainstay
March 13, 1929 - March 28, 2020
Krzysztof Penderecki
Prolific Polish composer best known for his work Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
Nov. 23, 1933 - March 29, 2020
Joe Diffie
1990s country icon
Dec. 28, 1958 - March 29, 2020
Bill Withers
Prolific, genre-defying singer-songwriter and bluesman
July 4, 1938 - March 30, 2020
Alby Kass
Yiddish folk singer and community leader
1930 - March 31, 2020
Wallace Roney
Trumpeter, bandleader at the forward edge of hard bop
May 25, 1960 - March 31, 2020
Cristina
Self-aware pioneer of '80s new wave aesthetics, excess and irony
Jan. 17, 1956 - March 31, 2020
Ellis Marsalis
New Orleans jazz pianist, educator and patriarch of the Marsalis Jazz Family
Nov. 14, 1934 - April 1, 2020
Bucky Pizzarelli
Prolific session guitarist, jazz legend
Jan. 9, 1926 - April 1, 2020
Adam Schlesinger
Founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy and Tinted Windows and champion of power pop
Oct. 31, 1967 - April 1, 2020
Onaje Allan Gumbs
Pianist whose playing spanned hard-bop and smooth jazz
Sept. 9, 1949 - April 6, 2020
Eddy Davis
Banjo virtuoso and trad-jazz bandleader
Sept. 26, 1940 - April 7, 2020
John Prine
Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter, recording artist, live performer and occasional actor who transformed Chicago's folk scene
Oct. 10, 1946 - April 7, 2020
Hal Willner
Singer-songwriter and Nashville patron saint
April 6, 1956 - April 7, 2020
Chynna
Rising Philadelphia rapper
Aug. 19, 1994 - April 8, 2020
Andy Gonzalez
Double bassist who bridged the gap between Latin music and jazz
Jan. 1, 1951 - April 9, 2020
Richard Teitelbaum
Experimental American composer and electronic musician
May 19, 1939 - April 9, 2020
Jymie Merritt
American jazz double-bassist, electric-bass pioneer, band leader and composer
May 3, 1926 - April 10, 2020
Professor Joe Torres
Pianist who played on many of salsa's greatest hits
Nov. 29, 1943 - April 13, 2020
Henry Grimes
Jazz bassist whose early promise was curtailed by a decades-long absence, before returning as an avant-garde hero
Nov. 3, 1935 - April 15, 2020
Lee Konitz
Alto saxophonist, incorrigible jazz original and the last surviving player on Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool
Oct. 13, 1927 - April 15, 2020
Kenneth Gilbert
Canadian harpsichordist, organist and musicologist
Dec. 16, 1931 - April 16, 2020
Giuseppi Logan
Iconclastic free-jazz multi-instrumentalist
May 22, 1935 - April 17, 2020
Matthew Seligman
New wave bassist for The Soft Boys and David Bowie
July 14, 1955 - April 17, 2020
Michael Cogswell
Sept. 30, 1953 - April 20, 2020
Ronan O'Rahilly
Creator of offshore pirate rock station Radio Caroline
May 21, 1940 - April 20, 2020
Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk cofounder and electronic music titan
April 7, 1947 - April 21, 2020
Bootsie Barnes
Saxophonist, pillar of Philadelphia jazz
Nov. 27, 1937 - April 22, 2020
Fred the Godson
Wordsmith from the Bronx and fixture of hip-hop radio
Jan. 1, 1985 - April 23, 2020
Harold Reid
Co-founder of country music stalwarts the Statler Brothers
Aug. 21, 1939 - April 24, 2020
Lynn Harrell
Cellist known as one of the most prominent American classical musicians of his generation
Jan. 30, 1944 - April 27, 2020
Tony Allen
Master drummer and co-creator of Afrobeat
July 20, 1940 - April 30, 2020
Richie Cole
Saxophonist who tirelessly tended a bebop flame
Feb. 29, 1948 - May 2, 2020
Rosalind Elias
Mezzo-soprano who was a Met Opera mainstay and late-in-life Broadway star
Mach 13, 1930 - May 3, 2020
Millie Small
Jamaican singer behind hit U.K. single "My Boy Lollipop"
Oct. 6, 1947 - May 5, 2020
Andre Harrell
Founder of Uptown Records, music executive who bridged the gap between hip-hop and R&B
Sept. 26, 1960 - May 7, 2020
Little Richard
Rock and roll architect and auteur of outrageousness
Dec. 5, 1932 - May 9, 2020
Betty Wright
Funk-soul-disco singer, songwriter and producer
Dec. 21, 1953 - May 10, 2020
Astrid Kirchherr
Photographer and artist who helped shape The Beatles' style
May 20, 1938 - May 12, 2020
Phil May
Lead singer for the English rock band the Pretty Things
Nov. 9, 1944 - May 12, 2020
Jorge Santana
Guitarist known for playing with Latin rock favorite Malo, the Fania All-Stars and his brother Carlos
June 13, 1951 - May 14, 2020
Lucky Peterson
Bluesman who began as a child prodigy on organ, later adding electric guitar to his arsenal
Dec. 13, 1964 - May 17, 2020
Mory Kante
Guinean griot whose "Yeke Yeke" was the first African single to sell over 1 million copies
March 29, 1950 - May 22, 2020
Jimmy Cobb
Paragon of modern jazz drumming, and the last surviving musician to play on Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue'
Jan. 20, 1929 - May 24, 2020
Bucky Baxter
Steel guitarist known for his work with Steve Earle and as a member of Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour
1955 - May 25, 2020
Joel Revzen
Met Opera staff conductor who also graced regional stages from the Berkshires to Prague
1945 - May 25, 2020
Bonnie Pointer
Singer and songwriter, founding sibling of the Pointer Sisters
July 11, 1950 - June 8, 2020
Vera Lynn
English vocalist known as the "Forces Sweetheart" during World War II
March 20, 1917 - June 18, 2020
Huey
St. Louis "Pop, Lock & Drop It" rapper
Sept. 12, 1987 - June 25, 2020
Freddy Cole
Casually debonair jazz singer and pianist who emerged from the shadow of his brother, Nat
Oct. 15, 1931 - June 27, 2020
Johnny Mandel
Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer and songwriter
Nov. 23, 1925 - June 29, 2020
Jordan Groggs
Rapper in the Arizona group Injury Reserve
1988 - June 29, 2020
Ida Haendel
Polish-born child prodigy who flourished in adulthood as one of the few women concert violinists of her generation
Dec. 15, 1928 - July 1, 2020
Nick Cordero
Tony-nominated multi-talent whose struggle with COVID-19 captured (and broke) America's hearts
Sept. 17, 1978 - July 5, 2020
Charlie Daniels
Country Music Hall of Fame fiddler and bandleader behind "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
Oct. 28, 1936 - July 6, 2020
Ennio Morricone
Italian composer who created the spaghetti Western sound
Nov. 10, 1928 - July 6, 2020
Naya Rivera
Actor and singer known for the revolutionary role of Santana on the TV series Glee
Jan. 12, 1987 - July 8, 2020
Eddie Gale
Trumpeter-bandleader who exemplified the spirit of an Afrocentric soul-jazz underground
Aug. 15, 1941 - July 10, 2020
Patrick Ellis
"Gospel Spirit" host, longest running on-air personality in Washington radio history
May 30, 1943 - July 16, 2020
Annie Ross
Jazz vocalese pioneer and member of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross
July 25, 1930 - July 21, 2020
Peter Green
Blues rock singer and guitarist, founder of Fleetwood Mac
Oct. 29, 1946 - July 25, 2020
Helen Jones Woods
Trombonist with the groundbreaking all-women big band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm
Oct. 9, 1923 - July 25, 2020
Malik B.
Early member of The Roots
Nov. 14, 1972 - July 29, 2020
Leon Fleisher
Exacting pianist who overcame injury through creative thinking and musical devotion
July 23, 1928 - Aug. 2, 2020
Michael Peter Smith
Beloved Chicago-based singer-songwriter
Sept. 7, 1941 - Aug. 3, 2020
Vern Rumsey
Founding Unwound member whose melodic bass lines rang with noise and distortion
Jan. 24, 1973 - Aug. 6, 2020
Salome Bey
Singer and playwright known as Canada's "first lady of the blues"
Oct. 10, 1933 - Aug. 8, 2020
Trini Lopez
Boundary-breaking performer whose music connected the folk revival to Latin music and rock and roll
May 15, 1937 - Aug. 11, 2020
Steve Grossman
Saxophonist who took John Coltrane's lessons into new areas, including the jazz-rock of the 1970s
Jan. 18, 1951 - Aug. 13, 2020
Willie Torres
Widely recorded salsa singer, best known as the voice of the groundbreaking Joe Cuba Sextet
Oct. 30, 1929 - Aug. 13, 2020
Julian Bream
Classical guitarist and lutenist who expanded his instruments' repertoire
July 15, 1933 - Aug. 14, 2020
Justin Townes Earle
Millennial Americana music's favorite son
Jan. 4, 1982 - Aug. 20, 2020
Charli Persip
Pacesetting modern jazz drummer best known for his tenure with Dizzy Gillespie
July 26, 1929 - Aug. 23, 2020
Riley Gale
Throat-shredding vocalist for the Texas-based metal band Power Trip
Feb. 5, 1985 - Aug. 24, 2020
Gary Peacock
Bassist who straddled avant-garde and straight-ahead jazz, notably in a long association with Keith Jarrett
May 12, 1935 - Sept. 4, 2020
Yen Yung-neng
Taiwanese singer and founder of the group Takao Run, which gave contemporary voice to his homeland's rural traditions
Jan. 23, 1970 - Sept. 5, 2020
Christiane Eda-Pierre
Martiniquan-French lyric coloratura who led the way in interpreting the music of Rameau and the French Baroque period
March 24, 1932 - Sept. 6, 2020
Bruce Williamson Jr.
Gospel music prodigy who later sang with the Temptations
Sept. 29, 1970 - Sept. 6, 2020
Simeon Coxe
The synthesizer half of the innovative electronic music duo Silver Apples
June 4, 1938 - Sept. 8, 2020
Ronald Khalis Bell
Founding member of Kool & the Gang
Nov. 1, 1951 - Sept. 9, 2020
Toots Hibbert
Soulful singer, songwriter and patriarch of reggae music
Dec. 8, 1942 - Sept. 11, 2020
Stanley Crouch
Iconoclastic cultural critic and jazz champion
Dec. 14, 1945 - Sept. 16, 2020
Gaetano "Tommy" DeVito
Founding member, vocalist and lead guitarist of rock band the Four Seasons
June 19, 1928 - Sept. 21, 2020
Roy Head
Pioneering rock and roll wild man
Jan. 9, 1941 - Sept. 21, 2020
Jacques-Louis Monod
French composer, conductor and pianist who furthered the ideas of the 20th century avant-garde
Feb. 25, 1927 - Sept. 21, 2020
Ira Sullivan
Chicago jazz hero who distinguished himself on both trumpet and saxophone
May 1, 1931 - Sept. 21, 2020
Juliette Greco
Vocalist and standard-bearer for chanson Francaise
Feb. 7, 1927 - Sept. 23, 2020
Maynard Solomon
Musicologist, critically acclaimed biographer and co-founder of Vanguard Records
Jan. 5, 1930 - Sept. 28, 2020
Mac Davis
Texan singer-songwriter who helped define crossover country music
Jan 21, 1942 - Sept. 29, 2020
Helen Reddy
Singer behind '70s feminist anthem "I Am Woman"
Oct. 25, 1941 - Sept. 29, 2020
Johnny Nash
Reggae-soul artist whose song "I Can See Clearly Now" is an enduring signifier of optimism
Aug. 19, 1940 - Oct. 6, 2020
Eddie Van Halen
Heavy metal's most congenial guitar god
Jan. 26, 1955 - Oct. 6, 2020
Mohammad Reza Shajarian
Master of traditional Persian music, vocalist widely considered one of the greatest Iranian artists of all time
Sept. 23, 1940 - Oct. 8, 2020
Jon Gibson
Minimalist composer, founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble
March 11, 1940 - Oct. 11, 2020
Toshinori Kondo
Japanese trumpeter whose output spanned abrasive experimentalism and coolly ambient music
Dec. 15, 1948 - Oct. 17, 2020
Jose Padilla
Ambient music producer, best known for his DJ work in the Cafe del Mar bar on the island of Ibiza
Dec. 4, 1955 - Oct. 18, 2020
Spencer Davis
Founder of British rock band The Spencer Davis Group
July 17, 1939 - Oct. 19, 2020
Viola Smith
One of the first professional female drummers, known for her five-decade career in orchestras, swing bands and popular music
Nov. 29, 1912 - Oct. 21, 2020
Jerry Jeff Walker
Leading figure in the outlaw country music movement, writer behind 1968 hit song "Mr. Bojangles"
March 16, 1942 - Oct. 23, 2020
Billy Joe Shaver
Endorsed as the greatest country music songwriter by Willie Nelson
Aug. 16, 1939 - Oct. 28, 2020
Baron Wolman
Rolling Stone magazine's first chief photographer
June 25, 1937 - Nov. 2, 2020
King Von
Emerging rapper best known for his contributions to Chicago's drill scene and sinister hit "Took Her to the O"
Aug. 9, 1994 - Nov. 6, 2020
Candido Camero
Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz and innovator of conga drumming
April 22, 1921 - Nov. 7, 2020
Hal Ketchum
Rock-wise '90s country hitmaker
April 9, 1953 - Nov. 23, 2020
LD Beghtol
Bon vivant and collaborator with Magnetic Fields
1964 - Dec. 7, 2020
Harold Budd
Pianist and composer of minimalist, meditational music
May 24, 1936 - Dec. 8, 2020
Sean Malone
Longtime bassist for metal band Cynic, as well as a Glenn Gould scholar
Jan. 1, 1970 - Dec. 9, 2020
Charley Pride
The first Black country music superstar
March 18, 1934 - Dec. 12, 2020
"Blue" Gene Tyranny
Pianist and composer equally at home in the avant-garde and rock and roll
Jan. 1, 1945 - Dec. 12, 2020
Pauline Anna Strom
Blind composer who surfed celestial skywaves with synths
1946 - 2020
Sam Jayne
Founder of favorite Pacific Northwest bands Love as Laughter and Lync
1974 - Dec. 18, 2020
K.T. Oslin
Midlife country music success story who spoke for ladies of the '80s
May 15, 1942 - Dec. 21, 2020
Leslie West
Mountain bandleader whose earthshaking guitar sound inspired many a metal player
Oct. 22, 1945 - Dec. 22, 2020
John "Ecstasy" Fletcher
Charismatic Whodini MC, brought flair and sexiness to early rap
June 7, 1964 - Dec. 23, 2020
Rebecca Luker
Crystalline-voiced star of many Broadway revivals including The Sound of Music and The Music Man
April 17, 1961 - Dec. 23, 2020
Tony Rice
Acoustic guitarist, singer and bluegrass paradigm shifter
June 8, 1951 - Dec. 25, 2020
Armando Manzanero
Composer and performer known as "the romantic soul of Mexico"
Dec. 7, 1935 - Dec. 28, 2020
Claude Bolling
French pianist, composer and big band leader
April 10, 1930 - Dec. 29, 2020
Frank Kimbrough
Pianist and educator with a distinguished solo career, and a charter member of the Maria Schneider Orchestra
Nov. 2, 1956 - Dec. 30, 2020
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
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