RIP Don Blackman

[trane_fanatic]

He passed several days ago, but I didn't see any posts about him in general here.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2013/04/don_blackman_ri.html

[sgcim]

Shit. I never got to hear him, but a trumpet player I know used to sit in with him at a club in Queens, where DB was in the house band, and said that he was an incredible jazz pianist, who played in a very hip,Herbie Hancock-style bag.

A great loss for jazz in Queens. RIP, DB.

[fasstrack]

I met him in the '70s. There was a gig at Gerald's, a now-legendary club in Queens. Weldon Irvine was the leader with himself on Rhodes, Donald Blackman on accoustic piano, and my friend Bill Naccari on guitar. Can't remember the rest, but I could see Blackman was a great talent. Afterwards we got in someone's car to hang out and I saw he was a natural comedian. Had me rolling on the floor. Someone should do a story on Gerald's BTW. Very hip place. They could interview Roy Haynes. He hung out there a fair amount.

[sgcim]

Yeah, Gerald's was a hip club. I used to play in the big band they had there led by Ray Abrams. Bernard Purdy was the drummer.

Don Blackman sounds great on that second video in the link. I didn't know he was also an excellent vocalist.

I read that he was supposed to be the next big thing back when he released his first LP, but it didn't catch on like they thought it would. He still did very well in the fusion/R&B field, and played jazz regularly at that club I mentioned before.

According to that trumpet player who used to play a lot with him, he was the equal of any of the top guys playing today.

[Noj]

I have "Holding You, Loving You" on a compilation and it's one of those tracks that was super goofy to me at first and then it grew on me. His albums have been on my radar but I haven't picked them up...yet. Cool stories above, thanks for sharing them. RIP

[JSngry]

Those of you who were there will probably find factual errors aplenty (it seems to be that WP is often a case of "enthusiasm" trumping "scholarship"), but anybody interested in interview segments with Blackman, Tom Browne,Bernard Wright (now living and gigging here in Dallas), Marcus Miller, fond reminiscences of Weldon Irvine by all, and most of all, totally period non-professional candid photographs of all concerned, should check out the article about the "Jamaica Kats" found here: