RIP Gloria Coleman

[trane_fanatic]

KCSM's Pete Fallico just announced on the air that jazz organist and ex-wife of George Coleman, Gloria Coleman, had passed away earlier this month. He knew her personally, even produced one of her later sessions, and had gotten word from the family. Time to give "Soul Sisters" a spin.

Edited February 24, 2010 by trane_fanatic

[brownie]

That is sad!

Always liked the Soul Sisters album.

[JohnS]

Sad news indeed! Played the Soul Sisters cd a few days ago. Nice date.

[king ubu]

I finally got "Soul Sisters" last fall - fine album!

Rest in peace

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh, this is so sad for me. I met Gloria in Newark in '96. She was doing a gig with Jesse Morrison, the tenor player, and I introduced myself to her afterwards. She was a very nice lady. And also a very competent one, it seemed to me.

Everyone at the gig - including Rahsaan's widow, who was a DJ for WBGO, next door, at the time - called her "Auntie Gloria".

She told me how impressed she'd been with Pete Fallico's knowledge of her career, when she'd done an interview with him on a trip to the West Coast. She was surprised there was a white person at the gig and was very happy to chat while she packed up her stuff.

It's always been a mystery to me why she wasn't recorded more often; three albums as a leader and only a handful as a sidelady. Almost all of her recordings are very good indeed.

MG

[CJ Shearn]

oh man, that sucks! RIP

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Playing my way through (most of) Gloria's recordings, I find I've got everything she recorded (as far as I know). So here's a list:

Gloria Coleman - Soul sisters - Impulse (1963)

Leo Wright - Soul talk - Vortex (1963)

Gloria Coleman - Sings and swings organ - Mainstream (1965)

Bobbi Humphrey - City beat - Malaco Jazz (1988) (1 track - this is a pretty awful LP)

Hank Crawford - Groove master - Milestone (1990)

Hank Crawford - South-Central - Milestone (1 track from "Groove master" session)

Nat Simpkins - Cookin' with some barbeque - Muse (1995)

Gloria Coleman - Sweet Missy - Doodlin' (2007)

Not much in 34 years.

If you know of any more, please post details.

MG

[Dan Gould]

Sad news. I am definitely going to get out the Leo Wright, Nat Simpkins and Soul Sisters and give them a spin. For some reason I want to say that there is another Muse recording she appeared on but I can't think of it.

[brownie]

For some reason I want to say that there is another Muse recording she appeared on but I can't think of it.

This Nat Simpkins seems to be her only recording for Muse

[Noj]

I just ordered the Soul Sisters album the other night. RIP.

[Brad]

Oh, that's too bad, RIP. Soul Sisters is a nice recording.

[ValerieB]

it seems like George Coleman has lost his ex-wife and his present wife within the past couple of months! i remember Gloria and her music from back in my NY days in the '60s. she was wonderful.

my condolences to her family and friends.

[mikeweil]

R.I.P. - an excellent organist. Why are there so few recordings?

[LDB3]

I was fortunate to play with Gloria and Trudy Pitts last year at an organ summit at The Ohio State University last spring and got to know her a little better over this past year. I was very sad to hear of her passing. I last talked with her around the holidays. I knew she had some health issues, but it is always shocking to hear news like this.

In spite of this, she was on fire and playing and singing well at the concert. She was a delightful lady and I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten to know her a little.

She was a long time friend of tenor saxophonist, Gene Walker, who I work with often. Gene shared with me that he roomed with Gloria and George when he first went to the east coast, so they had been long time friends, perhaps since the late 50's or early 60's.

Here is a clip from the show that featured Gloria, Bob DeVos on guitar and my husband, Cary Dachtyl on the drums.

I have also included the impromptu jam at the end of the night with Gloria, Trudy, and me.

Gloria's tune

The Jam

I have more footage, but not separated and posted yet on youtube.

I don't think it was Gloria's last performance as I read of something she was scheduled to do last summer, but I'm not sure exactly what that was.

Thanks,

Linda Dachtyl

http://www.myspace.com/ldb3

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks for sharing that, Lynda, and welcome to O.

No time at present to look at the clips, but I'll do so later.

I have some records of Gene - with Freddie McCoy and Hank Marr. Nice player.

MG

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i like how she only recorded one track in the eighties...she went compelety underground.....RIP

[Jim Alfredson]

Very sad to hear this. An incredibly underrated and under-recorded organist. RIP.

Thanks for sharing those videos, Linda.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Now had an opportunity to have a look at those - Thanks for sharing them.

"Martin's rhumba" reminds me very much of a boogie written by Hadda Brooks in the late orties - "Bully woolly boogie" I think, though I can't be sure at present.

MG

[LDB3]

Thanks for sharing that, Lynda, and welcome to O.

No time at present to look at the clips, but I'll do so later.

I have some records of Gene - with Freddie McCoy and Hank Marr. Nice player.

MG

I'd love to know what they are. I have all the Double Time ones Hank did in recent years.

Hank was one of my teachers, too. We sure miss him here in Columbus.

I will probably post more as I get more familiar with what I have to do concerning video editing...not as intuitive as audio.

Thanks for looking. Gloria was a delightful lady. Always "up" although I know she had some health challenges for some time and every time I called this year, she had been in the hospital for something, but we never talked about that, just that she had been there.

I felt especially honored that she was even able to do the summit as she had just gotten out of the hospital at that time, too. Sure didn't see that when she played or sang. She was ON the entire evening and weekend.

I am so glad I got to meet her and spend some time with her.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks for sharing that, Lynda, and welcome to O.

No time at present to look at the clips, but I'll do so later.

I have some records of Gene - with Freddie McCoy and Hank Marr. Nice player.

MG

I'd love to know what they are. I have all the Double Time ones Hank did in recent years.

Hank was one of my teachers, too. We sure miss him here in Columbus.

As you guessed, they're the ones he made for Double-Time with Hank and

Freddie McCoy - Listen here - Prestige PR7582 - never reissued on CD

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks for sharing that, Lynda, and welcome to O.

No time at present to look at the clips, but I'll do so later.

I have some records of Gene - with Freddie McCoy and Hank Marr. Nice player.

MG

I'd love to know what they are. I have all the Double Time ones Hank did in recent years.

Hank was one of my teachers, too. We sure miss him here in Columbus.

As you guessed, they're the ones he made for Double-Time with Hank and

Freddie McCoy - Listen here - Prestige PR7582 - never reissued on CD

MG

Mm, and I forgot, but I've just been listening to it - Johnny "Hammond" Smith's "Love potion #9". Gene sounds better on this than the McCoy, because he's not using the Varitone.

MG

[LDB3]

I'll have to ask Gene if he used the Varitone, as he had never mentioned it to me. I know Rusty Bryant did on some later recordings.

I never cared much for that sound myself.

Were you aware that Gene played on David Baby Cortez' "The Happy Organ". ;-)?

He shared that with me.

As far as Gloria's services, a memorial celebration will be scheduled for sometime in the spring but here is a letter I received from George, Jr.

It was posted over on a saxophone web, too, so I assume the service is not private, however you might want to check first if you are thinking of attending. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend.

Here is the link to the funeral home and Gloria's obituary.

http://www.cottonfuneralservice.com/pg003.php?shw=1&obt=623

--------------------------------

Dear Friends,

The services for our mother, Gloria Coleman will take place on March 11, 2010 and March 12, 2010.

The viewing will be conducted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 from the hours of 5:00PM to 9:00PM at the Cotton-Parker Funeral Home.

The funeral service will be conducted on Friday, March 12, 2010 from the hours of 12:00PM to 1:00PM at the Cotton-Parker Funeral Home. Upon the completion of the funeral service our mother will be brought to Rosedale Cemetery for interment.

Thank you,

The Coleman Family

Cotton-Parker Funeral Home

1025 Bergen Street

Newark, NJ 07112

973-926-6400

In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund at Englewood Hospital.

The Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund is 100% donor-supported fund that helps underwrite the costs of hospitalization, diagnostic tests, and a full range of surgical and medical care for jazz musicians who are uninsured and without the ability to pay.

If you wish, donations may be made by check, payable to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, 350 Engle Street, Englewood, NJ 07631; or by credit card, by calling 201-894-3725. Please indicate that you wish your donation to go to The Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund.

[LDB3]

Thanks for sharing that, Lynda, and welcome to O.

No time at present to look at the clips, but I'll do so later.

I have some records of Gene - with Freddie McCoy and Hank Marr. Nice player.

MG

I'd love to know what they are. I have all the Double Time ones Hank did in recent years.

Hank was one of my teachers, too. We sure miss him here in Columbus.

As you guessed, they're the ones he made for Double-Time with Hank and

Freddie McCoy - Listen here - Prestige PR7582 - never reissued on CD

MG

Mm, and I forgot, but I've just been listening to it - Johnny "Hammond" Smith's "Love potion #9". Gene sounds better on this than the McCoy, because he's not using the Varitone.

MG

I reread that and saw that Gene did. I'll ask him about it. Maybe I'll ask him to bring it to a gig, LOL.

I would assume like anything else, it was a fad that players wanted to try for a time. I think I have some recordings of Sonny Stitt using it, too. I will have to check as I it is not a CD I listen to often.

I listen often to Sonny, Rusty, etc.. on CD, just not the ones with Varitone as much. ;-)

[Enterprise Server]

Sad to hear this. The ranks of veterans gets thinner and thinner every year. I guess it's the natural process of life.....

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I reread that and saw that Gene did. I'll ask him about it. Maybe I'll ask him to bring it to a gig, LOL.

I would assume like anything else, it was a fad that players wanted to try for a time. I think I have some recordings of Sonny Stitt using it, too. I will have to check as I it is not a CD I listen to often.

I listen often to Sonny, Rusty, etc.. on CD, just not the ones with Varitone as much. ;-)

Yes, I guess it was one of those things - so many nowadays - where people did things because they could.

Except that Sonny Stitt's incredible "Live at the Left Bank" (Hyena) shows that, with Don Patterson and Billy James wailing behind him, he did need the extra volume.

MG