OBITUARIES  (34)

Austin, Harold J.

Ayotte, John S. "Jack"

Bachinsky, John Thomas "Johnny B"

Bedell, John G.

Cheatham, Adolphus Anthony " Doc"

Cole, William Randolph "Cozy"

Compo, Peter

Davern, John Kenneth "Kenny"

Davison, William " Wild Bill"

Day, George D. " Don"

Egan, William C.

Fairbanks, Bruce V.

Flanagan, Michael

Foote, Philip L.

Frisbie, John

Fuller, William W. Sr.

Geiger, George J.

Hackett, Bobby

Hemmingford, John

Henk, William J. "Bill" Jr.

King, James Preston "Jim"

LaVoie, Donald "Don"

Mastren, Al  [Alex Mastandrea]

McPartland, Jimmy

Miller, Joseph C. Jr. "Joe"

Pratt, Bobby

Pratt, Helen Lynn (2 obituaries) - see memorial webpage

Pratt, Norman H.

Purificato, Ralph J. Jr.

Saunders, Thomas

Slovak, Joseph, MD

Vadala, Frank P.

Willcox, Newell "Spiegle"

Zandri, Richard P.

Austin, Harold J. 
NORTH GREENBUSH 

   Harold J. "Hal" Austin, 72, of Bloomingrove Drive, North Greenbush, died suddenly Monday evening, April 23, 2007 at Albany Memorial Hospital after having been stricken at his residence. 

   Born in Troy, he was the son of the late Sidney and Mary Agnes Warnock Austin. 

   He attended Watervliet Public Schools, graduating from Watervliet High School and from the State University of New York at Albany with a bachelor's degree in biology. He then began work at the NYS Department of Civil Service until his retirement in 1990, as the director of personnel. In his early years, Hal played piano with Skip Parson's Riverboat Jazz Band and had been an active golfer as well as an avid Yankees and N.Y. Giants fan. He was a member of the Loudonville Community Church. 

   He is survived by his wife, Brenda Peacock Austin; a daughter and her husband, Jill and Paul Bardwell of Rexford; a son, Steven "Terry" Austin of Mass. 

   The funeral service will be held on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Loudonville Community Church, 374 Loudon Road (Rt. 9 and Crumitie Rd.), Loudonville, NY 12211 with the Rev. Michael Conley, assoc. pastor officiating. Friends are invited to call for one hour prior to the funeral service, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The interment will be held in Memory's Garden Cemetery in Colonie at the family's convenience. In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make contributions in memory of Hal to the Missions Board of Loudonville Community Church, at the address above. The arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Stebbins-Miner & Sanvidge Funeral Home, 312 Hoosick Street, Troy, NY 12180, (518) 272-5802. 
Published in the Albany Times Union from 4/25/2007 - 4/26/2007.   [Source]

Ayotte, John S. "Jack"

COHOES

   John Jack S. Ayotte, 71, of Pleasant Ct., Cohoes, died Monday, December 13, 2004 at St. Mary's Hospital, Troy, embraced by his loving family. Born in Waterford, N.Y., he was the son of the late John J. and Florine Dufresne Ayotte and beloved husband of Carolyn C. Malo Ayotte of Cohoes. Jack attended LaSalle Institute in Troy and graduated from Keveny Memorial Academy in Cohoes. He furthered his education at Siena College and graduated from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy with an associate's degree in electronics. Jack was employed for 41 years as a purchasing agent with Hudson Valley Paper Company in Albany, retiring in 1994. He then went to work at Albany Medical College in the medical records department until 1998.
   Jack was an accomplished and professional musician for 45 years and a member of the Musician's Local 13. He was jazz bassist and vocalist performing with the Hi Fives, Harry Taylor and the River Boat Jazz bands. He was a senior advisor and planner for the Explorer Post for Handicapped Young Adults, The Young VIP'S, and a member of the Saratoga Muzzle Loaders Club. He was also a member of the NYS Guard. He enjoyed boating, fishing and target shooting.
   Besides his devoted wife, Carolyn, Jack is survived by his loving children, John Ayotte of Cohoes and Jay Ayotte and his wife MaryLynn of Waterford; his cherished granddaughter, Jessica V. Ayotte whom he adored so much. Several nieces and nephews also survive. He was predeceased by his sister, Joan Myers.
   Jack's family would like to offer a sincere thank you to Seton Health, especially to Holly for the extreme care and compassion given to Jack while he was with them.
   Funeral from the Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ltd., 105 Vliet Blvd., Cohoes, Thursday morning at 9 o'clock. Mass of Christian Burial from Holy Trinity Parish, Cohoes at 9:30. Interment in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Waterford. Relatives and friends are invited and may call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 3-5 and 7-9.
   Those wishing to remember Jack in a special way may make contributions in his memory to the Albany Medical Center Children's Hospital, 43 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 1 2188.

Published in the Albany Times Union 12/15/2004.  Section: Capital Region, Page: B6   [Source]

Bachinsky, John Thomas

LATHAM

   John Thomas Bachinsky, 70, of Latham, died Friday, March 28, 1997, at Albany Memorial Hospital after being stricken at his residence. 

   He was born and educated in Troy, son of the late Andrew and Pauline Kolody Bachinsky. A graduate of Troy High School, he had been a resident of Latham since 1952. He was a veteran of WWII, serving in the US Navy. Mr. Bachinsky was a laborer with the NYS Department of Transportation Soil Testing Unit in Albany, for 35 years retiring in 1989. An active musician, he was professionally known as `Johnny B`, playing piano at several area restaurants. Mr. Bachinsky was a member of the Albany Lodge of Elks #49; the American Legion Post #1450, Halfmoon; and the Troy Musicians' Union. 

   Survivors include his wife, Gisela Elizabeth Dorr Bachinsky; a daughter, Paula L. Walentowicz, Clifton Park; two sons, Andrew P. Bachinsky, Stillwater and John P. Bachinsky, Clifton Park; and three grandchildren. 

   Funeral service 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Bowen Funeral Home, 97 Old Loudon Road, Latham. Friends are invited and may call Monday 4-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment in Memory's Garden, Colonie. 

   Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association.

Published in the Albany Times Union 3/30/1997.  Section: Capital Region, Page: F4   [Source]

Bedell, John G. 

TROY

   John G. `Buddy` Bedell, 84, formerly of Broadway, died Monday, June 10, 2002 at the Eddy Memorial in Troy after a lengthy illness. 

   Born and raised in Rensselaer, he was a professional musician with the Musician's Local of Albany. He was the son of the late Frank W. and Hazel (Daniels) Bedell. 

   Survivors include a niece, Sandra Bell of St. Petersburgh, FL; a nephew, Edward Chilmonik of Omak, WA; grandnieces, Debra Robichaud-Roy, Amy Robichaud-Meyer, Carrie Robichaud-Bertrand, Stephanie Cameron, and Nadia Chilmonik; grandnephews, Guy Robichaud, Gary Robichaud, Ian Reuss and Edward Chilmonik III. He was predeceased by a sister, Vivian Parks, and a niece Donna Robichaud. 

   Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral Thursday 1:00 from the Rockefeller Funeral Home, 165 Columbia Tpk., Rensselaer. Friends may call Thursday at the funeral home from 11:00-1:00 prior to the service. Interment will be in Greenbush Cemetery, East Greenbush, NY. Those who wish to remember `Buddy` are asked to make contributions to The Eddy Memorial, 2256 Burdett Ave., Troy, NY 12180.

Published in the Albany Times Union 6/12/2002.  Section: Capital Region, Page: B6.  [Source]

Cheatham, Adolphus Anthony "Doc"

Obituary: Doc Cheatham

by Steve Voce

   "If I'd known I was going to live so long, I'd have taken better care of myself." The jazz pianist Eubie Blake was speaking on his 100th birthday. There is a coterie of jazz musicians who have lived for nine decades and are still playing, the altoist Benny Carter (90 in August) and the tenor man Benny Waters (95) amongst them. Watch this space.

   Jazz is such an all-embracing way of life that the greatest musicians don't stop playing until they stop breathing. For men like Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong retirement would have been unthinkable. We all knew that Doc Cheatham, who has died a fortnight short of his 92nd birthday, would have metaphorically had his trumpet to his lips when the time came. Indeed he came happily off the stand at the Blues Alley club in Georgetown at the end of his last set on Saturday night. He suffered a stroke on Sunday and died in his sleep with his wife by his bed. Like Carter and Waters, it seemed that he had been an old man all his life.

   Cheatham was a late starter if ever there was one. He played his part in trumpet sections through the great days of the big bands, but he was 60 before he flowered as a soloist. Such anti-precocity is otherwise unheard of.

His mother was a teacher and his father, a barber, was descended from Cherokee and Choctaw Indians who had settled in Cheatham County, Tennessee. The story is that his family gave him his nickname before he was seven and from then on it was the only name he ever answered to. But it is more likely that the name came later when he played with an amateur band at the Meharry Medical College.

   His professional career began at 15 when he left the local chapel's kids' band to play with a travelling carnival and the tattooed trumpet on his arm was a reminder of those days. When he was at his most impressionable age he moved to Chicago. King Oliver was the man to copy and before anyone outside of New Orleans had even heard of Louis Armstrong, Cheatham had already become a jazz trumpeter using Oliver's style.

   He played with the two most majestic of blues singers, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. As if that were not accolade enough he also worked for Jelly Roll Morton and during the Chicago time Armstrong used Cheatham as his substitute when he couldn't make a job.

   He became a member of the legendary Sam Wooding's showband and toured Europe with it in 1929-31. Along with others in the cast, he worked with a mixture of comedy routines and jazz performances which consolidated the group's enormous popularity outside the United States (at home Wooding's bands flopped consistently).

When he returned home Cheatham had a brief and unsuccessful marriage and joined McKinney's Cotton Pickers for a couple of years until he was invited to move to the more sophisticated confines of Cab Calloway's orchestra in 1933. He married a dancer from the Cotton Club who was from the same family as the avant-garde saxophonist Ornette Coleman. She nagged him continually throughout their seven-year marriage to get a job away from music, "I can't stand that. I'd rather be alone." She finally went home to Texas and married someone else.

   When Dizzy Gillespie took the chair beside him in 1939, Cheatham had been with the Calloway trumpet section long enough to be already a veteran, Gillespie had been brought to the band by another trumpeter, Mario Bauza, a Cuban who interested both Cheatham and Gillespie in his native music, and Bauza's friendship was to affect the music of both the other men in later years.

   Ill-health forced Cheatham to leave Calloway. "They never did figure out what was wrong with me and I didn't regain my full strength until the Sixties. It took that long, and at one point a doctor told me, 'Doc, maybe you better just lay down the rest of your life.' When I got out of the hospital I went to Europe for a few months to rest. Then I joined Teddy Wilson's big band and after that Benny Carter's, but I wasn't up to par. I quit playing and took a job in the post office. In 1943 I tried it again in Eddie Heywood's little group - which wasn't too hard, because Eddie wrote everything out and took long piano solos."

   Heywood was the darling of New York's cafe society. When Cheatham joined the sextet he did take solos and the recordings of the time reveal him as a thoughtful player who was not an innovator. His style had elements of other trumpeters - Armstrong, Joe Smith, Buck Clayton and Joe Thomas amongst them. With Heywood he worked and recorded with Billie Holiday.

   "Taking a solo is like an electric shock. First, I have no idea what I will play, but then something in my brain leads me to build very rapidly, and I start thinking real fast from note to note. I don't worry about chords, because I can hear the harmonic structure in the back of my mind. I've been through all that so many years it's second nature to me."

   During the next 20 years Cheatham, fired by the earlier friendship with Bauza, worked mostly with top Latin bands led by Machito, Tito Puente, Perez Prado and others. He also made jazz tours with a sophisticated revivalist band led by the de Paris Brothers, Wilbur and Sidney. He had first worked with Wilbur in Philadelphia in 1927 and had always admired Sidney's trumpet playing. He toured in Africa and Europe with them and retraced those steps with the pianist Sammy Price (Europe, 1958) and the flautist Herbie Mann (Africa, 1960).

   He led his own band in New York for five years and then in 1966, at the age of 60, joined Benny Goodman's Quintet. Here he was exposed as a soloist as never before. While Goodman was satisfied, Cheatham wasn't and began working on his style with a new intensity. He gave up the Latin playing and played in Dixieland bands in New York. His New York Quartet evolved from this and from the early Seventies onwards he worked as a featured solo player. He began playing Sunday lunchtime sessions at Sweet Basil in New York, and the job lasted for 17 years.

Revered as a part of history, he toured the world and was never short of work again. 

   Peyton is a native of New Orleans and Cheatham had recently taken to spending much of his time in the city, working and recording with local musicians. "I can smell beautiful things in the air in New Orleans," he said.

"I'm almost the last of the line, I've talked to kids who come to hear us who don't even know who Louis Armstrong is. But they listen. 'How do you do that?' they'll ask. 'That's beautiful,' they'll say. When I'm gone, it'll be just about over, my kind of playing. It will be as if it hadn't existed at all, as if all of us hadn't worked so long and hard."

Doc Cheatham's final European visit was last month when he toured with Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Harry Edison and Joe Wilder. The five made up the Trumpet Legacy. His autobiography I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home, written in collaboration with Alyn Shipton, was published in 1995.

   Adolphus Anthony "Doc" Cheatham, trumpeter: born Nashville, Tennessee 13 June 1905; three times married (one son, one daughter); died Washington DC 2 June 1997.

Published in The Independent (London) 6/4/1997.  [Source]

Cole, William Randolph "Cozy"

COZY COLE, 71, DIES; JAZZ PERCUSSIONIST

By JOHN S. WILSON

   William R. Cole, the jazz drummer known professionally as Cozy Cole and who played with Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman, died of cancer Thursday at Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. Mr. Cole, who was 71 years old, had lived in Columbus since 1976, when he became artist in residence and student lecturer at Capital Universty. Mr. Cole was an unusually versatile percussionist who worked with jazz musicians as diverse as Jelly Roll Morton and Charlie Parker, with big swing bands and with Stuff Smith's comedy jazz group, and as a member of the CBS radio staff and on Broadway in ''Carmen Jones.'' He was an avid student of music who, in his late 30's and after playing with major jazz groups for 15 years, enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music to study theory, harmony, piano, tympanies and drums.  [incomplete; fee must be paid to see the remainder]

Published in the New York Times 1/31/1981.  Saturday Late City Final Edition, Section 1, Page 11, Column 4, 537 words.  [Source]

Compo, Peter

Jazz Violinist Peter Compo Remembered

Memorial by: Charles Compo

Peter Compo 1932 - 2003

   Jazz Violinist Peter Compo passed away on April 28th after a long battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at St. Peters Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street in the Citicorp building on Sunday May 4th at 7:30 PM.

   During the course of his fifty-year career he worked with or performed with: Mose Allison, Duke Jordan, Bobby Darin, Gene Krupa, Phil Woods, Cozy Cole, Howard Alden, Gene Quill, Nat Pierce, Mel Lewis, Billy Taylor, Harry Belafonte, Kenny Davern, Gene Roland, Paul Quinichette, Ray Nance, Stuff Smith, Ken Peplowski, Johnny Varro, Bruce Turner, Buster Bailey, Henry Red Allen, George Wettling, Willie The Lion Smith, Herbie Fileds, Joe Temperley, Hot Lips Page, Dill Jones, Humphrey Lyttelton, Jo Jones, Marty Grosz, Dick Wellstood, Bob Wilbur, Buddy Rich, Louis Stewart, Danny Moss, Leonard Gaskin, Joe Burton, Al Haig, Buddy Tate, Roy Williams, Bill Allred, Janusz Carmello, Roy Eldridge, Christian Plattner, Turk Murphy, Stan Greig, Bobby Orr, Conrad Janis, Lionel Hampton, Ronnie Rae Sr, Ed Polcer, Sol Yaged, Ken Kersey, Pee Wee Erwin, Zutty Singelton, Panama Francis, Big Chief Russell Moore, Marty Napoleon, Joe Puma, Bill Evans, Zoot Simms, Mat Mathews, Frank Rehak, Frankie Dunlop, Bill Rubenstein, Glen Zottola, Joe Muranyi, Eddie Barefield, Wayne Wright, Bobby Pratt, Giampaulo Biagi, Eddy Bert, Al Cohn, Freddie Green, Maurice Mark, Ronny Cole, Paul Motian, Sonny Russo, Chuck Wayne, Alan Dawson, Teddy Napoleon, Charlie Shavers, Eddie Shu, Herb Mann, Carmen Mastrin, Ray Mosca, Clarence Hutchenrider, Spanky Davis, Dan Barrett, Joe Roland, Michael Abene, Keith Ingham, Jackie Williams, Carmen Leggio, Al Grey, Pee Wee Russell, Ray Alexander, Elmer Shoebel, Tony Scott, Derik Smith, Ronnie Cuber, Max Kaminsky, Louis Bellson, Claude Williams, Woodie Allen, Kai Winding, Nick Stabulus, Don Lamond, Ed Soph, Warren Chiasson, Jeff Green, John Glasel, Aaron Sachs, Nick Travis, Ronnie Zito, Billy Byers, Harry Devito, Jimmy Crawford, Herb Flemming, Freddie Moore, Danny Barker, Art Trappier, John Mehegan, Sam Most, Bill Potts, Sal Salvador, Attila Zoller, Tony Martin, Keely Smith, Eddie Fisher, Maxine Sullivan, Graig Cohen, Murry Wall, James Chirello, Eddy Davis, Vince Giordano, and many others.

   In addition to performing and recording jazz around the world, he also appeared in numerous films including Tootsie, The Flamingo Kid, and Raging Bull as well as on Broadway and television. 

   Three children and five grandchildren survive him.

   For more information about his life and music visit www.petercompo.com or contact his son Charles Compo at ccompo@rcn.com 212-769-6884.

[Source]

Davern, John Kenneth "Kenny"

Kenny Davern, 71, Clarinetist Who Loved Traditional Jazz, Dies

By Dennis Hevesi

Correction Appended

   Kenny Davern, a radically traditional jazz clarinetist and soprano saxophonist whose liquid tones linked him to the classical sound of New Orleans but who could also play free jazz, died on Tuesday at his home in Sandia Park, N.M. He was 71.  The cause was a heart attack, his wife, Elsa, said.

   A professional on several instruments since his teens, Mr. Davern became nationally known in the 1970s when, with the pianist Dick Wellstood and another soprano saxophonist, Bob Wilber, he formed the Soprano Summit. The band toured the world and recorded several well-received albums.  When the band reunited in the 1990s, Mr. Davern had returned almost exclusively to the clarinet, on which he was known for hitting notes far above the instrument’s normal range.

   John Kenneth Davern was born on Jan. 7, 1935, in Huntington, N.Y., the son of John and Josephine Davern.

By the age of 11, Kenny Davern was playing a clarinet that his mother had bought for $35. Living with his grandparents in Woodhaven, Queens, after the breakup of his parents’ marriage, he played in the school band and in a Dixieland band with friends from the neighborhood.

   At 16, Mr. Davern got his first big break when the trumpeter Henry (Red) Allen called him for a clarinet gig at an American Legion Hall in Queens. “I have no idea how he came to phone me,” he recalled in a profile written by Brian Peerless, a British jazz impresario.

   Within two years Mr. Davern was on the road in the saxophone section of Ralph Flanagan’s big band. He then auditioned for Jack Teagarden’s Dixieland band and afterward, Mr. Davern recalled, Mr. Teagarden asked, “Kenny, where’ve you been all my life?”

   In 1954, still a teenager, Mr. Davern made his recording debut with Mr. Teagarden. Four years later he recorded his first album under his own name, “In the Gloryland,”on the Elektra label. He later made many albums for the Concord, Chiaroscuro and Arbors labels.

   In the mid-1950s and ’60s, enthralled by the recordings of Jimmie Noone, Mr. Davern focused on the New Orleans style. He played with Phil Napoleon’s Memphis Five and Pee Wee Erwin’s band, even joining the Dukes of Dixieland for a couple of years. But later in the ’60s, when Mr. Davern was regularly leading his own traditional band at Nick’s in Greenwich Village, he also became close to musicians like the trombonist Roswell Rudd and the soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, Mr. Vaché said. “Kenny’s curiosity made him see the good side of the avant-garde,” he said.

   In later years he was a sought-after performer at jazz festivals in America and Europe, resolutely playing his own lyrical version of a traditional repertory from the 1920s on an instrument last popular in the 1940s.

   He is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Elsa Green, for whom he and his friend the saxophonist Flip Phillips wrote the tune “Elsa’s Dream”; two stepchildren, Mark Lass, of San Diego, and Deborah Wuensch, of Poulsbo, Wash.; and four step-grandchildren.

   Asked to name other jazz greats his friend had played with, Mr. Vaché said, “We’d need a year to list them all.”

But Mr. Davern, who was known for his acerbic wit on and off the bandstand, listed as one of his favorite ensembles Dick Wellstood and His All-Star Orchestra, which consisted of exactly two members.

Correction: December 19, 2006

An obituary on Thursday about the jazz clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Kenny Davern erroneously included a musician among the founders of the 1970s group Soprano Summit. It was formed by Mr. Davern and Bob Wilber; the pianist Dick Wellstood was not a founder, although he frequently played with Mr. Davern in those years.

Published in the New York Times 12/14/2006.   [Source]

Davison, William "Wild Bill"

Wild Bill Davison, Jazz Cornetist, Dies at 83 After 70-Year Career Reuters

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 15

   William (Wild Bill) Davison, who played jazz cornet in the gangster-run clubs of Chicago in the 1920's and regularly toured Europe and Asia in the decades that followed, died Tuesday. He was 83 years old.

   A family spokeswoman said today that Mr. Davison, who was in the intensive care unit of Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, had undergone an operation two weeks ago for circulatory problems.

   Mr. Davison was to have played in Britain and Switzerland in January, and his Wild Bill Davison American Jazz Band will play the concerts there as a tribute to him, the spokeswoman said.

   Mr. Davison, who made about 800 recordings in the years since 1924, grew up in Defiance, Ohio, where he discovered he could produce notes from a piece of garden hose. A friend gave him an old cornet and he developed a driving style of playing that took him around the world.

   He played in Eddie Condon's nightclub in New York in the 1940's and 50's and went on to tour Europe and Asia in the 1970's and 80's. ''I'll go on playing until my teeth drop out,'' he said when he was 76. The trumpeter Louis Armstrong once told him, he said, ''If anything ever happens to me, I know you can keep on doing what I'm doing.'' The remark helped keep him playing despite his age, he said.

   A gum-chewing musician who made wisecracks out of the side of his mouth, Mr. Davison mostly led his own groups in later years. He had toured Japan a few weeks before his operation.

   He is survived by his wife, Anne.

Published in the New York Times 11/16/1989.   [Source]

Day, George Donald "Don"
QUEENSBURY

   George Donald "Don" Day, 80, passed away on Friday, June 13, 2008 at Westmount Health Facility in Queensbury. He was born on December 11, 1927 in Albany and was the son of the late George D. and Agnes Day.

   Mr. Day retired in the mid 1980s from the New York Telephone Company. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy. Don was a long time communicant of St. Lucy's Church in Altamont where he and his wife were very active in various groups. Don was well known in the Capital District as a member of the Orket's Band and played in many of the local clubs there. He was also a member of the Capital District Radio Control Model Airplanes and Boats group and at one time he worked in the local food pantry and delivered Meals on Wheels. One of Don's passions was spending time with his dog Lady and taking her for long walks on his farm in Altamont. 

   Besides his parents he is predeceased by his wife Katherine Day, who passed away on January 17, 2007. Survivors include his sister-in-law, Marcia A. Graves and her husband, Richard of Wallingford, Vt.; brothers-in-law, Stephen A. Morrissey of Glens Falls, Robert J. Morrissey and his wife Dolly of Queensbury, David B. Morrissey and his wife Mary of Loudonville; and many nieces, nephews and friends. 

   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at St. Mary's Church, Glens Falls. Burial will follow at Our Lady Help of Christians Cemetery in Glenmont. There are no calling hours scheduled. Those who wish may send a remembrance in his name to St. Joseph's House of Grace, 33 Henry Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Arrangements are under the direction of the Regan and Denny Funeral Home, 53 Quaker Road, Queensbury, N.Y.

Published in the Albany Times Union 6/16/2008.  Section: Capital Region, Page: B5   [Source]

Egan, William C. 

WATERVLIET 

   William C. Egan, 66, of Third Avenue, died suddenly Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at Albany Medical Center after being stricken while driving his car. 

   He was born in Troy on February 8, 1940, the son of the late Edwin Egan and Mary Doris Wall Greenalch. He was employed for over 30 years with the NYS State Department of Motor Vehicles and later with the NYS Department of Health, from which he retired. Bill was a well known local musician who began playing the trombone at Catholic Central High School in Troy in 1954. He later moved to New York City and Atlanta where he played with legendary musical greats, Ray Eberle, Troy's Al Mastren, Ralph Flannigan, Billy Butterfield and Lee Castle and his Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. He later played as a freelance musician in orchestras at the Colonie Coliseum and the Palace Theatre in Albany and has accompanied Rita Moreno, Andy Williams, Engelbert Humperdinck, the King Family and Liberace. He also played with the Albany Symphony, Saratoga Performing Pops Orchestra and the Ice Capades. Most recently, he played the Big Band Sound with local bands, Joey Thomas Big Band and LaChic Bones. 

   He is the husband of Ruth A. Decker Egan; father of Tracy Egan-Lasek and her husband Curtis of Niskayuna, Kelly Egan of Manhattan, Brian Egan of Green Island and Scott Egan and his wife Sara of Watervliet; grandfather of Jacqueline and Catherine Lasek and Halee Egan; brother of Edwin J. Egan of Troy and Anita Rowlands and her husband Robert of Troy. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. 

   Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial Mass tonight, Friday, at 7 p.m. at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 410 23rd Street, Watervliet with Rev. Emery Parillo, OFM, officiating. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions would be appreciated to either the Hortense Louis Rubin Dialysis Center, 21 Crossing Blvd., Clifton Park, NY 12065 or to Clothe A Child, c/o Troy Record, 501 Broadway, Troy, NY 12180. The family has requested that friends and family share their stories and remembrances of Bill as a keepsake for his grandchildren. Please send your letters to the Egan Family, 1330 Third Avenue, Watervliet, NY 12189 or email to the condolence page at ParkerBrosMemorial.com

Published in the Albany Times Union 11/10/2006.  Section: Capital Region, Page: B9.  [Source]

Fairbanks, Bruce V.

November 9, 2004 

   Bruce V. Fairbanks, 67, of Fisher Rd., Skaneateles, died Tuesday. A native of Syracuse, he was a graduate of Syracuse Central High School. He was a musician and member of Musicians Union Local of Syracuse, was a featured jazz trumpeter, and played for some Syracuse Symphony performances including the Civic Center opening with Ella Fitzgerald. He played locally with the Soda Ash Six, John Whitney Trio, and the Dixieland Update. He was also a member of the Skaneateles Recreation Center. 

   Surviving are his wife, the former Anne Boyd; two sons, Paul (Lisa) of Syracuse and Scott (Berta) of Florida; a daughter, Krissi Kolbasook of Liverpool; brother, Barry (Carol) of Syracuse; sister, Sally (Victor) Letendre of Georgia; 11 grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. 

   Services are private for the family. Contributions may be made to CNY Fertility Center, 195 Intrepid Ln., Syracuse, or the Regional Oncology Center, E. Adams St., Syracuse. Arrangements by the Robert D. Gray Funeral Home, Skaneateles. 

Published in the Syracuse Post Standard on 11/12/2004.   [Source]

Flanagan, Michael: Musician, Jazz Expert

   Michael P. Flanagan, a musician and jazz authority, died Thursday in the Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospital after a short illness. He was 68.  Born in New York City, he moved to Albany in 1936 and was educated in

the city`s public schools.  As a youth, he picked up a guitar, and while still in high school learned how to tune pianos as an apprentice at Boardman and Gray, a local piano distributor. During World War II, he put his musical talents to work. Because of his aptitude for pitches, the Navy sent him to sonar school in Key West, where he learned sound navigation to detect submarines. He went on to serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

While at sea, he sought out other players. "Occasionally, we'd tie up with a ship with a band," he recalled in a 1990 interview with the Times Union. "I'd go over, try to meet the musicians."  He landed his first paying musical job after the war at the Petit Paris, a French restaurant on Madison Avenue. He was soon performing on a weekly radio show on WROW with Tommy Ippolitto and Dominic Cattaglio.  Mr. Flanagan attended Siena College, Loudonville, and played the glockenspiel for the college band. "It was just something to do so you could get into the games for nothing," he recalled.  Around this time, he also taught himself how to play the string bass.  "Guitar hadn`t come into its own yet," he said. "I found I could translate what I know on guitar to bass. And I`d get more calls."  His studies at Siena were interrupted by the Korean War. He served again with the Navy, off the coast of North Korea. After the war, he went back to school and graduated from Syracuse University.  Over the years, his versatility found him playing various instruments in big bands and symphony orchestras, including Albany's, of which he was a

member for six years. Most recently, he played at Peggy`s and the Van Dyck in Schenectady.  After college, rather than continue in psychology, which he had studied at Syracuse, Mr. Flanagan went to work as a calculator salesman for the Marchant Co. He got out of that business in 1963, when he bought Petit Paris, working as its chef and wine steward until selling the establishment a decade later. He then continued his musical career as a performer and piano technician. He earned a reputation in the field for innovations with the use of electronics and computer enchancements.  He was vice president of Albany Musicians Association Local 14.  

Published in the Albany Times Union 2/26/1993.  Section: CAPITAL REGION, Page: B12.  [Source]

Foote, Philip L.

ARLINGTON, Va. 

   Philip L. Foote, 88, formerly of Albany, died Wednesday, March 24, 2010 in Arlington. 

   Mr. Foote was born in Cortland, N.Y., but lived most of his life in Albany. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the European Theatre. After the war, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the marching band for four years, and then a master's degree from the College of Saint Rose. For many years, he led his own band, the Phil Foote Band, and was a local favorite at area school proms, country clubs and weddings. He also played for many summers at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing, N.Y. on Lake George, and over the years played accompaniment for Bob Hope, Jerry Vale, Connie Francis, and Anthony Newley. He also was a music teacher at West Winfield Middle School, Lisha Kill Middle School, Colonie High School, Bishop Maginn High School, and Christian Brothers Academy. He was a communicant of the former Holy Cross Church in Albany, and Blessed Sacrament Church, Bolton Landing. Mr. Foote was predeceased by his wife, Freida B. Foote in 2005. 

   He is survived by his daughter, Mary Jo Foote Arzpaima (Saheb Arzpaima) of Fairfax, Va.; his son, Philip E. Foote (Katherine) of Albany; his sister, Regis Crowley of Lakeland, Fla.; and his grandchildren, Dina and Philip Arzpaima, and P. Michael Foote. He was predeceased by his brother, Bradley Foote. The family would like to thank the staff of the Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center of Alexandria, Va. and Dr. Amy Nobu and her staff for the care they gave Mr. Foote, and thanks to the Old Ebbitt Grill of Washington, DC for many years of memories. 

   Funeral services will be held in the Hans Funeral Home, 1088 Western Ave., Albany, Saturday morning at 8:45, and from there to All Saints Catholic Church (formerly St. Margaret Mary's Church), Homestead St., Albany at 9:30. Relatives and friends are invited, and may call at the funeral home Friday from 4-8 p.m. Interment will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, Colonie. 

   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the CBA Music Parents & Friends Association, 12 Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12205. To leave a message of condolence for the family, view or print a prayer card, or obtain directions to the funeral home, please visit www.HansFuneralHome.com

Published in the Albany Times Union 3/26/2010.  Section: Obituaries, Page: D7.   [Source]

Frisbie, John David

   John David Frisbie, 51, of Rock City Road, Rock City Falls, died Wednesday in Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs after a short illness.  He was born in Saratoga Springs and lived in Ballston Spa most of his life. He served in the Army as a miltary policeman in Alaska. Mr. Frisbie was an engineer for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad for 20 years.  He was a member of the Union Fire Co., the Franklin Lodge 90 of Masons in Ballston Spa, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and a charter member of the Adirondack Live Steamers.  A jazz enthusiast, he played tuba and tenor banjo with various local groups.

   Survivors include his mother, Helen Frisbie of Ballston Spa; and longtime companion, Dee Grover of Rock City Falls.  

Published in the Albany Times Union 9/9/1993.  Section: CAPITAL REGION, Page: B14.  [Source]

William W. Fuller Sr. 
TROY 

   William W. Fuller Sr., 89, of Fifth Avenue, died Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at Samaritan Hospital. 

   Born in Troy, he was the son of the late Walter Fuller and Virginia Dennis Fuller and husband of the late Sadie Jones Fuller who died May 9, 1982. 

   He was a U.S. Navy veteran serving during World War II. Mr. Fuller worked at the Watervliet Arsenal for 35 years. He was a professional musician with the internationally acclaimed "Ink Spots." William was a life member of the Mt. Moriah Masonic Lodge #25 and Trinity Episcopal Church, Lansingburgh. 

   Survivors include three children, Frederick T. Fuller of Colo., Denise V. Fuller of Troy and William W. Fuller Jr. of Colonie; eight grandchildren, Simone Scott Kaigler (Joel) of Manlius, N.Y., Andrea Scott Khisa (Mike) of N.C., Shamie Fuller Royston (Rudy) of N.J., Tia Fuller of N.J., William Fuller III of Colonie, Ashton Fuller of Colo., Denise Fuller of Troy and Jessica Fuller of Colonie; five great-grand-children, Ashley Kaigler, Joel Kaigler Jr., Wekesa Khisa, Koleby and Kinyah Royston. Also survived by many special family members, friends and fans. William was predeceased by his daughter, the late Dr. Gloria Fuller Kimbrough. 

   Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 585 - 4th Avenue, Lansingburgh. Relatives and friends are invited to call between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. at the church, prior to the service. Burial will follow in Memory's Garden Cemetery, Colonie. 

   Members of the Mt. Moriah Lodge #25 F & AM Mason of the Fifth District will be assembling Saturday, May 17, 2008 at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 585 4th Avenue, Lansingburgh at 9:30 a.m. 
Published in the Albany Times Union from 5/15/2008 - 5/16/2008.   [Source]

Geiger, George J.

   George J. Geiger, 64, of 2108 Ballina Road, Cazenovia, died Friday. Born in Troy, he graduated from Siena College. He was president and owner of Computer Business Solutions in Cazenovia. He was a communicant of St. James Church in Cazenovia, where he served as a lector. He was a trombonist in the Liverpool Community Concert Band. 

   A daughter, Gretchen A., died in 1979.  Survivors: His wife, the former Eleanore Sweeney; three daughters, Cathleen Geiger Mueller of Newark, Del., Colleen Coleman of Ballston Spa and Karen Riccardelli of Canaan, Conn.; …

Published in The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) 2/23/2002.   [Source]  [Remainder of obituary available for a fee.]

Hackett, Robert Leo "Bobby"

Bobby Hackett, the Cornetist, Dies at 61

By John S. Wilson

Photo: http://www.parabrisas.com/photos/hackettb.jpg

   Bobby Hackett, the cornetist whose mellow tone and graceful style made him a favorite of both jazz and pop music audiences, died yesterday after a heart attack at his home in West Chatham, Mass. He was 61 years old.

   Although Mr. Hackett had just returned from a two-week stay in a hospital for the removal of fluid from his lungs, he had maintained a busy schedule of performances and was due to appear in Boston on June 17 with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

   Mr. Hackett's playing often reminded some listeners of that of Bix Beiderbecke, one of the great pioneer jazz musicians of the 1920's. But his basic jazz inspiration was Louis Armstrong.  "I heard my first Armstrong record in a Providence department store when I was a kid," he once said, "and it turned me around. The sound never left me."

   Whitney Balliett described Mr. Hackett in the New Yorker as "a unique and extremely successful alloy of Beiderbecke and Armstrong."  "His tone," Mr. Balliett wrote, "which is quiet and shining, resembles Beiderbecke's and so does his three-steps-up, two-steps-down method of improvising. But his sustained notes and way of playing just behind the beat and of occasionally slipping into double time are straight out of Louis Armstrong."

   Beyond these sources, Mr. Hackett had his own philosophy of good music, which was reflected in his playing.

"Music should be pretty," he said. "You should hear and recognize the melody. And real greatness is in simplicity.    Simple things are the hardest to play and the easiest to listen to."

   The musician, a short, trim man who sometimes wore a thin moustache and whose hair was described in earlier years as "patent leather," was born on Jan. 31, 1915, in Providence, R.I. Robert Leo Hackett, the sixth of nine children of a blacksmith, started playing guitar at the age of 8. He picked up the violin two years later and left school at 14 to play in an orchestra in a Chinese restaurant, where he worked three sessions a day, seven days a week, for $12 a week.

   Meanwhile he had acquired a cornet, which his brother had bought for $5 in a pawn shop. He made his first money as a cornetist when Cab Calloway's orchestra, playing at a ballroom near Providence, was lacking a trumpet player and he was urged to fill in. Later, when he was playing as a guitarist and occasional cornetist in a band in a Syracuse hotel, the hotel manager told the bandleader that if Mr. Hackett "played one more solo on the cornet the whole band would be fired."

   After spending the summer with a band on Cape Cod that included Pee Wee Russell, the clarinetist, and working in Boston speakeasies, Mr. Hackett came to New York in the mid-1930's with a reputation as the successor to Bix Beiderbecke, who had died in 1931.

   His first recording in New York was a part of a studio group backing the Andrews Sisters on their first hit, "Bei Mir Bist due Schoen," on which he played a brief cornet solo that enlivened the record. He led his own small groups at Nick's in Greenwich Village and briefly led a big band, which left him so deeply in debt that he joined one of the successful non-jazz orchestras of the late 30's, Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, playing third trumpet.

   When extensive work on his teeth made it impossible for him to play brass, he was hired by Glenn Miller, then at the height of his popularity as a guitarist. In his two years with the Miller band, Mr. Hackett's most notable contribution was not on guitar, but on a 12-bar cornet solo in the middle of "A String of Pearls." When Mr. Miller broke up his band to enter the Army Air Forces, Mr. Hackett joined Glen Gray's Casa Loma orchestra, a once-famous band that was on its last legs.

   After World War II he spent 15 years as a studio musician with ABC. In 1951 he made the first of a series of six mood-music albums released under Jackie Gleason's name, on which he played romantic melodies anonymously against a setting of strings.

   For the last 15 years Mr. Hackett led various groups of his own or worked as a soloist. In 1971, after living in Queens for many years, he bought a house in West Chatham and frequently played on Cape Cod. In 1972 he formed a record company, Hyannisport Records, on which he released two disks by his own groups.

   He is survived by his wife, Edna; a son, Ernest; a daughter, Barbara Traynor, and three grandchildren.

Published in the New York Times 6/8/1976.   [Source]

Hemmingford, John

INDEPENDENCE, Mo.

   John Hemmingford, age 87, of Independence, Mo., passed away at Wilshire Nursing home on August 26, 2010. Marjorie Hemmingford, age 78, of Independence, passed away at home on August 27, 2010. They were married for 53 years and have two surviving daughters, Karen Hemmingford and Heather Naylor; one grandson, Brett Ostlee and one great-grandson, Wyatt Ostlee. A third daughter, Bonnie Hemmingford preceded them in death in 1999.

   John was a veteran of World War II, serving in the 789th. Army Battalion. He was also a retired music teacher from Ravena, N.Y. He studied music at Julliard School of Music and received his teaching degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. During his career, he played the post horn at Saratoga Race Track in N.Y. and had also formed a marching band which had played in many fireman's parades in the New England area. Locally, he played trumpet in the Spirit of Independence Band, the Shriners band and his church's orchestra. 

   Marjorie was also a veteran, serving as a lieutenant in the U.S.N.R. Nurse Corps. She too, was a retired teacher and registered nurse, holding a bachelor of science and master of science degrees. She worked as a school nurse, taught both fifth and sixth grades, special education and physical education. Civic participation includes: Hudson Valley Girl Scout Council, volunteer for Red Cross Bloodmobile, volunteer for civil defense medical unit and volunteer for the American Cancer Society. 

   Funeral service will be Friday, September 3, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at the Langsford Funeral Home with a visitation from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to the service. Inurnment at the Lee's Summit Cemetery. 

   Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children-St. Louis, 2001 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MI 63131-3597. Arrangements by Langs-ford Funeral Home, 115 SW 3rd. St., Lee's Summit, MI 64063

Published in the Albany Times Union 9/1/2010.  Section: Obituaries, Page: B8.  [Source]

Henk, William J. Jr.

DUANESBURG

   William J. Henk Jr., 82, of Duanesburg at rest January 11, 2005 at his home. Born and educated in Albany, a graduate of the G.E. apprentice program, Mr. Henk was employed with G.E. for 42 years, retiring in 1984 as a tool maker. During World War II, he was a member of the Navy Seabees, playing trumpet in the Seabee swing band. Throughout his life, he continued to play trumpet, performing locally with various bands. Bill also enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, spending winters in Fla. and spending time with his family.
   He is the beloved husband of 32 years to Nancy Henk; father of Kenneth (Susan) Henk of Schenectady, Ted H. (Doris) Henk of Scotia, Jeffrey W. (Peggy) Henk of Wilton; brother of Miriam Dunkerley of Fla., Harriet Scoons of Latham and the late Robert Henk; brother-in-law of Elizabeth Henk of Elsmere. Loving grandfather of four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
   Bill's family wishes to give special thanks to Karen Horton and the staff of Hospice.  Calling hours will be held this evening from 4 to 7 at Guilderland's DeMarco-Stone Funeral Home, 5216 Western Turnpike (Rt. 20, just West of Rt. 146-Carman Rd). A memorial service will be held Thursday 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice of Schenectady, 1411 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308 or the Esperance Band, c/o NBT Bank, Box 688, Schoharie, NY 12157.

Published in the Albany Times Union on 1/12/2005.  Section: Capital Region, Page: B6.   [Source]

King, James Preston

LOUDONVILLE

   Honorable James Preston King, 80 of Loudonville, died Friday, June 11, 2010 at the Community Hospice Inn at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Campbell King. 

   He is survived by his wife, Anne Brewster King; his sons, James Preston King Jr., David Knox King, Glenn Campbell King; his nine grandchildren; his two sisters, Carolyn Charlton and Ruth Malaney, his several nieces, nephews and his two step-daughters, Julianne Chesky and Martha Kearns. 

   Judge King was born in Ticonderoga on July 14, 1929 the son of the late Preston and Ethel (Shear) King. He graduated from Westminster College and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, serving with the 3rd Marine Division in the Far East and becoming company executive officer. After release from active duty, he entered Albany Law School and graduated in 1959. The next year he returned to the Marine Corps as captain serving in Okinawa and Vietnam. In 1967, he was assigned senior marine instructor at the Naval Justice School in Newport, R.I. After he returned to Vietnam before being assigned Judge Advocate to the Fleet Marine Force, after which he was selected to attend George Washington University, where he received an LLM in criminal law and psychiatry. In 1978, he was promoted to brigadier general and became the corps' highest ranking JAG officer as the director of the Judge Advocate Division and as staff judge advocate for two Commandants of the Corps. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, and the Combat Action Ribbon as well as various citations and service medals. 

   Upon his retirement in 1980, he became law clerk to State Supreme Court Trial Judge Dominic Viscardi before teaching law at Stetson University Law School in Florida. He later returned to New York where he subsequently headed the Tort Unit-Claims Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General. In 1984, he became an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, teaching Trial Tactics and Advocacy until 2009. In 1990, Judge King left the Attorney General's office to run for the State Assembly (109th A.D.) Following his election and re-election, he served as ranking minority member of the Assembly Codes Committee until he resigned in 1995 to accept an appointment to the Court of Claims, where he served until mandatory retirement in 2001. Shortly afterwards, he was named General Counsel in the NYS Department of State. Judge King subsequently served as a judicial hearing officer and was appointed as hearing officer for the NYS Retirement System. He also was the first Government Lawyer in Residence at the Government Law Center of Albany Law School as the Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Siena College, where he mentored pre-law students and served as co-coach of Mock Trial Team. Judge King served on the NYS Commission on Public Authority Reform, the Temporary Commission on Lobbying (member and chair), and the State Commission on Public Integrity. Last year, the Northern District of New York Federal Court Bar Association awarded Judge King its prestigious Hon. James R. Duane Award, given to individuals who have demonstrated "a deep personal commitment to the preservation and understanding of our legal heritage." This year he received the Lifetime Achievement in Public Service Award from the Government Law Center at Albany Law School. Jim was also a board member of the PARC Committee in Plattsburgh. He was also an accomplished jazz trombonist and received much joy when playing. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Friday, June 18, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church at 362 State Street in Albany at 9:30 a.m. In addition, there will be a memorial service held at the United Presbyterian Church in Putnam, N.Y. on Saturday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Community Hospice of Albany, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, NY 12205 or the United Presbyterian Church, 365 County Route 2, Putnam Station, NY 12861-3510. For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com