As 2025 winds to a close, it’s a natural time to reflect on the lives and contributions of the musicians we lost this year.
From National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master Eddie Palmieri to “the sorcerer” of Brazilian music Hermeto Pascoal, this year's list of dearly departed greats left behind rich jazz legacies.
Join KNKX in remembering some of these notable musicians who left their mark on music history.
Ray Drummond (Nov. 23, 1946 - Nov. 1, 2025)
A jazz bassist and educator, Drummond played with numerous greats — including Kenny Barron, Freddie Hubbard, and Art Farmer — and also led his own groups including Excursion and The Drummonds. Drummond, who served as assistant professor of Jazz, Theory and Practice at California State University, was also a celebrated jazz educator.
Jack DeJohnette (Aug. 9, 1942 - Oct. 26, 2025)
Dynamic drummer DeJohnette received the nation’s highest jazz honor in 2012 — the NEA Jazz Master designation — and for good reason. His distinctive, fluid, and creative approach to drums earned him work with some of the most historic ensembles in jazz, including the Charles Lloyd Quartet, several of Miles Davis’ bands, and an early iteration of the Keith Jarrett Trio.
Al Foster (Jan. 18, 1943 - May 28, 2025)
Foster was a versatile drummer credited with “propelling” the bands of Miles Davis and saxophonist Sonny Rollins. In his over 60-year career, he also worked alongside legendary alto saxophonist Art Pepper, pianists McCoy Tyner and Horace Silver, and in more recent years, made his mark as a bandleader.
Anthony Jackson (June 23, 1952 - Oct. 19, 2025)
A visionary electric bassist, Jackson started out as a recording session musician and appeared on albums by singer and pianist Roberta Flack, guitarist Al Di Meola, drummer Buddy Rich, and many others. Notably, Jackson invented the six-string “contrabass guitar,” which “revolutionized the role of the electric bass in art, jazz, funk, and beyond,” according to Guitar World Magazine.
Steve Reid (Nov. 14, 1955 - Sept. 24, 2025)
Reid, a drummer, was a founding member of The Rippingtons, a smooth jazz fusion group formed in 1985. Reid also performed with the rock group, Supertramp, and worked as as session musician in recording studios during the '80s and '90s. As a result, he appeared on records by Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Dave Koz, and many others.
Hermeto Pascoal (June 22, 1936 - Sept. 13, 2025)
Pascoal was a seminal Brazilian multi-instrumentalist whose bearded appearance and whimsical musical approach earned him the nickname “the sorcerer.” Following his rise to prominence in the 1960s, many jazz greats, including Miles Davis, clamored to collaborate with Pascoal, who was known for avant-garde compositions that combined Brazilian folk music, jazz, and psychedelia.
Tommy Goodman (Dec. 20, 1924 - Aug. 25, 2025)
Goodman was a pianist and arranger, best known for his work on Louis Armstrong’s classic recording of “What a Wonderful World.” Beyond that iconic track, Goodman played with Benny Goodman, Bud Freeman, Louis Bellson, Lena Horne, and others. At the time of his death at 100 years old in August, his jazz career spanned eight decades.
Sheila Jordan (Nov. 18, 1928 - Aug. 11, 2025)
Honored as an NEA Jazz Master in 2012, Jordan was a vocalist best known for her iconic ‘60s Blue Note record, Portrait of Sheila. Throughout her career, she faced a lot of prejudice for her close relationship with Black musicians, including Charlie Parker and Duke Jordan, whom she later married. Jordan became a distinguished vocal educator at City College of New York and performed into her 90s.
Eddie Palmieri (Dec. 15, 1936 - Aug. 6, 2025)
Latin music pioneer Palmieri was a pianist and bandleader credited with creating a new Latin jazz style that fused jazz with Afro-Carribean beats. Palmieri’s percussive piano playing was key to his distinctive sound, as heard on his songs like "Bilongo," "Café" and "La Malanga." Palmieri collaborated with Cal Tjader, won a handful of Grammy’s, and in 2013, was awarded a Jazz Master Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Nancy King (June 15, 1940 - Aug. 5, 2025)
A stalwart member of the Portland, Oregon jazz scene, King was a Grammy-nominated vocalist known for her impressive scatting and vocal range. A lifelong West Coaster, King met her husband, jazz musician Sonny King, in San Francisco and garnered national acclaim performing in his band in the ‘60s. From there, she worked with jazz legends like Jon Hendricks, Ralph Towner, Vince Guaraldi, Dave Friesen, Karrin Allyson, Ray Brown, and many others.
Dame Cleo Laine (Oct. 28, 1927 - July 24, 2025)
Known as Britain’s “Queen of Jazz,” English singer and actress Laine was highly regarded for her powerful voice and wide repertoire, collaborations with her husband, composer and saxophonist John Dankworth, and her Broadway roles. Laine was also a tireless advocate for youth access to concerts and music education.
Chuck Mangione (Nov. 29, 1940 - July 22, 2025)
Mangione was an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer, whose big break came in the ‘60s, when he was tapped to play in drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. As his career progressed, Mangione became known for his accessible brand of feel-good jazz-pop.
Hal Galper (April 19, 1938 - July 18, 2025)
A jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator, Galper is known for his collaborations with vocalist/trumpeter Chet Baker, saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, saxophonist Phil Woods, and a variety of other jazz heavyweights. Galper, who appeared on over 100 records in his career, was particularly known for his stylistic versatility.
Lalo Schifrin (June 21, 1932 - June 26, 2025)
Schifirin was a notable pianist and film score composer who started in jazz. In his 20s, Buenos Aires-born Schifirin landed an opportunity composing for Dizzy Gillespie’s big band and recorded an album with saxophonist Johnny Hodges. A few years later, he began composing for film. His best-known themes include Mission: Impossible (1966) and Mannix (1967), as well as the scores to Cool Hand Luke (1967), Bullitt (1968), and Enter the Dragon (1973).
Foday Muso Suso (Feb. 18, 1950 - May 25, 2025)
Suso was a Gambian musician-composer who performed with Herbie Hancock and Phillip Glass. A West African griot, or hereditary storyteller, Suso is credited with exposing more of the world to West African musical traditions and instruments, like the kora, a harp-lute made from a gourd. After he emigrated to the U.S. in 1977, Suso collaborated with stars across classical, rock n’ roll, and jazz.
Andy Bey (Oct. 28, 1939 - April 26, 2025)
Known for his silky smooth vocals and four-octave range, Bey began his career as a child prodigy performing at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. For 60 years, Bey performed widely, often incorporating blues, R&B and soul into his treatment of standards or original compositions. Prior to his death at 85, he worked with jazz notables like saxophonist Sonny Rollins, pianist-composer Horace Silver, and saxophonist Gary Bartz.
Don Mock (Dec. 22, 1950- April 14, 2025)
Mock, a guitarist, was a widely-regarded performer and a significant figure in modern guitar education. Born and raised in Seattle, Mock established his reputation playing in the area’s best rock and jazz bands, and teaching at Cornish College of the Arts and Olympic College. In the mid-’70s, Mock began teaching guitar seminars, which eventually led him to write successful guitar method books and co-found the Los Angeles-based music school, Guitar Institute of Technology, now the Musician’s Institute.
Frank DeMiero (July 27, 1940 - Feb. 19, 2025)
Vocalist DeMiero, who passed away this year at age 84, was a highly-influential vocal educator and choir director in Seattle. DeMiero founded two prominent local jazz choirs, the Dynamics and Soundstations, and the Frank Miero Jazz Festival and Camp. DeMiero also co-founded the nonprofit Jazz Education Network, the jazz choir sheet music source Sound Music Publications (now called Anchor Music), and is credited with “transforming” the world of music education in Washington state.
Nino Tempo (Jan. 6, 1935 - April 10, 2025)
Tenor saxophonist Tempo spent his life deeply immersed in jazz. He sang with Benny Goodman’s orchestra as a child, recorded with Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra, and with the Grammy-winning track “Deep Purple,” made forays into pop in the ‘60s. With funk’s rise in the ‘70s, Tempo joined the fray, creating a studio band called Nino Tempo & 5th Ave. Sax. In his later life, Tempo returned to jazz, putting out several records as a leader.
Roy Ayers (Sept. 10, 1940 - March 4, 2025)
Vibraphonist Ayers, known for his jazz-inflected R&B sound, had a career spanning nearly six decades. He started his career as a sideman for musicians like marimba player Bobby Hutcherson, drummer Chico Hamilton, and flutist Herbie Mann. From there, Ayers went solo, establishing his quintessential blend of soul and jazz. Today, he’s one of the most sampled artists of all time, appearing on tracks by A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, and many more.
The musicians we lost this year, including those not on this list, loomed large and expanded the sound of jazz as we know it. Through their recordings, teachings, and the countless musicians they’ve inspired, their voices will carry on for generations.
This story accompanies Evening Jazz's "In Remembrance" programming on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 from 7-9 p.m. PT.
