Notes and Tones ; Bassist's Jazz Playing, Wit Won't Be Forgotten

Summary

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The loss of beloved bassist Dennis Irwin, who died last Monday afternoon after a less-than-year-old bout with cancer, has greatly saddened the jazz community. Irwin, just 56, was a fixture on the New York jazz scene for nearly 30 years. Beyond that, his presence was a joy to so many and was so pronounced in part because he played with so many different people in so many different contexts. Irwin's discography - his recorded history - eclipses 500 titles ranging from sessions with Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Art Blakey, Joe Lovano, Matt Wilson, John Scofield and Toshiko Akiyoshi, among literally so many others.

A benefit in Irwin's honor went on as scheduled at Jazz at Lincoln Center the same night he passed away; the event simply underscored just how strongly many of his colleagues and peers felt about him. Mose Allison, Tony Bennett, Ron Carter, Bill Charlap, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Jim Hall, Jon Hendricks, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Motian, Scofield and others performed.

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Extract

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Notes and Tones ; Bassist's Jazz Playing, Wit Won't Be Forgotten

Irwin's illness shed light on the difficulties of maintaining health insurance as a musician - even for those in jazz's upper echelon. The New York Times published a piece less than a month ago outlining Irwin's and other musicians' difficulty in retaining health coverage. ...

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