Seymour Barab

SEYMOUR BARAB

Seymour Barab, 93, the composer and cellist, died on June 28. He had been a Local 802 member since 1944. Mr. Barab was fascinated by both ends of the musical timeline. His interest in contemporary music led him to found the New Music Quartet (in Chicago) and the Composer’s Quartet (in New York City). But he also played the viola da gamba and helped form the New York Pro Musica, which popularized Baroque and Renaissance music. His career even included a gig accompanying Charlie Parker and Stan Getz in a small string orchestra at Birdland. And in the 1970s and 80s, Mr. Barab played on hundreds of popular music records as a studio musician, with everyone from Elvis Presley to Frank Sinatra to John Lennon.

Following military service in World War II, he spent a year in Paris, where he composed over 200 art songs and other works. As prolific as Mr. Barab was, he was mainly self-taught in composition.

At one time, he was the most performed composer of opera in America. His “Little Red Riding Hood” was the first American opera performed in contemporary China. His opera “Philip Marshall,” was nominated for a Pulitzer. Other works included “The Toy Shop,” “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” and “Cosmos Cantata,” set to a text by Kurt Vonnegut.

Mr. Barab taught at Rutgers, Black Mountain College and the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1998, the National Opera Association presented Mr. Barab with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is survived by his wife Margie, children Miriam, Jesse and Sarah, and grandsons Graham and Alec.

Obituary edited from www.SeymourBarab.com.

Raymond Crisara

RAYMOND D. CRISARA

Raymond D. Crisara, 93, a member of Local 802 since 1939, died on May 25. Mr. Crisara, a world-renowned trumpet player, was active in all aspects of the New York music scene. He studied at the University of Michigan under Dr. William Revelli, and at 19 was appointed principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He held that post until he was drafted into the Army Special Services Orchestra. Mr. Crisara played and toured with the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini and was solo cornetist with the Goldman Band and Paul LaValle’s Band of America. He played with the ABC Brass Quintet, and was on the music staff at both ABC and NBC for many years. He played on the TV shows of Jack Parr, Dick Cavett, Perry Como and Sid Caesar and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Paul McCartney and KISS. He was proud of his work with Robert Russell Bennett (“Victory at Sea” and “Wide, Wide World”). Mr. Crisara was a national clinician for the Selmer Corporation and helped develop the Bach Stradivarius trumpet. In 1978, Mr. Crisara joined the faculty at the University of Texas, where he taught for 23 years. His numerous accolades include the International Trumpet Guild Award of Merit, the Goldman Memorial Citation and the Schultz Mentor Ideal Award for Outstanding Teaching. Mr. Crisara was vice president of the International Trumpet Guild and a board member of the New York Brass Conference for Scholarships.

He is survived by his wife Angela, brother Robert, sister-in-law Stella, children Meg, Cina, Andrea and Philip, sons-in-law Dana and Edward, daughter-in-law Tina, and grandchildren Jenny, Amilyn, Alex, Matthew, Emily and Lauren, who is also a member of Local 802.

Herb Davidson

HERB DAVIDSON

Herb Davidson, 83, a member of Local 802 since 1946, died on Feb. 7. Mr. Davidson was a pianist, accordionist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer.

In 1971, Mr. Davidson and his future wife, Charlotte Sanders, founded Charlotte Russe Music. The company wrote and produced songs and jingles, created children’s recordings and videos, and performed at club dates all over. In the past several years, Mr. Davidson and his wife gave lecture-performances on the Great American Songbook.

Mr. Davidson was lucky enough to study piano, theory and composition with Anna Kamien, who had been a pupil of Nadia Boulanger. He attended the High School for Music and Art, studied piano with Frances Dillion and voice with Charles Haywood. He earned a master’s degree in music from Queens College, where he organized the Hillel choir.

During the Korean War, Mr. Davidson enlisted in the Army Field Band as an accordionist. He also sang, wrote and arranged for the Soldiers’ Chorus. Later in his career, Mr. Davidson sang with the Ray Charles Singers on the Perry Como show for five years. He also sang with the Dick Williams Singers, Mitch Miller, the Fred Waring Chorus and the Harry Simeone Chorale.

Mr. Davidson is survived by his wife, Charlotte, children Laura and Josh, stepchildren Jonathan and James, daughters-in-law Lisa, Nadine and Shoshanna, son-in-law Andy, three grandchildren and eight step-grandchildren.

This is a corrected version of an obituary that was originally published in the June 2014 issue of Allegro.

Frankie Dunlop

FRANKIE DUNLOP

Francis “Frankie” Dunlop, 85, the jazz drummer and percussionist, died on July 4. Mr. Dunlop’s career spanned almost half a century, garnering him the respect of musicians and fans alike. After studying drums and percussion with Johnny Roland of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Dunlop acquired a solid musical foundation that he would draw upon for years to come. At 16, Mr. Dunlop’s first professional engagements were playing with a local rehearsal band lead by Lenny Lewis and the George Clark quartet through the Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo. After serving in the Army, with tours in Korea and Japan, Mr. Dunlop moved to NYC where he embarked on a career that would take him around the world playing with Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton and Miles Davis, and performing on over 100 recordings. Mr. Dunlop is survived by his former wife Laura Dunlop and their daughter Robin Dunlop, brother-in-law Alphonso Rickerson Sr., nephew Alphonso Rickerson Jr., cousins Lottie Marrow and Devida Marrow Allen, and a host of family and friends. Mr. Dunlop’s family thanks all his fellow Local 802 musicians for embracing him throughout the years; he loved being a drummer more than anything in the world.

Henry S. Golis, Sr.

HENRY S. GOLIS SR.

Henry S. Golis Sr., 95, a trumpeter and a member of Local 802 since 1950, died on April 22.

Mr. Golis was considered a legend in polka music genre, and was also an expert in German and Scandinavian music. He graduated from Juilliard and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College. While at Juilliard, he met fellow classmate Van Cliburn, with whom he performed the “1812 Overture” at Madison Square Garden in the early 1960s. He also studied with Del Staigers, Harold Mitchell and William Vachiano.

In the 1960s and 1970s, he worked and recorded with the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra, sometimes backing up Bobby Rydell and Jo Ann Castle. In 1964 and 1965, he played every day at the Lowenbrau Pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York City. Mr. Golis also played at the top resorts and performed regularly at the Roseland Ballroom and on the Philco Show on NBC.

He taught in schools all over Long Island. Some his students went on to become professionals, and he was thrilled when he found out they got gigs with artists such as Frankie Valli, Mitch Ryder, Jay Black, Buddy Rich and Tito Puente.

Mr. Golis served in the Army in the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II. During the war, he played in bands and later on became a member of the John Philip Sousa American Legion Band.

He is survived by his sister Mildred and son Henry Jr.

Charlie Haden

CHARLIE HADEN

Charlie Haden, 76, the legendary jazz bassist, died on July 11. He had been a member of Local 802 for almost 20 years. Mr. Haden was hailed as an innovator who elevated the role of the bass from its traditional place in the rhythm section to a true melodic instrument.

His entry into music came early: before his second birthday, he was singing on his parents’ country and western radio program. He took up the bass in his teens, and in 1957, he relocated to Los Angeles and quickly became part of the burgeoning West Coast jazz scene that included Hampton Hawes, Paul Bley, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper and Dexter Gordon. It was there that he met Ornette Coleman, with whom he would record a series of highly influential albums, including 1959’s groundbreaking “The Shape of Jazz To Come.”

In 1969, Mr. Haden partnered with Carla Bley to record “Liberation Music Orchestra,” a remarkable protest album that has become a milestone in recorded jazz.

During a career that spanned more than five decades, Mr. Haden collaborated with Kenny Barron, Carla Bley, Paul Bley, Michael Brecker, Alan Broadbent, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Higgins, Keith Jarrett, Hank Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Larance Marable, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Paul Motian, Dewey Redman, Roswell Rudd, Archie Shepp and Ernie Watts.

In 1982, Mr. Haden founded the prestigious CalArts Jazz program, where his students included Ravi Coltrane, Scott Colley and Ralph Alessi.

In 1986, he formed Quartet West, whose elegant, lyrical albums remain among the most acclaimed in his vast body of work.

Mr. Haden’s love of world music led him to collaborate with a variety of international musicians throughout his career, including Egberto Gismonti, Carlos Paredes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Dino Saluzzi.

He was awarded the title of NEA Jazz Master in 2012 and won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 2013.

He is survived by his wife Ruth; children Josh, Petra, Rachel and Tanya; his brother Carl; his sister Mary; and three grandchildren.

Joan Kalisch Kraber

JOAN KALISCH KRABER

Joan Kalisch Kraber, 72, a violist and a longtime member of Local 802, died a year ago, on June 11, 2013. Ms. Kraber was a sought-after orchestral and chamber musician. She played with the American Symphony under Stokowski and others, the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Hampshire String Quartet. In 1983, Ms. Kraber moved to Texas where she began a 30-year stint with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. She also played with the Austin Lyric Opera orchestra and was a founding member and executive director of the Chamber Soloists of Austin. That group recorded for two record labels, played throughout Texas, toured South America for the State Department, and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kraber also enjoyed performing contemporary music, and recorded with Alice Coltrane and Don Cherry. She is survived by her husband Karl “Fritz” Kraber, who is a Local 802 honor member, as well as her daughters Jennifer and Laura, and her grandchildren Xara and Django.

Obituary information from the Austin Symphony and from www.ChamberSoloists.com via www.ZoomInfo.com.

Horace Silver

HORACE SILVER

Horace Silver, 85, the jazz pianist, died on June 18. He had first joined Local 802 in 1952.

Mr. Silver’s big break came in 1950, when he got the chance to back up saxophonist Stan Getz; soon, Mr. Silver was touring with him. Later, Mr. Silver moved to New York and began working with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. In 1953, he formed the Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey, before setting out with his own quintet and his own compositions.

Mr. Silver’s tunes had catchy hooks and many remain potent jazz standards today, including “Song for My Father,” “Filthy McNasty” and “The Preacher.” His blues-based, gospel-infused, high-energy playing became associated with the vanguard of the hard bop movement. Mr. Silver’s tunes became quite popular, even on jukeboxes, and he quickly became one of the top names in jazz.

Between 1955 and 1980, Mr. Silver made more than 20 records for Blue Note. His bands often featured the trumpeter Blue Mitchell and tenor saxophonist Junior Cook. Four of his Blue Note albums were included on the label’s “100 essential jazz albums” list issued in 2014 as part of its 75th anniversary celebration.

Mr. Silver introduced many jazz musicians who would go on to become leading figures, including trumpeters Donald Byrd, Woody Shaw and Randy Brecker, saxophonists Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Benny Golson and the singer Andy Bey.

In 1995, the National Endowment for the Arts named Mr. Silver a Jazz Master, and in 2005 he won the President’s Merit Award from the Recording Academy. In 2007, Mr. Silver’s autobiography was published by the University of California Press.

Mr. Silver is survived by his son Gregory.

Some of the information in this obituary was edited from Wikipedia.

WE ALSO REMEMBER . . .

Faust De Sisto, drums
Irwin I. Eisenberg, violin
Martin Grupp, drums
Max Herman, trumpet
Charles Hersh, saxophone
Ralph E. Jessamy, piano
Evan B. Morris, guitar
Paul H. Spong, piano
Frank Vaccaro, trombone