Bob Kindred

ROBERT (BOB) KINDRED

Robert (Bob) Kindred, 76, a tenor saxophonist and a member of Local 802 for almost 40 years, died on Aug. 15. Mr. Kindred first honed his talent in his native Philadelphia, working with organ trios led by Groove Holmes, Charles Earland and Shirley Scott. He later played with Woody Herman, Clark Terry, Shirley Scott and Bob Wilber’s Smithsonian Jazz Ensemble. “It’s fair to say that Kindred now ranks with the giants of his instrument, with Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, John Coltrane and Zoot Sims,” Chuck Berg once wrote in the Jazz Times. Berg added, “Listening to Kindred is like listening to the history of the tenor saxophone refracted through a human prism whose clarity and spontaneous creativity define the beat of what the jazz enterprise entails.” With his former wife, Anne Phillips, Mr. Kindred helped craft the Christmas show and album “Bending Towards the Light: A Jazz Nativity.” Kindred’s latest recordings were “Live at Café Loup,” recorded at his weekly Sunday jazz brunch at Café Loup in the West Village, and “Your Place or Mine,” a romantic duo with guitarist Paul Meyers. Mr. Kindred loved the praise bestowed on him by world-renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman: “The directness, the simplicity, the tone, the truth in his playing…I wish I could play Mozart like Bob Kindred plays jazz.” In addition to his former wife Anne Phillips, Mr. Kindred is survived by his children Gwyn Griffith, Parker Kindred and Donna Kindred, and grandchildren Galen Crew, Autumn Crew, Abigail Crew and Samuel Kindred. For a longer tribute to Mr. Kindred online, see www.bitly.com/2fRaaPw.

Paul Gati

PAUL GATI

Paul Gati, 56, a violinist and a member of Local 802 since 1982, died on Nov. 7. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Gati was the younger of two brothers. As a little boy, Mr. Gati discovered his musical talents and was drawn to the violin, the instrument of his father, who was an accomplished musician and a graduate of the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Mr. Gati worked hard to develop his skills to the highest level, eventually winning a scholarship to Juilliard, where he earned a master’s degree in violin. Mr. Gati found success in NYC, winning many competitions and soloing with top ensembles in the 1970s and 1980s. He battled with mental illness but loved gardening, fashion and all things beautiful: his friends, the violin, his parents, and above all his brother Bill, a pianist and saxophonist who is also a member of Local 802.

Alvin (Al) Stewart

ALVIN (AL) STEWART

Alvin (Al) Stewart, 89, a trumpeter and a member of Local 802 since 1944, died on Oct. 17. After an early experience playing in the Catskills, Mr. Stewart enlisted in the Navy, where he ultimately won a position in the band associated with Admiral Patrick Belinger. Later, in NYC, he played with Louis Prima, Charlie Barnet, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Claude Thornhill, Sauter-Finegan and many other legends. In 1948, Benny Goodman hired Mr. Stewart for his band, where he stayed for two years. (One of the band’s notable engagements during this time was performing at the inauguration of President Truman in 1949.) After leaving Goodman’s band, Mr. Stewart went on tour with Louis Armstrong. During his career, Mr. Stewart played on more than 14 Broadway productions as well as on the TV shows of Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson. He also played for Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Johnny Mathis, Steve and Eydie Gormé, Tom Jones and a host of others. In the 1970s, Mr. Stewart recorded two albums for RCA that featured him on piccolo trumpet. Besides music, Mr. Stewart’s hobbies included photography and making stained glass. He was successful at both: his book “My View from the Bandstand” is a collection of his own photos from gigs over the years; his glass creations were sold in major stores in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. Mr. Stewart is survived by his wife Tandy, son Leonard, daughter-in-law Lydia, daughter Amy, brother Bernie, sister-in-law Rosemary and two nephews. For a lengthy tribute to Mr. Stewart published recently in Allegro, see www.Local802afm.org/2016/10/the-fantastic-al-stewart.

Rogelio Terán

ROGELIO TERÁN

Rogelio Terán, 79, a drummer and percussionist, died on Oct. 27 after being a member of Local 802 since 1966. Born and raised in Panama, he moved to New York to study music at Juilliard, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He played with the Symphony of the New World, Long Island Philharmonic, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and in productions of “The Wiz,” “Gilda Radner Live” and “Dancing.” He was also a house musician at the Rainbow Room. Mr. Terán taught lessons for over 50 years all the way up until he was 78. He is survived by his wife Isadora and daughters Rebecca and Eliana.

WE ALSO REMEMBER . . .

Connie Crothers, piano
Bernard L. Fox, saxophone
Paul C. Wolfe, violin
Rick Stone, computer copyist

(*A letter in tribute to Connie Crothers appears in the Musicians’ Voice)