In Memoriam

James H. Deschler died on August 9, 2026. Born in Brooklyn in 1949, James lived a life shaped by creativity and originality. After studying at the Manhattan School of Music, he proudly served as a percussionist in the West Point Band. His love of music continued long after his service, inspiring him to create Deschler…

Former Boise State percussion professor Dr. John Baldwin died on March 28, 2026. John Bardo Baldwin was born on April 12, 1940, in Arkansas City, Kansas. He grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas, and began piano lessons in the fourth grade and soon also began studying percussion. He played in junior high band and orchestra. In junior…

Percussionist, technologist, composer, and educator Dr. Scott Deal died on Jan. 23, 2026. William Scott Deal was born on April 11, 1957, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1975, the day after his high school graduation, Scott spent a year as the drummer for the rock band Blue Dawn, playing in clubs throughout the central U.S….

by Lauren Vogel Weiss Dr. Cosmo A. “Gus” Barbaro, longtime percussion teacher and marching arts adjudicator, died on January 2, 2026 at the age of 84. Born on November 14, 1941 in Auburn, New York, Barbaro graduated from Auburn High School in 1959. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in music education from New…

Best known for her marching arts partnership with Tom Float, Catherine Float passed away unexpectedly in October 2025.

by Rick Mattingly

Jack DeJohnette died on October 26, at age 83. He was usually labeled as a “jazz drummer,” and gigs with Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, John Abercrombie, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny, and others put him at the top of the jazz elite. But he also worked with members of the rock band Living Colour and a variety of world music artists, and much of the music he released under his own name defied easy categorization, save for the fact that there was always an emphasis on improvisation.

Charlotte Mabrey, former principal percussionist of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and head of the University of North Florida percussion area, died on sept. 7, 2025. Mabrey arrived in Jacksonville after she received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Illinois in 1977. What was supposed to be a one-year…

Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., a Cuban-born musician who blended hand percussion instruments from his native country with drumset, died August 27, 2025 at age 92. During his six-decade career, de los Reyes performed with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, George Burns, Sammy Davis Jr., Cachao, La…

by Lauren Vogel Weiss Kenneth Harold “Ken” Green, an accomplished rudimental drummer and percussion educator, died at age 64 on July 4, 2025 after a diagnosis of glioblastoma in 2024. “Not only did the world loose a truly gifted musician and educator, but I lost a friend and mentor,” stated Mark Reilly, President/CEO of The…

Salvatore Rabbio died on May 12, 2025 at the age of 90. He was the Principal Timpanist for the Detroit Symphony from 1958–98. During that time he played under numerous world-renowned conductors and on dozens of recordings on the Mercury, London, Chandos, Columbia, and RCA labels. He was known for his sound, intonation, and musical playing. His…