2014

Broadway and big band drummer Dave Ratajczak passed away after an extended illness on October 3, 2014. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Ratajczak performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists including the Woody Herman Orchestra, Gerry Mulligan, Eddie Daniels, Grady Tate, Milt Hinton, Kenny Rankin, the New York Philharmonic, the…

Drummer Idris Muhammad died July 29, 2014 at age 74. Born Leo Morris in New Orleans, he began playing professionally at age 12. From 1962–65 he played with soul singers Sam Cooke and Jerry Butler and the group the Impressions. He also worked with singer Betty Carter and played with saxophonist Lou Donaldson from 1965–67,…

Dr. Mark E. Sunkett died on June 26, 2014. He was a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University in Philadelphia where he received his undergraduate and masters degrees. Dr. Sunkett also held a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh. He became a member of the performance faculty at Arizona…

Wendell R. Jones, Bowling Green State University’s first full-time percussion faculty member, died June 17, 2014 at age 82. He was widely known throughout Ohio as an advocate for music education, particularly percussion instruments. He excelled at playing marimba and vibraphone and performed as a soloist with several ensembles as well as his own Wendell…

Dr. James L. Moore, who founded Percussive Notes magazine and served as its editor from 1962–80, died on June 12, 2014. Born May 2, 1934, Moore held degrees from the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University. From 1964–92 Dr. Moore was head of percussion studies at The Ohio State University School of Music….

Noted musician, author and educator Chuck Silverman died on May 1, 2014.  After studying musicology at UCLA, Silverman became known as a specialist in applying Afro-Caribbean rhythms to the drumset, and he organized many trips to Cuba at which drummers and percussionists could study Cuban music first-hand. Three of his books, Practical Applications 1, 2…

Steve Weiss, who served the percussion community for over 50 years as owner of Steve Weiss Music, a shop that specialized in percussion instruments and music, died on April 21, 2014, after a long illness.  His shop became known for its extensive inventory of hard-to-find world percussion instruments and percussion music, as well as for…

We are saddened to report the death of Theodore Frazeur, on Tuesday, March 25, 2014. Professor Frazeur, or “Ted,” was Professor of Percussion at SUNY Fredonia from 1960 until his retirement in 1993. The family has asked that those wishing to honor Ted please consider making a donation to the Frazeur Percussion Scholarship held at…

James Lee Preiss, a long-time member and principal percussionist of the American Composers Orchestra and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and a founding member of the Westchester Philharmonic, died on Jan. 21, 2014 at age 72. He also performed with the Riverside Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the American Symphony Orchestra. A founding member of…

Drummer, teacher, and author Sam Ulano died on January 2, 2014 at age 93. Ulano started playing drums at age 13 and studied with Alfred Freize and Fred Albright. By age 17 Ulano was teaching drums. He spent four years playing in an Army band and then attended the Manhattan School of Music. He began…