Afro-jazz pioneer Manu Dibango has died from coronavirus

[icymist]

Dibango is one of the first worldwide stars to die as a result of COVID-19. The Cameroonian saxophonist and singer blazed a trail for the distinctive funk/soul and jazz sound of his homeland to find global audiences.

Cameroonian singer and saxophonist Manu Dibango has died from a coronavirus infection, according to a message on his official Facebook page on Tuesday.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on 24th of March 2020, at 86 years old, further to covid 19," it said.

"His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible," the message added.

Dibango's music publisher Thierry Durepaire also confirmed the Cameroonian's death. "He died early this morning in a hospital in the Paris region," Durepaire said.

https://www.dw.com/en/afro-jazz-pioneer-manu-dibango-has-died-from-coronavirus/a-52897950

[Suburban Warrior]

1. Pianist Mike Longo Too...

Mike Longo, who led a distinguished jazz career as a pianist, composer and educator, notably as longtime musical director for Dizzy Gillespie, died on Sunday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was 83 and lived in New York.

The cause was COVID-19, confirmed Dorothy Longo, his wife of 32 years.

She said Longo was admitted to the hospital early Tuesday morning, and had preexisting medical conditions.

Longo is not the first jazz casualty of the coronavirus — that tragic distinction belongs to Argentine saxophonist Marcelo Peralta, who died in Madrid on March 10 — but his prominent stature and breadth of associations bring the tragedy much closer to home for the jazz community in New York.

https://www.wbgo.org/post/mike-longo-prominent-jazz-pianist-known-his-tenure-dizzy-gillespie-dies-83