The end of the year is always flooded with critic top 10 lists of the best music from the previous year. Some of these I tend to agree with, and some I don’t. I’d rather take a moment to remember some of the fine musicians who passed away this year.

Ike Turner

Legendary producer Ike Turner died this December at the age of 78. In his first group, Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, guitar distortion was recorded for the first time, created by a now legendary accident:

The legend of how the sound came about says that [guitarist Willie] Kizart’s amplifier was damaged on Highway 61 when the band was driving from Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee, but Phillips liked the sound and used it. Robert Palmer has written that the amplifier “had fallen from the top of the car”, and attributes this information to Sam Phillips. [3][4] However, in a recorded interview at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington, Ike Turner stated that the amplifier was in the trunk of the car and that rain may have caused the damage; he is certain that it did not fall from the roof of the car. Link Wray had a similar story.

Of course, this discovery unknowingly paved the way for the heavier distortion that was to come. Whenever you hear death metal, you can thank Ike and Willie Kizart. Turner went on to become a famous producer and one half of the duo Ike & Tina Turner. He’s not bad live either:

He may have been married over 14 times, but he will be missed.

Michael Brecker

Tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker died in January at the age of 58. Brecker was a luminary of the modern jazz scene, and was often referred to as the most influential saxophonist since John Coltrane himself. Brecker made records with such greats as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, Charles Mingus, Jace Pastorius, and Pat Methaney.

He made a name for himself as a solo act as well, often playing an Electronic Wind Instrument, a piece of electronics that converts a wind player’s breath and fingerings into computer readable MIDI messages. Check it out:

He has won 13 Grammy awards and has been posthumously nominated for 2 more. And of course, as any great jazz musician does, he played live:

Great jazz musicians are few and far between these days. I’m sorry to lose someone as talented as Brecker.

Oscar Peterson

It was a rough year for jazz, with the legendary Oscar Peterson passing away just a few days ago at the age of 82. Peterson came up playing swing and be-bop in the 1950s with greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown, Louis Armstrong, Joe Pass, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. He formed the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown and Charlie Smith. Smith was eventually replaced by Herb Ellis, who was white, a controversial move at the time.

As with the others on this list, Peterson loved to perform. Here’s Peterson with Count Basie playing “Slow Blues”:

The Maharajah of the keyboard, as Duke Ellington called him, will be sorely missed.

Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti, probably the most well known contemporary opera singer, died this September at the age of 72. With a career spanning almost 50 years, Pavarotti sung most of the major tenor parts of his day, including Rodolfo in La bohème, for which he is perhaps most famous. He sung at all the major opera houses in the world - The Met, Covent Garden, La Scala, The Lyric - and toured the globe singing concerts and raising money for music educational causes.

He also moved the art of opera in new directions. During his career, Pavarotti gave frequent televised concerts, starting with the first Live From The Met broadcast in 1977. Through the use of new mediums like television, he was able to spread his fame and his art. Pavarotti also embraced “pop” sensibilities, recording and performing popular works with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, The Three Tenors. These concerts made Pavarotti a household name, something few opera singers these days are able to attain. In all, he’s sold over 100 million records worldwide.

While his most famous aria was arguably “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot, a personal favorite of mine is Pavarotti’s performance in I Pagliacci:

Pavarotti said, “I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have decided to devote my life to.” I agree.

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Many more musicians passed away this year. These are simply the ones notable to me. Who have I missed? Who should be remembered?

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