A memorial service will be announced for September 2008 in New York City.
Ronnie Mathews was one of the most respected jazz pianists and composers of the past 40 years who toured internationally and recorded extensively with Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Dexter Gordon, Louis Hayes, and Woody Shaw. He had long associations with the tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, drummer T. S. Monk, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
Mathews is survived by his daughter Salima, his granddaughters Nala and Parisa, and his step children Leslie and Brently.
Donations in memory of Ronnie Mathews may be sent to the Jazz Foundation of America.
For condolences, please contact:
Salima Millott
191 St Nicholas Ave
Apartment 7E
New York, NY 10026
The family of Ronnie Mathews would like to thank the musicians who performed and friends who attended the tribute to Ronnie last Monday at Sweet Rhythm in New York City. It was a great night and a memorable tribute.
On Saturday, pianist Ronnie Matthews died in New York of pancreatic <IMGHEIGHT="88" width="107" src="http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/Matthews.jpg" alt="Matthews.jpg" />cancer. He was seventy-two. Matthews toured and recorded extensively with Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Dexter Gordon, Louis Hayes, and Woody Shaw. He had long associations with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, drummer T. S. Monk, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. See and hear him in this video clip of Griffin's quartet. Ignore the superfluous list of personnel from YouTube; the rhythm section is Matthews, drummer Kenny Washington and bassist Ray Drummond. The locale is the VillageVanguard in New York, not somewhere in Europe. Otherwise, YouTube got it right. Due to the site's ten-minute limit, the performance fades away before it ends, but it provides a generous idea of Matthews' skill as an accompanist and a soloist.
Last week, jazz lost two journeyman artists valued for their dependability, versatility and 
swing. On the west coast, bassist Dave Carpenter died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of forty-eight. Most recently, Carpenter had been in drummer Peter Erskine's trio, which also included pianist Alan Pasqua. A veteran of the Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and Bill Holman big bands, he also worked with Bill Perkins, Jack Nimitz, Al Jarreau, Herb Geller, Bill Cunliffe, Jan Lundgren, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco and Richard Stoltzman, to name a few. In as great demand in Los Angeles studios as he was in clubs, Carpenter has a list of recording credits as long as both of your arms. To see the list and hear brief samples, go here.
On Saturday, pianist Ronnie Mathews died in New York of pancreatic 
cancer. He was seventy-two. Mathews toured and recorded extensively with Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Dexter Gordon, Louis Hayes, and Woody Shaw. He had long associations with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, drummer T. S. Monk, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. See and hear him in this video clip of Griffin's quartet. Ignore the superfluous list of personnel from YouTube; the rhythm section is Mathews, drummer Kenny Washington and bassist Ray Drummond. The locale is the Village Vanguard in New York, not somewhere in Europe. Otherwise, YouTube got it right. Due to the site's ten-minute limit, theperformance fades away before it ends, but it provides a generous idea of Mathews' skill as an accompanist and a soloist.
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