In Memoriam: Remembering the jazz greats we lost in 2025

Sam Moore, the blistering tenor of soul duo Sam & Dave (1935-2025)

Sam Moore, the blistering tenor of soul duo Sam & Dave, passed away on January 10 at the age of 89 due to complications from surgery. Known for hits “Soul Man,” “Hold On, I’m Comin,” and an endless list of soul classics, the duo helped shape the sound of the legendary Stax Records. Sam Moore was not only known for his gospel-drenched voice but also his mind-blowing live performances with music partner Dave Prater with whom he shared a rocky relationship. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame, the Memphis Music Hall Of Fame, the Rhythm And Blues Music Hall Of Fame, and a recipient of a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, Sam Moore helped shape the sound of American soul music. Following the breakup of Sam & Dave in 1981, Sam Moore focused on a solo career collaborating with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey and Sting.

John Donabie, Radio veteran and former jazz.fm91 host

Radio veteran, broadcaster and former jazz.fm91 host John Donabie who passed away  January 30 at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. Born and raised in Courtice, Ontario, Donabie started his career back in 1965 at local station CKLB in Oshawa when he managing a local R&B group at and borrowed a PA system from one of the local DJs at the time. That led him to a nearly 60-year career in radio broadcasting, hosting various shows, championing various music genres such as rock, folk, R&B and more.

Donabie had a brief stint at jazz.fm91 back in November 2010 when he hosted the morning show Good Morning … with John Donabie which ran until the Summer of 2011. His career would take him across the country, from Toronto to Vancouver before he officially retired from radio in 2018.

Roberta Flack, R&B Soul singer-pianist of “Killing Me Softly with His Song” fame (1937-2025)

Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack in Black Mountain, North Carolina on February 10, 1937, Flack was raised in Arlington, Virginia where she got her start singing and playing the piano in the church which later got her a full scholarship to Howard University at age 15. She took a job teaching music and English in a small town in North Carolina which began her career as a teacher. She later relocated to Washington D.C. where she taught junior high during the week and played at nightclubs at night and on the weekends.

As a nightclub performer, Flack performed everything from the blues to soul to folks to pop. However, it was her jazz performances that caught the eye of fellow pianist-vocalist Les McCann, best known for the song “Compared to What” and one of the innovators of the “soul jazz” genre. He got her an audition with Atlantic Records which lasted three hours in which she performed 42 songs. Her debut album, First Take, released in 1969, was recorded in a span of 10 hours. The album went to number 1 on the Billboard charts and went Platinum in the U.S. The song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” won Record of the Year at the 1973 GRAMMY Awards. Flack passed away on February 24 of cardiac arrest while en route to a hospital in Manhattan.

Roy Ayers, Legendary Vibraphonist who brought the Funk into Jazz (1940-2025)

Roy Ayers, the Vibraphonist and Composer known as the Godfather of Neo Soul and a pioneer in the Acid Jazz and Jazz-Funk movements, has passed away on March 4 at the age of 84 after a lengthy illness. Best known for his 1976 hit “Everybody Love the Sunshine,” Ayers began his career as a bebop sideman back in 1961 then released his debut album West Coast Vibes in 1963. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that Ayers experienced a breakthrough in his career when he formed his own band Roy Ayers Ubiquity.

But it was their 1976 album Everybody Love the Sunshine along with the lead single of the same name that catapulted Ayers’ career and defined his signature jazz-funk sound. “It was so spontaneous. It felt wonderful,” Ayers said in an 2017 interview with The Guardian. “And I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound: a mix of vibraphone, piano and a synthesizer…I knew people would connect to it because everybody loves sunshine. It just felt like a perfect song.” He was right, the song itself has been sampled over 100 times across various genres by artists such as Mary J. Blige, 2pac, Dr. Dre and many more.

Mark Kieswetter, American-Canadian pianist who left his mark in the Toronto Jazz Scene (1954-2025)

Beloved pianist Mark Kieswetter passed away on April 21 after a long battle with stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer. Originally from Indiana, Kieswetter lived in Michigan, California and Ohio leaving a lasting impact on the jazz scene in Toledo before immigrating to Canada in 2004. Prior to his move, Kieswetter collaborated alongside jazz greats including Zoot Sims, Jack Sheldon and James Moody. Settling in Toronto, he became a fixture in the city’s jazz scene performing with the likes of Dave Young, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Amy McConnell, Whitney Ross-Barris, Shannon Butcher and jazz.fm91’s very own Heather Bambrick who was a close friend and frequent collaborator.

Andy Bey, Vocalist, Pianist and brother of Salome Bey, Canada’s First Lady of the Blues (1939-2025)

Andy Bey, jazz vocalist, pianist and younger brother of the late Salome Bey, Canada’s First Lady of the Blues, passed away on April 26 of natural causes at the age of 85. Born Andrew Wideman Bey Jr. on October 28, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, he was the youngest of nine siblings and started playing the piano at the age of three. At the age of 17, along with his two older sisters Salome Bey and Geraldine de Haas, Bey formed the trio Andy and the Bey Sisters in which they toured all over North America and Europe before disbanding in 1967. Andy Bey would go on to embark on a solo career and work with jazz greats such as Horace Silver, Gary Bartz, Max Roach and appeared as a guest vocalist on bassist Stanley Clarke’s debut album Children of Forever alongside fellow vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater.

In 1974, he released his first album Experience and Judgment, which was a fusion of soul, funk and Indian music. As a vocalist, Bey was known for his four-octave range that went between a powerful baritone and a “high-flying” falsetto. Bey returned to jazz and performed as a sideman and vocalist before releasing his sophomore album, As Time Goes By, in 1991. With the help of producer and composer Herb Jordan, Bey had a career renaissance in the mid-1990s with his 1996 album Ballads, Blues & Bey, which touched on various topics including love, loss and his life as an openly gay, HIV-positive man. He was later nominated for a GRAMMY in 2005 for Best Jazz Vocal album for American Song.

Al Foster, one of jazz’s master drummers (1943-2025)

Al Foster, the versatile master drummer known for his work with Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner and Sonny Rollins, passed away on May 28 at the age of 82 after a brief illness. Foster got his big break at age 20 when he appeared on hard bop trumpeter Blue Mitchell’s 1964 album The Thing to Do. His work with Mitchell led Foster to become one of the most in-demand musicians during the 1960s. His work caught the attention of Miles Davis, who described Foster in his 1989 autobiography as someone who “kept the groove going forever.”

Foster joined Davis’ band from 1972-1985, contributing to Davis’ jazz-funk fusion era with albums such as Get Up With It and Big Fun (1974). After Davis’ retirement in 1975, Foster released his first solo album as bandleader, Mixed Roots, in 1978. He would release seven other albums as bandleader, including 2022’s Reflections, his final album.

Sly Stone, the funky maestro and leader of Sly and the Family Stone (1943-2025)

Known as a pioneer blending the genres of funk, rock and soul, Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart on March 15, 1943 in Denton, Texas, got his start singing gospel music along with his siblings in the church as the Stewart Four. After moving to San Francisco, he became a DJ for the soul radio station KSOL where he was known for his diverse taste in music.

He formed Sly and the Stoners in 1966 and they released their debut album, A Whole New Thing, in 1967. They changed their name to Sly and the Family Stone and went on to be a mainstream success, releasing 10 studio albums between 1966-1982, known for songs such as “Dance to the Music”, “Everyday People”, and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” Stone passed away on June 9 at the age of 82, leaving behind three children, siblings and extended family.

Norman Marshall Villeneuve, Canada’s most iconic jazz drummer (1938-2025)

The Canadian jazz community lost a legend when award-winning drummer, bandleader and bebop master Norman Marshall Villeneueve passed away on July 9 at the age of 87. Born and raised in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood, Villeneuve was largely self-taught and only had five drumming lessons in his life. Throughout his career, Villeneuve played alongside Duke Ellington, Charlie Biddle, Junior Mance and his cousin, Oliver Jones, with whom he won a Felix Award.

In 1974, he moved to Toronto where he would spend close to forty years contributing to the local scene while mentoring the next generation of jazz artists through his band the Jazz Message, largely influenced by Art Blakely’s The Jazz Messengers. Between 1980 and 1993, Villeneuve appeared in the “Sound of Toronto Jazz” Concert Series at the Ontario Science Centre He relocated back to Montreal in 2013 where he continued to be active in the jazz scene.

Chuck Mangione, famed musician who merged pop and jazz (1940-2025)

Chuck Mangione, the jazz flugelhorn and trumpeter icon known for the hit song “Feels So Good,” passed away in his sleep on July 22 at the age of 84. Mangione started music lessons at an early age, first with piano before transitioning to the trumpet after watching the 1950 musical Young Man with A Horn, based on the life of jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecker. While attending the Eastman School of Music, Mangione learned how to play the flugelhorn and later joined Art Blakely’s Jazz Messengers.

However, Mangione found mainstream success in 1977 with his album Feels So Good due to the lead single of the same name. It took the number two spot on the Billboard Album charts which catapulted Mangione as one of the originators of the pop-jazz, smooth jazz movement. He would go on to win two GRAMMY awards for best instrumental composition for “Bellavia” in 1977 and best pop instrumental performance for “Children of Sanchez” in 1979. Mangione would also garner some pop culture influence, making guest appearances on shows such as Magnum P.I. before taking on a recurring role on the animated show King of the Hill playing himself.

Dame Cleo Laine, British jazz icon (1927-2025)

Born Clementine Dinah Hitching on October 28, 1927 in Southall, Middlesex (now considered the Greater London area), Dame Cleo Laine was the product of a Jamaican father and an English mother. Her introduction to music came through her father who was a labourer and a busker on the streets while her mother enrolled her in singing and dancing classes. She started her career in the 1950s at the age of 24 when she auditioned for British jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer John Dankworth’s The Johnny Dankworth Seven.

Known for her scat singing and four-octave vocal range, Dame Cleo and Sir Dankworth would spend the next five decades touring across the world and releasing close to 40 records in her lifetime. In 1970, they converted an old stable block in the grounds of their home in Milton Keynes into a music venue called The Stables, now considered one of the UK’s beloved music venues presenting around 400 concerts and 200 education events each year. Dame Cleo passed away on July 24 at her home in Milton Keynes the age of 97.

Eddie Palmieri, the El Maestro of Latin Jazz (1936-2025)

The great Eddie Palmieri passed away on August 6 in his home in New Jersey at the age of 88. Lovingly referred to as “El Maestro,” for nearly 70 years from 1955 until his death, Palmieri was a pivotal and influential figure in Latin jazz and salsa, collaborating with numerous artists across genres. Notable collaborators included vibraphonist Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, trumpeter Brian Lynch, trombonist Conrad Herwig, vocalists Ismael Quintana and Cheo Feliciano, trombonist Barry Rogers, singer La India, saxophonist Phil Woods, vocalist Lila Downs, pianist McCoy Tyner, bandleader Tito Rodríguez, percussionist Manny Oquendo, conguero Giovanni Hidalgo, and his brother Charlie Palmieri. These partnerships, spanning albums like El Sonido Nuevo, Masterpiece, and Simpático, showcased Palmieri’s innovative fusion of Latin rhythms and jazz, cementing his legacy as a musical pioneer.

Sheila Jordan, one of jazz’s most underrated vocalists (1928-2025)

Sheila Jordan was a NEA Jazz Master and pioneering jazz vocalist known for her unique blend of bebop and scat with a thumping upright bass as her only instrument of choice. Charlie Parker was her biggest influence and it was his recording, “Now is the Time” that inspired her to be a jazz singer. As a teenager, she would join the trio Skeeter, Mitch And Jean which included Skeeter Spight and Leroi Mitchell who performed Charlie Parker’s music with Jordan writing lyrics to his music. In 1962, at the age of 34, Jordan released her Blue Note Debut, Portrait of Sheila, becoming the first female vocalist to be record and release an album on the label. Jordan passed away on Monday, August 11 at the age of 96.

Fay Olson, fierce advocate for Toronto Jazz (1941-2025)

Fay Olson-Vickery, the public relations firebrand bringing life to some of the best in Canadian jazz, passed away on October 3 after a lengthy illness. Olson was a public relations firebrand who was one of the co-founder of the du Maurier Council for the Arts, the talent show du Maurier Search for Stars with CBC producer Ray McConnell, and her pride and joy— the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival in 1987— along with the late Jim Galloway and Pat Taylor. For years, Olson provided communications and programming support for jazz.fm91, including planning our JAZZ LIVES! series and taking the role as biography writer and photo researcher for the station’s Canadian Jazz Archive.

D’Angelo, R&B’s most reclusive yet prolific singer-songwriters (1971-2025)

R&B singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist D’Angelo’s died on October 14 at the age of 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. Known as an innovator in the Neo-Soul movement, D’Angelo’s music transcended genres, from R&B to Hip Hop to Jazz. He often experimented with jazz, funk and soul which was seen in his 2000 sophomore album, Voodoo, featuring appearances from Roy Hargrove, Charlie Hunter and Pino Palladino. With producers Questlove, J Dilla and James Poyser, he founded the music collective the Soulquarians, known for their experimental music creations and jam sessions. The collective also included Erykah Badu, Common, Bilal, Roy Hargrove, Mos Def, Pino Palladino, Q-Tip and Talib Kweli. According to producer Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo was working on his fourth album at the time of his death.

Steve Cropper, prolific guitarist and architect of Stax Records (1941-2025)

Beloved musician, guitarist, producer Steve Cropper passed away on December 3 at the age 84 as he was recovering from a fall in Nashville. A founding member of the legendary Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the band is credited for shaping the Southern soul and Memphis soul sound. In addition to being a musician, Cropper also served as Stax’ A&R from the 1960s until 1971. Cropper moved to Los Angeles in 1975 and worked with acts such as Ringo Starr, Mavis Staples, Rod Stewart, John Lennon before joining the Blues Brothers Band, appearing in the 1980 and 1988 films respectively.

Anthony Jackson, iconic and innovative bassist (1952-2025)

We lost legendary bassist Anthony Jackson on October 19 at the age of 73. Known as one of the first people to play the six-string bass, known as an electric contrabass guitar, Jackson also helped with the development of the six-string bass. He worked with the likes of Patti Austin, Hiromi, Al Di Meola, Roberta Flack, Lee Ritenour, Chaka Khan and the O’Jays, whose hit song “For the Love of Money” landed in the Top 5 R&B Charts and Top 10 on the Pop Charts during the 1970s.

Jack DeJohnette, jazz’s greatest drummer (1942-2025)

Jack DeJohnette, one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, passed away October 26 from congestive heart failure at the age of 83. Born in Chicago in 1942, DeJohnette started playing the piano at the age of four and the drums at 13. In the 1960s, he moved to New York City and joined Charles Lloyd’s quartet. His impressive drumming capabilities caught the attention of Miles Davis who saw him perform on a few occasions, including a stint at Ronnie Scott’s in London.

DeJohnette is best known for his work during Davis’ Fusion period, performing on landmark albums such as Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and On The Corner, combining R&B, hard-bop and avant-garde. Known for his remarkable versatility, creativity, and ability to blend genres, DeJohnetter also worked alongside Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Alice Coltrane, Eliane Elias, Herbie Hancock and many more. We were fortunate to speak to DeJohnette back in 2013 when he visited the jazz.fm91 studios during a tour stop in Toronto.