British born, but Canadian jazz composer and percussionist Peter Appleyard passed away on July 18, 2013.He was 84. Born in England, he moved to Bermuda in 1949 , eventually landing in Toronto a few years later. In the 1950’s and 60’s , he was a staple on CBC radio, performing live on various shows. In the 1970’s he began touring and playing with the Benny Goodman sextet. As time went on, his reputation grew as a world class vibraphonist. He played with such greats as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, while always maintaining his base in Toronto. Among his many awards were a Juno and the Order of Canada. Terrific player. I have posted here a couple of tunes, the first a recent live performance of “It don’t Mean A Thing” and an older clip of “Tangerine”. Both of them have many great artists along with him.
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- Canadian jazz master Peter Appleyard dies at age 84 (vancouversun.com)
- Jazz musician Peter Appleyard dies at 84 (cbc.ca)
So interesting!
Very interesting. He was a fixture in Toronto’s music scene. Did you ever see him?
Yes, on a tv show he had. I believe I was turned on to it by a friend who was a jazz musician and played with Peter.
Great talent. Listened to him a lot, sometimes without knowing it.
I had the pleasure of seeing him at a jazz festival. He was brilliant.
Thanks for sharing this.
Lucky. Never saw him live. Great player.
Sorry to hear we have lost another great musician!
We still have their music