Al Jarreau, the voice behind several hits and the winner of seven Grammy Awards, died of unknown causes Feb 7, 2017. He was 76. The singer had been recently hospitalized in Los Angeles due to exhaustion, forcing him to cancel upcoming tour dates and retire from the road. While in San Francisco in the 1960s, Jarreau started performing at jazz clubs. He went on to team up with George Duke to form a jazz trio. Jarreau's talent and passion for music grew, allowing him to branch out to Los Angeles and New York, where he performed at major clubs and gained more exposure with national television appearances. He had signed a recording contract with Warner Bros by 1975, and released his debut album, "We Got By," that same year. Two years later, Jarreau experienced a career breakthrough with the release of "Look to the Rainbow," a double live album that earned him a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. He saw success over the years with the singles "After All," "Breakin' Away," "Boogie Down" and "Trouble in Paradise," among others. ---------- The Iceman
The Los Angeles-born Axelrod entered the music business as a session musician before transitioning to the other end of the studio, serving as a producer and arranger for a diverse slate of artists that included garage rockers the Electric Prunes, soul legend Lou Rawls and renowned jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who once said of Axelrod's work, "there's a layer of violence [to his music] no matter how pretty it is." Under Axelrod, Mass in F Minor, the Electric Prunes' third album released in 1968, became one of the year's oddest release. Axelrod stripped the group of their garage-rock leanings to create a psychedelic rock opera containing Latin and Greek singing. While the group members were unable to perform Axelrod's technically complex arrangements - studio musicians were brought in to finish the album - it remains a psych-rock classic. ---------- The Iceman
