The jazz trumpeter, composer and actor Lew Soloff passed away in New York City on march 8th of 2015 after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was 71. Originally from New York, he studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He was a sought after session musician appearing on records by Tony Bennett, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull, Aretha Franklin, Lou Reed, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Barbra Streisand. He worked with Machito, Gil Evans, Orenette Coleman, Tony Scott, Maynard Ferguson, Tito Puente, Clark Terry’s big band, performed on numerous movie scores, and accompanied such renowned jazz artists as George Benson, Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Mann, Carmen McRae and Stanley Turrentine among others.
He was a longtime member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet, Mingus Big Band and of the rock group Blood Sweat & Tears playing on on their hit “Spinning Wheel” among many other recording including the groups eponymous album that in 1970 won a the Grammy best-album. In the 1980s he was a member of Members Only, a jazz ensemble who recorded for Muse Records.
Soloff also made frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (directed by Wynton Marsalis) and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra (directed by Ray Reach).
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and his work.
