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| Manny Duran Is Dead Manny Duran, trumpet and flugelhorn player died on October 30th at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC after complications from a recent procedure. He was 80 years old. Born June 11, 1926 in Alamagordo, New Mexico, Manny started his life-long love affair with the trumpet when he was ten, playing in the Mariachi bands of the southwest. It wasn't long before he heard Louis Armstrong's music and found his true calling. Jazz. He worked on the West Coast for a while and then made the move to the Big Apple in 1956. He played at the legendary Caf Bohemia for a year, sitting in with most all of the prestigious combos that played there. By the 1960s, he was in the improvising chair for the top Latin jazz bands beginning with the Puerto Rican musical giant Noro Morales. This was followed by gigs and recordings with Ray Barretto, Willie Bobo, Mario Bauza and the Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Mongo Santamaria, the Conjunto 66 of Vladimir Vasilieff and nearly ten years with Machito. However, he never lost his love for the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Kenny Dorham. In the early 1980's he formed a straight- ahead bebop band with singer Carla White. They were a fixture on the NY jazz scene for five years playing all the top clubs. After recording one album together called Andruline, they decided to break up the band in 1985. Manny continued on as a leader of his own bands, in both the bebop and Latin idioms. He also ran the late night jam sessions at the Blue Note for many years. The past several years he led the Saturday night jam at Cleopatra's Needle, in addition to his regular Tuesday night gig at BB King's with his Afro Bop band. Manny will be remembered not only for his peerless skill as a melodic improviser, but also for his kindness, encouragement and generosity of spirit to all musicians he played with over the past half a century in New York City. He will be deeply missed by all the people and musicians whose lives he touched with his love of life and music. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |