JAZZ NOTES: Obituaries for Sheila Jordan, David F. Gibson, Joe Daley

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Unfortunately, with so many brilliant jazz artists passing in such a short period of time, it was necessary to combine their obituaries into this one column. My apologies.

Sheila Jordan, a self-taught singer of Charlie Parker recordings who became a significant pioneer in bebop and the art of scat singing, died on August 11 at her apartment in Manhattan. She was 96.

Jordan recorded her first album, “Portrait of Sheila” (Blue Note Records, 1963), at the age of 34. As the first vocalist to be recorded on the label, she was proclaimed as a bright new voice in jazz. Such good publicity, along with her fierce vocal fluctuations, kept audiences enchanted and allowed her to etch out a modest singing career that continued into her 90s. As a single mother, she held down a full-time job to raise her only daughter, Tracy. Once her daughter was in college, Jordan returned to the stage and to recording. She recorded more than a dozen albums, including “Sheila Jordan Live at Mezzrow,” released when she was 92, and “Portrait Now,” released earlier this year. The nonagenarian never stopped performing. She was usually accompanied by pianist/composer Steve Kuhn and bassists Harvie S (he and Jordan often recorded or performed exclusively as a duet) and avant-gardist Cameron Brown.

As a native of Detroit, a fertile jazz land, Jordan had an opportunity to immerse herself in the jazz scene. In her early years, she performed and jammed with bebop pianist and composer Barry Harris, who described her as “one of the great innovative voices in jazz.” They remained friends and performed together on occasion in New York City until his death. Harris died shortly after their performance with an all-star ensemble at Flushing Town Hall. Harris

She received the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2012, and two years later, her biography, “Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan,” was published, written by vocalist and educator Ellen Johnson. Jordan’s glowing reputation as an inventive song stylist led her to the City College of New York, where she became an artist-in-residence and taught there from 1978 to 2005. She was also on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  

Jordan inspired generations of musicians and vocalists during her career. She had the same fearlessness as her daring hero Charlie Parker. When it came to exploring music, her goal was to push beyond jazz boundaries whether she was scatting, exploring some realm of avant-gardism, or singing a well-traveled standard. Her contributions to jazz and her creative style will motivate many generations to come. “Sheila put her life on the line for the music all her life,” said trombonist and composer Craig Harris.

David F. Gibson, whose smooth drumming ability caressed the vocals of Joe Williams and Diane Schuur or could quickly segue into a hard-driving melodic force to power the big deal legacy swing bands of the Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Cab Calloway orchestras, and smaller ensembles, died on July 30. He was 72.

“I am honored to have collaborated with Dave on my forthcoming 2025 release, ‘Squeeze in Tight: Jazz and Blues Songs for Solidarity.’ Dave played drums and maintained a formidable presence throughout the album’s production; always pushing me and our team to do our best and swing as hard as possible. He was like that: Go for broke, every time,” according to Jazz Power Initiative co-founder, managing director, and artistic director Eli Yamin.

Gibson’s exploding force earned him extensive stints with Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Illinois Jacquet Big Band, Sun Ra Arkestra, David Murray Big Band, and — up until his transition — the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He was the co-producer and collaborated [with Radam] on the “Radam Schwartz Organ Big Band” self-titled album released independently in 2020. “Dave Gibson was a consummate drummer, an incredibly large ensemble player,” said trombonist and composer Craig Harris. “He made everybody in the band sound good; he lifted great players even higher. He was a magical artist.”

After Gibson’s graduation from Temple University, the native of Philadelphia learned his craft as an active participant on the city’s vibrant jazz scene, where he quickly earned a local reputation as the young drummer of choice. His playing ability caught the attention of saxophonist and composer Odean Pope, who invited Gibson to join his Saxophone Choir. He appeared on the 1985 debut album “The Saxophone Shop” that featured eight of Pope’s fellow saxophonists, who included Philly’s local legend Bootsie Barnes. “Dave was an extraordinary drummer/percussionist and a great big band drummer that made him invaluable. He was from the Max Roach school of drumming,” said saxophonist and owner of Bill’s Place Bill Saxton.

After leaving Philly, Gibson adopted New York City as his second home and connected with Harlem’s inventive jazz community. “The long musical journey Dave Gibson and I shared as neophytes in the Count Basie Band, directed by Frank Foster, was the beginning of many experiences together that included the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton Band, and Cab Calloway Band,” said saxophonist and composer Patience Higgins.

Gibson later joined one of Harlem’s most invigorating jazz bands — the Sugar Hill Quartet, which included bandleader Higgins with pianist Marcus Persiani, bassist Andy McCloud, and bassist Alex Hernandez. The noted quartet enjoyed long residencies at the renowned St. Nicks Pub, Lenox Lounge, and Smoke Jazz Clubs. “His playing was always inventive, innovative, sensitive and always swinging,” noted Higgins.

Joe Daley, the multi-instrumentalist who defied the construct of musical genres as a composer and arranger for big bands, marching bands, small ensembles, and playing with an astounding group of musicians from Gil Evans to Warren Smith, Bill Dixon, Natalie Merchant, Sam Rivers, Jayne Cortez, and Carla Bley, died on August 3 in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was 75.

During his prolific career as a musician, Daley devoted three decades of his life as a music teacher for the New York City and Englewood, New Jersey, public school systems. He inspired countless young musicians until his retirement in 2005. The Harlem native was honored to have been the band director at Wadleigh JHS 88 and associate director of the Manhattan Borough-Wide Band ( 1972–1976). Daley was a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in performance in 1972 and a master’s degree in music education in 1973.

His main instruments were the tuba (primary), trombone, and euphonium. As a composer and bandleader, he earned acclaim for his works, including “The Seven Deadly Sins” (2011); “The Seven Heavenly Virtues” (2013); and then in 2014, “Portraits: Wind, Thunder and Love,” which includes the multimovement suite ”Wispercussion: Five Portraits of Warren Smith” and the “Tuba Trio Chronicles” (2015). His creative vision and musicality can be experienced as a co-founding member of the eclectic ensemble Hazmat Modine, and his own groups: the Ebony Brass Quintet and Earth Tones Ensemble.

“Joe Daley was a great musician and friend; he helped me during some very tough times. He was very soft-spoken — I never heard him raise his voice to anyone,” said trombonist and composer Dick Griffin. “He was a great composer and arranger. The pieces he arranged for his Ebony Brass Quartet were brilliant.”

Daley was a creative musician, composer, and educator. He leaves behind an artistic perspective that will have a profound impact on generations of future students and listeners.