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Old 01-02-2011, 02:22 PM
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Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
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Arrow Charles Fambrough, RIP

My good friend and mentor Charles Fambrough died yesterday after a long battle with kidney and other related problems. There was a benefit held for him a few weeks ago at the Clef Club in Philly where Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Gerald Veasley and a host of other musicians donated their time and talent to help raise money for his medical expenses. Charles was on a waiting list for a Kidney transplant but a recent examination determined that he had other problems internally and would probably not survive the transplant operation so he was taken off the list. His beloved wife Dolores was determined to nurture him back to health where he would again become a candidate for the surgery. I was just told a few hours ago of his passing as my son Jonathan read of his passing on the internet. Jonathan was a private bass student of Charles at The University of the Arts and continued to study privately with on occasion. I am writing all of this from what I have learned over time. He died on New Year’s day, 2011.

Charles will be missed and remembered by all who knew and loved him. My sincere thoughts go out to his wife and family.

I first met Charles 15 years ago here at my shop where he brought in a Smith bass for some adjustments. About 5 years later I had bought an interesting old Bass and posted pics on my website. Charles ran right over to try it and invited me to play with him a few days later in a concert. I mentioned that it had been about 15 years since I played out publicly but he insisted I come and do a two bass thing with him and even lent me a pickup. That day was a blast so much that I decided to go back and start playing again so I have him to thank for getting me back on the bass as a player. Charles was not just a player, he was in my mind an ambassador that could bring people and music together. He was a statesman in his own right and that's what many people will remember him for, his encouragement and kindness.

I don't know what else so say at this time as this is hard to do so soon after his passing. I will post a few links that I just found on line so you can read a bit of what others have posted so far..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fambrough
http://tromboneforum.org/index.php?t...7936;topicseen
http://jazztruth.blogspot.com/2011/0...fambrough.html
http://jazztimes.com/articles/25380-...rles-fambrough
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Old 01-02-2011, 03:13 PM
Lou Laurenti Lou Laurenti is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith View Post
My good friend and mentor Charles Fambrough died yesterday after a long battle with kidney and other related problems. There was a benefit held for him a few weeks ago at the Clef Club in Philly where Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Gerald Veasley and a host of other musicians donated their time and talent to help raise money for his medical expenses. Charles was on a waiting list for a Kidney transplant but a recent examination determined that he had other problems internally and would probably not survive the transplant operation so he was taken off the list. His beloved wife Dolores was determined to nurture him back to health where he would again become a candidate for the surgery. I was just told a few hours ago of his passing as my son Jonathan read of his passing on the internet. Jonathan was a private bass student of Charles at The University of the Arts and continued to study privately with on occasion. I am writing all of this from what I have learned over time. He died on New Year’s day, 2011.

Charles will be missed and remembered by all who knew and loved him. My sincere thoughts go out to his wife and family.

I first met Charles 15 years ago here at my shop where he brought in a Smith bass for some adjustments. About 5 years later I had bought an interesting old Bass and posted pics on my website. Charles ran right over to try it and invited me to play with him a few days later in a concert. I mentioned that it had been about 15 years since I played out publicly but he insisted I come and do a two bass thing with him and even lent me a pickup. That day was a blast so much that I decided to go back and start playing again so I have him to thank for getting me back on the bass as a player. Charles was not just a player, he was in my mind an ambassador that could bring people and music together. He was a statesman in his own right and that's what many people will remember him for, his encouragement and kindness.

I don't know what else so say at this time as this is hard to do so soon after his passing. I will post a few links that I just found on line so you can read a bit of what others have posted so far..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fambrough
http://tromboneforum.org/index.php?t...7936;topicseen
http://jazztruth.blogspot.com/2011/0...fambrough.html
http://jazztimes.com/articles/25380-...rles-fambrough
Sorry to hear about this
My Condolences
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  #3  
Old 01-12-2011, 10:56 PM
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Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
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Default Services..

Services were held yesterday on 1/11/11 in Philadelphia. It was fairly well attended by family members, musicians and friends. Many people came up to speak about him and was quite emotional.

One of the earlier speakers was Stanley Clarke who was a childhood friend and became his brother in law when Charles married his sister Grace. They were married for quite sometime but the life of a musician was not the easiest back then for having a family of which Charles also had a Daughter from that first marriage. The last speaker after maybe 20 people was his wife Dolores. She mentioned that Charles wanted music all day at his service and there was. I even saw bassist Buster Williams playing on stage as well as many other musicians that had known him throughout the years.

After the services which ran from 11am to past 2PM, more music, food and gatherings were held at the near by Clef club, the same place they held two benefit concerts for Charles, one just weeks before his passing and the first about a year earlier.

"The Morning Call

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers
Jazzman Charles Fambrough, Muhlenberg teacher, dies
January 10, 2011
Allentown resident Charles Fambrough, 60, a bassist who had a 40-year career playing with some of the greatest names in contemporary jazz, died on Jan. 1.

Fambrough, who was a sideman and recorded with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Grover Washington Jr. and many others, was close to many jazz artists and fans in the Lehigh Valley

He was an adjunct professor at Muhlenberg College and performed several times a year on campus.

He suffered from kidney failure and had been on dialysis. He died of a heart attack, according to an obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A memorial service for Fambrough, a Philadelphia native, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Following the service, family and friends are invited to the Clef Club, 738 Broad St. At 7 p.m., Chris's Jazz Cafe, 1421 Samson St., will hold a jam session.

A memorial concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 25 at Muhlenberg in the Recital Hall at Baker Center. Performers will include Gary Rissmiller on drums and Tom Kozic on guitar.

In December, the Philadelphia jazz community paid tribute toFambrough at the Clef Club. Among those performing were guitarist Pat Martino and bassists Stanley Clarke and Gerald Veasley.

According to the Philadephia Inquirer obituary, Fambrough began working in pit bands for traveling Broadway shows like Bye Bye Birdie after he graduated from high school. He landed a job in 1968 with The Mike Douglas Show, the TV talk show syndicated to a national audience from a theater at 16th and Walnut Streets.

From there, he began working as a sideman. In 1970, he joined Philadelphia sax man Washington's band. In the mid-1970s, he joined Tyner's band and played on three of his albums. In 1980, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, whose lineup then included Marsalis and his older brother Branford.

When Wynton Marsalis left Blakey to form his own group, he took Fambrough with him. Fambrough played on Marsalis' 1982 album Fathers and Sons.

Fambrough debuted as a leader in 1991 with The Proper Angle, which included guest appearances by the Marsalis brothers. He released his seventh and final album, Live at Zanzibar Blue, in 2002.

He had a lifelong friendship with fellow Philadelphian and electric bassist Clarke.

He lived in Allentown and taught at Muhlenberg for about 10 years.

He is survived by his wife Dolores, his daughters Maria, Carla, Andrea, and Alycia; a son, Mark; and a granddaughter."


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