NYT Saxophonist-Composer Bob Belden Dies at 58

May 21, 2015 / No Comments

Lost-Jazz-Shrines-for-Ticketing-Site-Event-PageBob Belden, a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader and record producer who was both a historian of the music and a force in moving it forward, died on Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 58

He died three days after having a heart attack, said his sister, Beth Belden Harmstone.

Engaged and opinionated, Mr. Belden was part reformist and part conservationist. As a bandleader and record maker, he often looked for ways to connect the jazz tradition to other energies. In February he performed in Tehran with his group Animation, in a concert brought about in part by the American nonprofit organization Search for Common Ground. It was the first time an American musician had played in Iran since 1979.

Source: New York Times