Pete Zorn multi-instrumentalist passed away in his sleep this morning.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by 3rd Uncle Bob, Apr 19, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. 3rd Uncle Bob

    3rd Uncle Bob Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Pete Zorn multi-instrumentalist (acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass flute, penny whistle, sopranino, alto and baritone saxes) born May 29, 1950 passed away April 19, 2016. He had been diagnosed with advanced lung and brain cancer earlier this month. Toured extensively with Richard Thompson.
    [​IMG]
     
    YearOfGlad and Daniel Thomas like this.
  2. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    Saw him many times with the RT Band. He and Danny Thompson always did such a fantastic job on "Al Bowlly's In Heaven".

    He'll be missed by many.
     
  3. 3rd Uncle Bob

    3rd Uncle Bob Forum Resident Thread Starter

  4. How sad.

    Saw Pete with RT many times - such a talented musician and on the couple of occasions I had to talk with him he seemed a modest and easy-going man.

    My condolences to family and friends.

    Best Wishes,
    David
     
    SquaRoots and 3rd Uncle Bob like this.
  5. gkmacca

    gkmacca Forum Resident

    Also part of Driver 67, with is brother in law Paul Phillips, for this UK novelty single:

     
    adriatikfan likes this.
  6. One of my favourite RT clips (of one of my favourite RT line-ups).

    A joyful rendition of 'Danny Boy' with a very animated RT.



    Best Wishes,
    David
     
    3rd Uncle Bob and Jerryb like this.
  7. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Terrible news. A very creative man.
     
  8. noahjld

    noahjld Der Wixxer

    This year is getting worse.
     
  9. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    Very sad to hear.

    RIP Pete.

    Been a horrible year for people passing away.
     
  10. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    And in Steeleye Span in recent years. A great player.
     
  11. gkmacca

    gkmacca Forum Resident

  12. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Zorn was the Swiss Army knife of sidemen. He had so much instrumental range (and was such a great backing vocalist as well) that I was fairly surprised when Richard Thompson dropped down to a trio configuration, but perhaps this explains it. He certainly went out on a high because his firey soprano sax work on 'Sidney Wells' from 2010’s Dream Attic was possible his most memorable contribution to RT's studio albums.

    Under the circumstances perhaps we can give Richard Thompson the last word on the first four months of this year: bad news is all the wind can carry.
     
  13. bibijeebies

    bibijeebies vinyl hairline spotter

    Location:
    Amstelveen (NL)
    This is a very fitting quote from Richard Thompson from the Live at Celtic Connections video booklet:
    "I first worked with Pete when we recorded with Gerry Rafferty in the late 70s," explains Thompson. "He played bass on Shoot Out The Lights in 1981 but switched to saxophone on the next album, Hand Of Kindness, because we wanted a broader palette of sounds for those songs, things like Two Left Feet and Tear Stained Letter. Pete's been pretty much a constant band member over the last twenty years. He's also a good singer which means I can put songs in the set that I can't always pull off as well when I'm playing solo shows. Pete's versatility brings with it so many arrangement possibilities, he's like three people for the same money."
     
  14. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    I didn't remember that he played bass on SOTL but that quotation reminds me: Zorn's enduring contribution to "Shoot Out The Lights" was the mandolin solo that he put onto that song in later years ... ;)
     
  15. cobbler

    cobbler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northants, UK
    Sad news. Saw him with Richard Thompson, great musician.
     
    3rd Uncle Bob likes this.
  16. Dr Faustus

    Dr Faustus A younger man now getting old

    Saw him with Steeleye Span and Richard Thompson. He really was a great musician. RIP.
     
  17. SquaRoots

    SquaRoots The North Star Grassman

    Location:
    AM✫dam.nl
    Such a great loss. RIP

    Apart from Pete's magnificent work with RT and others, I've always liked the F F Z album a lot:

     
    mikrt17 and adriatikfan like this.
  18. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    I only saw him once live with RT and he was so interesting to watch that it took some of the focus off Richard. He was like a mad scientist in the lab changing instruments constantly and singing his heart out. It made for more of a balance of power coming off the stage.....very impressive stuff. I feel bad about so many of our great musicians leaving us behind but we're all on that journey. Look out,look up, look around, Pete Zorn your world...play with joy and abandon and make the world a better place.
     
    YearOfGlad likes this.
  19. mikrt17

    mikrt17 Life has surface noise.

    Location:
    BROADSTAIRS UK
    I remember this album very well as an engineer I recorded this album some 45 years ago I've bumped
    into Pete a few times over the years and I am very sad to hear of his passing, as well as a very fine musician
    he was a lovely guy and very easy to work with.
     
  20. Django

    Django Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Only 4 months in and 2016 is turning out to be a poxy year for music fans.
     
  21. Maseman66

    Maseman66 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Westchester, NY
    This is getting to be too much to comprehend! RIP
     
  22. Don't know how I could have forgotten this.

    Saw Show of Hands yesterday evening (great show!) and they paid tribute to Pete from their time together in the early 80s in the 'Arizona Smoke Revue' and dedicated their song 'Exiles' to him.

    I saw ASR at an early Cropredy and they were very good and still have a cassette of their album kicking about here somewhere.



    Best Wishes,
    David
     
    3rd Uncle Bob likes this.
  23. davmar77

    davmar77 I'd rather be drummin'...

    Location:
    clifton park,ny
    i'd heard he wasn't doing well. like many here i saw him many times with richard thompson. he really added some great musical color with his contributions.
    rip pete
     
    3rd Uncle Bob likes this.
  24. YearOfGlad

    YearOfGlad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    This is terribly sad news.

    The only good I can take from it is that he looked like he had a heck of a good time in his years on this Earth Certainly packed a lot of music into them. He also looked EXACTLY like a crazy bachelor uncle who plays the saxophone. (He reminded me of Red Groetzinger, whom I sew many times in Chicago playing with the Son Seals Band.)

    I love the version of "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" at the beginning of this great video from 2013 at the BBC. I had tried to "get into" Richard Thompson about once a decade with no success until just last year, but when I saw this I was hooked.

    Turns out RT is not just a wimpy folk singer shivering in a damp wool sweater singing about druids and unicorns. No, RT is a funky dude with a crack rhythm section who has a BARITONE SAXOPHONE playing lead on his most famous song. This is a guy I have to go see live.

    [​IMG]

    Pete Zorn huffs, puffs, blows house down starting at 2:24:

    YoG
     
    3rd Uncle Bob likes this.
  25. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Oh poo. :(
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine