Paul Buckmaster R.I.P.

Sad news. I'll be playing his collaboration with Miles Davis in his honour (On The Corner).

 

Matthew Wilder on Twitter

 

Talented guy, I loved his work on Carly Simon's No Secrets especially.

 

A brilliant arranger and a key ingredient of Elton John's initial success. His arrangement on Elton's Have Mercy on the Criminal is mindblowing, but I also enjoy how he made brooding, grandiose arrangements work with funky tracks such as:



Moonlight Mile is one of the best Rolling Stones songs, in my opinion, although I did not know he was the one behind the arrangement. Very sad passing. Hopefully this will fuel Elton's inspiration to make an album with strings and sessions players like the old days.

 

Take solace in knowing just how many over the years have absorbed his work, and later went into a music career. And now that there's one less Paul Buckmaster in the world on a producer's speed dial, there will be that much more chances for his acolytes to get that call, and write their own contributions to the next guys' albums.

And, that's where art comes from.

 

That's just it though, who are the present-day superstar arrangers? (Not that Paul Buckmaster was a superstar or a household name but given the length and breadth of his career I'd say he was the closest thing to a "superstar arranger.") Are there any other even semi well-known arrangers anymore? Off the top of my head, I can think of Owen Pallett, Anne Dudley and...well... the list drops off from there. With so much use of Ableton and Pro Tools, there simply isn't as much call for arrangers as there was a generation ago and Paul's passing I think also marks the passing of an era. He will be missed.

 

His death is confirmed, sadly.
A genius, a great musician and arranger and a dear friend for me....RIP!

 

What an artist. Thank you, Buck.

 

Damn..I loved Paul Buckmaster.

From Space Oddity to On the corner to Sway and everything else in between, he had a sound that was his. What a talent.

RIP

 

R.I.P. Paul.

 

Very sad. PB was a very special musician who made a huge contribution. He does the cello solo on Odessa by the Bee Gees, he had a beautiful tone. Popular music was lucky to have him.

 

This is so sad, however apart from that tweet, I see nothing.

I hope we eventually hear his work with Bowie on the original soundtrack for The Man Who Fell To Earth.

 

Legendary arranger - very sad. He definitely added style to whatever project he was working on. Elton helped Brandi Carlile get him to arrange for her "Give up the ghost" album.

 

I had Friends spinning through my head last week. His work on that song and so many of Elton's was so tasteful and gentle. It recalled past arrangements, but never sounded dated.

 

Had no idea it was he who played the cello on Odessa's title track. Did he also play on the lovely Melody Fair?

 

I have enjoyed his fine work for most of my life. Thank you and RIP.

 

My favourite String arranger.

RIP.

 

A master arranger. You can always tell a Buckmaster arrangement. RIP

 

While Elton John definitely holds no interest for me Paul Buckmaster's work with Michael Chapman, Caravan and Miles Davis did. Sad news.

 

Aside from the brilliant work with Bowie and Elton (Have Mercy on the Criminal is one of the greats often overlooked), he also arranged strings on Ben Folds' and Nick Hornby's Lonely Avenue.

 

RIP, so many beautiful songs.

He did the arrangements on side 2 of Terrapin Station, one of the Dead’s more ambitious pieces.

 

I'll have to check out more of his work. I see no one else reporting his death at this point.

 

I did find this:
Addio al musicista e arrangiatore Paul Buckmaster. Una playlist per ricordarlo :: News :: OndaRock
but it appears to use the Twitter post mentioned earlier as its basis.

 

brought some of my favorite music to higher levels. elton and odessa were so much richer after his brilliance.

 

It's on WIKI.