JOHN COLTRANE

Pharoah Sanders, the revered tenor saxophonist known to the jazz world for the spirituality of his work, has died.

A library devoted to Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s writings, scrapbooks and record collection opens next week in Tokyo for research, cultural exchange and a gathering spot for his fans.

George Wein, one of the great impresarios of 20th century music who helped found the Newport jazz and folk festivals and set the template for gatherings everywhere from Woodstock to the south of France, has died at 95.

One eighth-grader competing in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling bee has earned more recognition for her athletic prowess than for her mastery of the dictionary.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

In this 2019 photo provided by Smoke Sessions Records, musician Jimmy Cobb poses for the release of his album "This I Dig of You" in New York City. (Courtesy of Smoke Sessions Records via AP)Jimmy Cobb, a percussionist and the last surviving member of Miles Davis 1959 Kind of Blue groundbreaking jazz album which transformed the genre and sparked several careers, died Sunday. But Cobbs role as a drummer on the Kind of Blue jam session headed by Davis would forever change his career. It has sold more than 4 million copies and remains the best selling jazz album of all time. Cobb released his last album, This I Dig of You, with Smoke Sessions Records in August 2019.