Curtis Fowlkes was a jazz trombonist and singer who pushed the boundaries of avant-garde jazz as part of the Jazz Passengers.
- Died: August 31, 2023 (Who else died on August 31?)
- Details of death: Died in New York City of congestive heart failure at the age of 73.
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Curtis Fowlkes’ legacy
Hailing from Brooklyn, Fowlkes started playing music locally. Though he would become an influential musician in the wider avant-garde jazz scene, he remained a Brooklyn mainstay for the rest of his life. He developed his skills early at Tilden High School in the East Flatbush neighborhood and at Manhattan Community College before starting regular local gigs, especially at Big Apple Circus.
At Big Apple Circus, he met Roy Nathanson, a saxophonist and his co-founder of the Jazz Passengers. They first played together in the Lounge Lizards, a regular band in the New York club scene, before forming their own group in 1987. With vibraphonist Bill Ware, bassist Brad Jones, drummer E. J. Rodriguez, and other frequent guest players, the Jazz Passengers developed a sound that mixed hard bop and flights of pure experimental exploration, often with a cinematic approach. They recorded almost a dozen albums together.
Fowlkes played on dozens of other albums with a host of other musicians like the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Elvis Costello, the Kansas City All-Stars, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, and Deborah Harry of Blondie. In 1999, he released a solo album, “Reflect,” on Knitting Factory Records.
Tributes to Curtis Fowlkes
Full obituary: The New York Times
