{"id":3243,"date":"2012-01-02T00:51:01","date_gmt":"2012-01-02T08:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/?p=3243"},"modified":"2012-01-02T16:42:43","modified_gmt":"2012-01-03T00:42:43","slug":"sam-rivers-and-barbara-lea-rip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/2012\/01\/sam-rivers-and-barbara-lea-rip\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Rivers And Barbara Lea, RIP"},"content":{"rendered":"

As 2011 wound down, American music lost two octogenarians who were dramatically different except for what they had in common, insistence on getting to the heart of the matter without compromise. Sam Rivers died in Orlando, Florida on December 26 at the age of 88, Barbara Lea the same day in Raleigh, North Carolina, at 82. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Rivers was a formidable saxophonist, flutist and composer. He had a university education in harmony, theory and composition, played blues with T-Bone Walker, worked with Miles Davis for a time, and became a leading figure in the avant garde. Rivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 1964 Fuchsia Swing Song<\/a>, now a collectors item, melded experimentation with established values. His composition \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beatrice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from the album quickly joined the standard jazz repertoire. According to Rivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 daughter Monique, he remained active as a performer and teacher until virtually the eve of his death and recorded material for dozens of albums yet to be released. Rivers was a lifelong prober beneath the surface, unsatisfied with routine, using his intellect and daring in equal measure to discover mysteries. <\/p>\n

Here are Rivers and his quartet at the 1989 Leverkusener Jazztage in Germany, playing \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beatrice.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Rael Wesley Grant is on bass, Darryl Thompson on guitar and Steve Mcraven on drums.<\/p>\n