I included Rosemary in my post mostly out of respect for her as a person and an artist, even though I am not a big enthusiast for her style of singing. During her prime, however, a lot of people loved Rosie -- I can remember seeing her on the Ed Sullivan show. She was also the mother of Miguel Ferrer, the actor who plays the Chief Medical Examiner on the TV show, "Crossing Jordan", and she was actor George Clooney's aunt.
Ray Brown's passing, however, really feels personal. He is one of my all-time favorite bass players, and everything he ever recorded was classy, tasteful, and swinging. He was one of 3-4 guys who defined the role of the bass as a jazz instrument. I was fortunate to see Ray perform a number of times, and I will very much miss his wonderful work.
