Vaché, Warren W(ebster) 1914-2005
Vaché, Warren W(ebster) 1914-2005
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 27, 1914, in Brooklyn, NY; died of complications from cancer and pneumonia, February 4, 2005, in Rahway, NJ. Musician and author. Vaché was a jazz bassist and historian of jazz music who performed with some of the masters of his day. A traditionalist in terms of musical style, Vaché could, in his early career, be seen performing in Greenwich Village with such talents as clarinetist Pee Wee Russell and guitarist Eddie Condon. Never able to make a full-time living as a musician despite his skill, he earned additional money as a jukebox repairman and appliance salesman. Later in his career he formed his own band, the Syncopatin' Seven, and performed with other jazz masters like Doc Cheatham. Vaché was also the founder of the New Jersey Jazz Society, for which he edited the magazine Jersey Jazz, and was a tireless promoter of jazz music throughout his life. He wrote several biographies and histories about jazz, including This Horn for Hire: Pee Wee Erwin (1987), Back Beats and Rim Shots: The Johnny Blowers Story (1997), and The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melody (2000). At the time of his death, he had just completed a biography of trumpet player Chris Griffin.
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
New York Times, February 20, 2005, p. A25.
Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), February 5, 2005, p. 23.