A true gentleman, excellent pianist and an in demand arranger / musical director, Charles Coleman, died in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, February 25th. His daughter Gayle informs me that the cause was cancer of the liver and that he’d been ill for some time. He had had a successful kidney transplant in June 2000 but suffered liver damage from hepatitis contracted during dialysis. He had been living in Vegas for better than five years.

He came to Montreal from Pennsylvania in 1957 where he had worked in Scranton as an organist and choirmaster in 1947. He had studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Music and began his arranging and conducting career while working as an assistant bandmaster in the U.S.A.F. I was to hear him often during his first stay here, both as a solo pianist and as an accompanist to singers like Arlene Smith. He then moved on to Ottawa and by 1959 was being heard on Saturday afternoon CBC radio broadcasts with reedman Russell Thomas [later known as Sayyd Abdul Al Khabyyr]. While living in the Nation’s capital he was involved in CBC variety show broadcasts and a pair of recordings for their transcription service. In 1964 he did, You Do Something To Me. A Lot of Living To Do, C’est Magnifique, This Time The Dream’s On Me and his original, A Chord-ing To Charles with bassist Champ Champagne, drummer Glenn Robb and [on the first three items] vocalist Patti Lewis. In 1967 he redid that original along with Will You Still Be Mine? and You Don’t Know What Love Is with a trio of Gerry Hoelke, bass and Doug Johnston, drums. He recorded Charles Coleman Plays for the U.S. Jubilee label in the late 60s.

He returned to the U.S. in ’67 and began a long career as pianist and/or musical director for a number of singers and shows. These include, Sarah Vaughan [1968], No, No Nanette [1971], Melba Moore, including her TV show [1971-72], Raisin’ [1973], The Wiz [1974 and again in 1984], the film Drum [1976], Timbuktu [1977], Harry Belafonte, and the show Ain’t Misbehavin’ [1979], Purlie on TV and work in Westbury with Lou Rawls, Gladys Knight and Joan Rivers [1981], Blues In The Night and Sophisticated Ladies as well as a stint as Professor of Music, Borough of Manhattan Community College [1982], he appeared in the Cotton Club film [1983] and Shout Up A Morning [1986].

Among his conducting credits on TV were shows headed by Ed Sullivan, Joey Bishop. Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Steve Allen, Flip Wilson, Red Foxx and Andy Williams.

The last time I saw, heard and hung out with this marvellous person was during his last stay in Montreal from 1986 - 1990, when he could be heard with bassist Skip Bey at the Delta Hotel and on stage in the first run of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, with Ranee Lee, Richard Ring and Bey, at Club Soda.

A string arrangement that he wrote can be found on [Little] Jimmy Scott’s Holding Back The Years, released on the Artists Only! label in 1998. Funeral arrangements are still pending. Charles, thanks for the memories of the fine music and kind words.

lendobbin@sympatico.ca

Len Dobbin is a well known Montreal jazz writer and radio host. He hosts "Dobbin's Den" on CKUT 90.3 FM each Sunday from 11 AM through 1 PM.