Jazz musician Sam Rivers dies from pneumonia at 88

[December 29, 2011]  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Sam Rivers, an internationally-known jazz musician who played with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 88.

Monique Rivers Williams says her father died Monday night from pneumonia.

The Oklahoma native was a saxophonist, flutist and composer.

He started his career in Boston, where he performed with Herb Pomeroy's big band in an ensemble that included future music producer Quincy Jones. In 1964, he moved to New York and was hired by Davis. He played with a diverse group of musicians there that included Gillespie, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker.

He moved to Orlando in the early 1990s and regularly played with a group of jazz musicians whose day jobs were at Walt Disney World.

Plans are being made for a public memorial concert.

[Associated Press]

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