Jazz Musicians Obituaries

Vibraphonist Khan Jamal, who combined jazz-funk, post-bop, and a spirit-seeking philosophy, died on Monday at Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia. He was 75.

Mtume brought, in Miles Davis' words, "a deep African-American groove" to the trumpet legend's band before later exploring neo-minimalist funk and R&B. And then there was "Juicy."

The sheer volume of loss felt by the music world in 2020 is almost overwhelming. Here is NPR's tribute to dozens of the musicians — founders and innovators across genres — who died this year.