“With beautiful writing and riveting first-hand reports, Dan brought to life people I revered but never met and history that shaped the present but had always felt hopelessly distant.” That was part of a Facebook comment from Louis Armstrong Eternity Band leader David Ostwald, one of many memories expressed about Dan Morgenstern, the writer, historian, and Jersey Jazz columnist, shortly after news of his death from heart failure became known. Morgenstern passed away September 7 in New York at the age of 94.
His last Dan’s Den column appeared in June when he reflected on the loss of one of his jazz colleagues, Mosaic Records Founder Michael Cuscuna. Complete coverage of Dan’s life and career, including tributes from many of those who knew him, will appear in the October issue of the magazine.
PHOTO BY TOM PICH, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS