Noted jazz musician Bob Belden dies in NYC at age 58

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, file photo, jazz musician, composer and producer Bob Belden plays soprano saxophone in a performance of the Animation ensemble from the U.S. during the Iranian Fajr International Music Festival at the Vahdat ... more >

By CHARLES J. GANS - Associated Press - Wednesday, May 20, 2015
NEW YORK (AP) - Bob Belden, a Grammy-winning jazz musician, composer, arranger and producer who was the first American musician to perform in Iran since its 1979 revolution when he toured there earlier this year, died Wednesday. He was 58.

Belden died at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan after suffering a heart attack in his apartment, his sister Elizabeth Belden Harmstone said. She described her brother as a pioneer and a “jazz musician true and true.”

In February, Belden and his group, Animation, went on a four-day tour of Iran, performing tunes by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Belden’s own compositions. The visit, which came as Tehran and Washington engaged in nuclear talks, was arranged by Search for Common Ground, a U.S. nonprofit organization that aims to promote better ties between the long-time rivals.

“You have made our dream come true,” Belden told a Tehran audience, according to a New York Times report. “Visiting Iran has been such a human experience.”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/20/noted-jazz-saxophonist-bob-belden-dies-in-nyc-at-a/#ixzz3aoId18e1 
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