News from the darkest corners...

Cuban musician Faustino Oramas, adored for his saucy ballads and one of the last remaining stars behind the acclaimed Buena Vista Social Club compact disc, died on Tuesday at age 95, Cuban state radio said.

Nicknamed “El Guayabero” after a town that inspired him to write a song after he got into trouble there for flirting with a married woman, Oramas died of liver cancer in a hospital in his home town of Holguin, the radio said.

Often called the king of double-entendres, Oramas composed “Candela” — one of the most rhythmically charged tracks on the 1997 Buena Vista CD. The project brought together the semi-forgotten masters of Cuban “son,” a rootsy and passionate style of traditional music considered the backbone of salsa.

Many of its stars have already died — guitarist Compay Segundo and pianist Ruben Gonzalez in 2003, aged 95 and 84, singer Ibrahim Ferrer in 2005, age 78, and singer-composer Pio Leyva last year at age 88.

Oramas first made his name as a troubadour, wandering from town to town with his guitar and soon became famous for lacing his lyrics with metaphors and sexual innuendo.

Buena Vista Social Club, spearheaded by U.S. guitarist Ry Cooder, and the documentary by Wim Wenders that accompanied it, thrust Cuban son onto the international scene in the late 1990s and the music sold off shelves around the world.

While documents record his birth as in 1911, Oramas was never sure of his exact age. Some say he was as old as 103.

Tyrone Hill, trombone player for the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, left the planet on March 11, 2007 at age 58. He first started playing the trombone during his Gillespie Junior High School days in North Philadelphia.

Tyrone joined the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1979 and remained a fixture of the brass section for his 28 years in the Arkestra. He brought a pulsating rich and full sound to Sun Ra’s music that was appreciated by many of the musicians inside the Arkestra and by countless fans of the band. Sun Ra always relied on Tyrone Hill to kick off compositions like “Discipline 27-II” where his trombone would set the pace that would be followed by the rest of the band. He can be found on over 40 LPs and CDs with the Sun Ra Arkestra.

When not busy with Arkestra engagements, he led the “Deep Space Posse” group whose music was inspired by Sun Ra, but explored other elements in the avant-garde jazz direction. He also provided a house band for a television cooking show hosted by Bobby Seale and has played in the Philadelphia Mummer’s Day Parade.

An avid Philadelphia Eagles fan, Tyrone could be found outside the front gate of Lincoln Financial Field playing the Eagles fight song before many Eagles home games. The Philadelphia Daily News featured Tyrone in an October 29, 2004 article with Tyrone stating “I’m a die-hard Eagles fan. I feel like I’m their 12th man because somebody told me that every time I play here, they win. Their winning brings people in the city together. I feel that love in North Philly, where I’m from, and all over the city.”

Marshall Allen, the Musical Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra, commented “We will always remember Tyrone for the beautiful music that he created.” Arkestra trumpet player Fred Adams noted “I was shoulder to shoulder with Tyrone in the brass section for my entire Arkestra career. His sound always boosted mine and the sum of my trumpet and his trombone always ended up greater than the total of those two instruments.” Long time Arkestra vocalist Art Jenkins spoke for many in the band when he said that Tyrone would be deeply missed in the Arkestra.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2007, 3:00 p.m. at the Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond St., Philadelphia. The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen will participate in the memorial to pay tribute to the dedicated service Tyrone gave within the Arkestra.

Tyrone Hill joins many members of the Sun Ra spirit omniverse Arkestra who are now playing stronger in the next dimension now that Tyrone Hill has joined their ranks.