Final Cadence
Angelo Zanco ’46 of Watertown, MA, died on July 28. He was 90. Zanco was a U.S. Army veteran in World War II. Much of his career was spent working as a firefighter. He was an avid saxophonist and had studied with Freddy Guerra at Berklee when it was known as the Schillinger House. He leaves his wife, Marion; son John; and grandson Jack.
Jazz trumpeter and educator Herb Pomeroy ’52 of Gloucester, MA, died of cancer on August 11 (see page 9 for full story).
Pianist Kathleen Latter ’54 of Beverly, MA, died on July 19 after a lengthy illness. She was 72. Latter taught for many years at Peabody Music Box and was an active performer at various restaurants, nightclubs, and retirement homes in the Beverly area.
Pianist Charles Bechler ’59 of Waldoboro, ME, passed away on May 7 from complications following a stroke. He was 75. Bechler played regularly at the Waldo Theatre Annex and Broad Bay Congregational Church in Waldoboro. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the group Osmosis with Charlie Mariano, played at New York’s Village Vanguard, and opened for Tina Turner and the J. Geils Band. He leaves his wife, Audrey; sons Christopher and Douglas; and two grandchildren.
Keyboardist/composer Joe Zawinul ’59 of Malibu, CA, died on September 11 in his native Vienna, Austria, following a battle with a rare form of skin cancer. He was 75. After leaving Berklee, Zawinul worked with Maynard Ferguson, Dinah Washington, and Cannonball Adderley. He penned the hits “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Birdland.” The latter won three Grammy Awards.
Zawinul was a pioneer of jazz-rock fusion and a key player and composer on the albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. In 1970 he assembled the groundbreaking group Weather Report with Wayne Shorter. Toward the end of his life, he performed with the Zawinul Syndicate and composed classical orchestral music. He leaves his wife, Maxine, and three children.
Anthony DiMaggio ’66 of Naples, FL, died on August 9. He was 64. DiMaggio worked as a trombonist with the bands of Buddy Rich, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and others and played with various jazz groups in Connecticut before retiring in Florida. He leaves his wife, Gail, and daughter Lisa.
Saxophonist Kurk McGettrick ’70 of Studio City, CA, died on May 7 after a battle with cancer. He was 61. McGettrick gained acclaim for his work with Frank Zappa beginning in 1988. Noted for his baritone sax playing, McGettrick also recorded with B.B. King, Tom Petty, Patti LaBelle, the Meters, Phoebe Snow, and the Ladd McIntosh Big Band, as well as on several movie soundtracks.
Guitarist Peter Gilmore Grey ’79 of San Francisco, CA, died on September 6 after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51. He performed with the Peter Grey Quartet in San Francisco and later worked in the software industry. Recently, his interest in machinery led him to found the business Machined Things. Grey leaves his wife, Vicki, and son Alec.
Marc Levisohn ’91 of Oceanside, CA, died on August 28 after a battle with cancer. He was 37. Levisohn earned his degree from the MP&E Department and was a sound designer for the postproduction company HUM. He also founded his own postproduction company Open Ears in Santa Monica, CA. Levisohn served as a member of Berklee College of Music’s Board of Trustees between 2003 and 2006. He leaves his wife, Felicia Lee.
