John Guerin; drummer backed icons, from Sinatra to Zappa
LOS ANGELES -- John Guerin, a drummer with a broad resume in jazz and pop who was best known for his contributions to an innovative Joni Mitchell recording, died Jan. 5 of heart failure at a hospital in West Hills, Calif. He was 64.
Mr. Guerin had been battling a cold that became pneumonia but continued to perform as late as Dec. 30.
As a musician, producer, and arranger, Mr. Guerin played with several leading figures in jazz and pop music in his four-decade career. In the world of jazz that list included Thelonious Monk, George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, and Roger Kellaway. Among pop or rock figures, besides Mitchell, Mr. Guerin played with Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, The Byrds, Lou Rawls, and Linda Ronstadt.
In 1975, Mr. Guerin was a founding member of the L.A. Express, a jazz fusion band. Led by saxophonist Tom Scott, the top-flight roster also included guitarist Robben Ford, and bassist Max Bennett.
After hearing them play at a small jazz club in North Hollywood, Mitchell invited the band into the studio when she was recording her "Court and Spark" album.
They later toured with her as the opening act.
Mr. Guerin collaborated with Mitchell on the title track of "The Hissing of Summer Lawns."
"I'm very proud of that album," Mr. Guerin told Down Beat magazine. "It's a portrait in sound of the American dream, marriage, and suburbia, in a myriad of shapes and forms. The album has touched a lot of people where they didn't want to be touched. Joni has a way of articulating self-exploration in a very heartfelt way."
Mr. Guerin was born in Hawaii but grew up in the San Diego area. He was self-taught on the drums, learning by playing along with Court Basie recordings.
By his early 20s, he was playing with major names, including clarinetist Buddy DeFranco. Mr. Guerin played with pianist Shearing in the mid-'60s, and his eclectic career also included work on motion picture scores, notably Clint Eastwood's biography of Charlie Parker, "Bird," and the recent Diane Keaton/Jack Nicholson film, "Something's Gotta Give."
