Lew Soloff Dies: Trumpet Player for Blood, Sweat & Tears Was at 71

Trumpet player Lew Soloff, who was an early member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, died early Sunday of an apparent heart attack. He was 71.

Soloff joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968, and performed on their hit "Spinning Wheel." He played trumpet and flugelhorn until leaving in 1974, and was featured on the group's self-titled, Grammy-winning 1970 album. He later left to pursue his own interests.

"It gave me the life experience of once having been a sort of rock star — not individually but certainly as a member of the band," he told The Jerusalem Post in 2002. "At one point, it was the second biggest band in the world. I'm thankful for that, but there was never enough improvisational freedom in the band for me to consider that as one of my jazz gigs."

Though born in Brooklyn, Soloff grew up in Lakewood, New Jersey. He also performed in the studio and on stage with Tony Bennett, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Lou Reed, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Barbra Streisand, among others.

He is survived by his daughters Laura Solomon and Lena Soloff, and nine grandchildren.

A few weeks earlier, one of his contemporaries, American swing and bebop trumpeter Clark Terry, passed away age 94.

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