Very sad to hear of the passing of saxophonist Bob Belden who died yesterday in New York at the age of 58. He had suffered a heart attack at home but died in hospital.

Belden’s albums included the acclaimed Black Dahlia and Miles From India and as a record producer he won Grammys for his work on beautifully meticulous box set reissues of Miles Davis’ work.

I only heard Belden play once memorably back in 2012 his first gig in London since 1980 and his long ago days with Woody Herman. Performing a special Ambisonic surround sound set that night with live video projections at the Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove with his band Animation, Belden opened up on flute before switching to saxophone later revved up by the blindingly propulsive energy of a young band. I had grabbed a few words with him in his dressing room earlier when he spoke engagingly of his admiration for Blue Note producers such as Duke Pearson. Belden had a restless musical imagination and a passion for the music. He had been playing until recently even touring as far afield as Iran earlier this year. SG