Canadian guitarist and banjo player Warren stirtzinger died December 4, 2016 in St. Catharines, Ontario. He was 65 years old.

Stirtzinger was a member of Ray Skalski’s Jambalaya Jazz Band, Original River Dogs and Bar-room Buzzards, with whom he recorded a CD, Little Band Plays the Big Bands (2002).

Stirtzinger has been a full-time musician since graduating from Brock University in 1977. He has worked in various groups in the Niagara and Buffalo regions, including the John Sherwood Trio, the Bill Stevens Dixieland Band and the Niagara College Jazz Band. Performance credits include appearances with trumpeter Guido Basso, vibist Peter Appleyard and guitar legend Mundell Lowe.

The Warren Stirtzinger Duo performed at the Niagara Jazz Festival 2015, at Stratus Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He was also a member of the Stringed Edition Guitar Ensemble of western New York.

Ray Skalski, the Buffalo-based trombonist and conductor, said Stritzinger was “an accomplished musician in every way and a great human being. It was always a pleasure to work with him on the bandstand and to know him as a friend off the booth since the mid-80s. Warren was excellent at empathetic and swing ensemble work and was a soloist. fabulous. He was really talented.

Donations in memory of Stirtzinger are accepted by the Canadian Cancer Society. – RT

Russ Tarby is based in Syracuse NY and has written on jazz for The Syncopated Times, The Syracuse New Times, The Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse (JASS) JazzFax Newsletter and several other publications.