Curtis Peagler; Noted Jazz Saxophonist

Curtis Peagler, a jazz saxophonist featured with such bands as Ray Charles and Count Basie, died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after heart surgery. He was 55.

The Cincinnati-born musician was a featured player in Charles’ band from 1964 to 1969 and with Basie from 1970 to 1977. In recent years, he was a prominent solo artist in Southern California and at international jazz festivals. He also played regularly with the San Diego-based Sweet Baby Blues Band.

“Peagler was an exciting, extrovert saxophonist who lent color to every band he played in, from Ray Charles in the 1960s to Count Basie in the ‘70s,” said Times music critic Leonard Feather.

Peagler played with rhythm and blues bands in the 1950s and early ‘60s. For a time, he managed his own group, the Jazz Disciples.

Survivors include his wife, Norma Jean, who said her husband will be buried in Cincinnati next to his mother. A Los Angeles memorial service is pending.