Coleman Mellett (May 27, 1974 – February 12, 2009) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist in

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap Mangione, ...

's band. He had been scheduled to play with Mangione and the

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it ...

on February 13, 2009, but was killed the night before in the crash of

Colgan Air Flight 3407 Colgan Air Flight 3407 was a scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, on February 12, 2009. Approaching Buffalo, the aircraft, a Bombardier Q400, entered an aerodynamic stall from which it did not recover and ...

with band member

Gerry Niewood Gerry Niewood (April 6, 1943 – February 12, 2009), born Gerard Joseph Nevidosky, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist who worked often with Chuck Mangione. Like Mangione, Niewood was born in Rochester, New York, and graduated from the ...

. Mellett lived in

East Brunswick Township, New Jersey East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York metropolitan area and is located on the southern shore of the Raritan River, directly adjacent to New Br ...

, with his wife, jazz singer

Jeanie Bryson Jeanie Bryson (born March 10, 1958) is an American singer who sings a combination of jazz, pop, and Latin music. Her repertoire is based on jazz and pop standards from the Great American Songbook, Peggy Lee and Dinah Washington. Life and career ...

, daughter of

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

. Mellett joined Mangione's band in 1999. A documentary about the artist won Best Documentary Film at the 2019 New Jersey International Film Festival.

References

External links

Coleman Mellett at AllmusicSing You a Brand New Song: The Words and Music of Coleman Mellett
- Documentary Film 1974 births 2009 deaths Accidental deaths in New York (state) American jazz guitarists People from East Brunswick, New Jersey Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{US-jazz-guitarist-stub Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2009 Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents