Ray Gaskins has been in Roy Ayers band for years. He's a multi instrumentalist in every way. You'll find a video I made of Everybody Loves The Sunshine here
By FREDERICK N. RASMUSSEN
Raeford E. “Ray” Gaskins Jr., a saxophonist, keyboardist and songwriter who performed as the Ray Gaskins Quartet for three decades in local jazz clubs as well as clubs in New York City, New England and Europe, died of early onset dementia Jan. 20 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Arlington West in Baltimore. He was 62.
“He played with many people and all over the place because he loved people,” said Jesse Powers, the leader of Spice and a bass player. “Ray was down to earth and a musician’s musician. He played smooth jazz and was straight ahead and you knew when Ray would hang with you, he’d captivate the audience.”
Johnny Jones, a drummer, is also a member of Spice.
“Ray is a very talented sax player and singer and we did a lot of gigs together,” said Mr. Jones, who began playing with Mr. Gaskins in the mid-1990s. “He was a great guy, a wonderful musician, and everyone in Baltimore loved him.”
Lantz Stevenson, who later became the owner of Lantz’s Place, a Park Avenue nightclub, said: “I first got to know Ray when we were 16. He was at Douglass and I was at City College and he was playing horn back then.”
“Ray was dynamic in so many ways. He was a master musician, lived a great life, and did well making music,” Mr. Stevenson said. “He was the man and he could stand up to the competition, and was magnificent when it came to the horn.
Raeford Earl Gaskins Jr., who was the son of Raeford E. Gaskins Sr., a city firefighter, and Dora M. Foy Gaskins Hynson, a nurse, was born in Baltimore and raised on West Cold Spring Lane and in the city’s Parklane neighborhood. He was also the stepson of Joseph Hynson.
Mr. Gaskins began taking weekly music lessons when he was 10 years old, and by the time he began studying at Pimlico Junior High School, it was apparent that he was talented with numerous instruments, particularly woodwinds.
While attending Frederick Douglass High School, he continued his music studies and was a member of the school’s marching band, jazz band and several other groups. He also performed with local nonschool groups when he was 16.
After dropping out of Douglass, Mr. Gaskins enlisted in the Navy where he earned his GED diploma while being trained in radio communications. While serving overseas, he sought out local jazz clubs and “jammed with others regardless of whether or not he knew the local language,” said his sister, Annette K. “Trina” Gaskins, of Abingdon.
He eventually moved to New York City and immersed himself in the city’s jazz community, and then to London, where he joined his cousin, Jocelyn L. Brown, who is also known as Jocelyn Shaw, an R&B singer.
While living in London for a decade, Mr. Gaskins released several albums, “Can’t Stop,” “Shady Lane,” “Timepieces,” “Soul Crusade,” “A Night in the Life,” and “Reach,” along with several singles.
Mr. Gaskins also worked with the late Phyllis Hyman, the American R&B, soul and jazz singer who was also a songwriter and actress, and Roy Ayers, the vibraphonist, and funk, soul and jazz composer, where he played sax and keyboard, and performed vocals.
“Ray was on the road with the great Roy Ayers for about 17 or 24 years,” Mr. Jones said.
Returning to Baltimore in the early 2000s, Mr. Gaskins continued playing at such local spots as Sportsman’s Lounge, Caton Castle, Club 347 and The Place Lounge, among other venues.
“Ray was never prosaic,” Mr. Powers said. “He was likable and tenacious, and when he came on, he came on like a volcano. His energy was so raw and when he came on we’d say, ‘We’re going to have some fun tonight.’ Hey, man, he always gave a solid performance. The bottom line is, I loved Ray, and he was my best friend.”
“He’d come in the club in the middle of the day and if I had musicians there, he’d play with them,” Mr. Stevenson said. “It was his way of talking. He’d get a horn and start playing.”
Four years ago, Mr. Gaskins, who had lived in East Baltimore and Park Heights Avenue, had to give up performing as the illness that took his life ended his musical career.
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“He had a stroke and he didn’t know people he had known for years, like me,” Mr. Stevenson said. “It was real hard.”
A memorial service for Mr. Gaskins will be held at noon Saturday at Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church, 3925 Dolfield Ave., in West Arlington.
In addition to his sister, Mr. Gaskins is survived by his wife of a decade, Risa Matsuhara; a son, Malcom Peter Ruff of West Arlington; a daughter, Rhea Him Gaskins of Japan; his father, Raeford E. Gaskins Sr. of Gwynn Oak; his mother, Dora M. Foy Gaskins Hynson of West Arlington; a stepfather, Joseph Hynson of West Arlington; a stepsister, Angela Oliver of Randallstown; four grandchildren; aunts, uncles and many cousins.
