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I'm not sure how many people on this board knew him, but Malachi Richter immolated himself on Friday by the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago as a protest against the war.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1236 ... 04.article

He was an interesting guy. I knew him when I lived in Chicago because we were at so many of the same shows that we became friends by proximity. Then we started talking, and turned out to have a lot of similar interests. He recorded thousands of really great shows, many of which were issued by the bands as albums.

I haven't been in touch with him much over the last couple years, and it's been a forever since I saw him. Still, this touches me.

He will be missed.

That's fucked up.


whoa...

Wow. I heard the news story ( when Richter was not named in the coverage ), but never followed up on who it was. That is terrible.

Can't find an obituary yet on-line. Can't find anything other than the Sun-Times article, which is copied at ABC-7. Tribune seems to have nothing on it.

oh man, I recognize the name from lots of Chicago jazz records...wow

Jesus. I detest the war as much as the next guy but self imolation is too much.

the Classical wrote:oh man, I recognize the name from lots of Chicago jazz records...wow

Are you thinking of Malachi Thompson of Art Ensemble of Chicago? Maybe Richter was named after him, but the jazz musician didn't kill himself.

I was thinking Malachi Thompson/ Gerhard Richter when I saw the name.

Malachi recorded mostly jazz shows. Lots of Vandermark in particular, who used his live recordings for several discs.

Oh, NO.

I met him. I think I worked with him at the Cultural Center not long ago too.

Uncle: how do you know this was a war protest?

This happened three blocks from my office five days ago and I'm just hearing about it now? Sadness on top of sadness.

So long, Malachi.

-r

warmowski wrote:Uncle: how do you know this was a war protest?

In his gallery pages on his site he posted about it.
His "mission statement":
http://www.savagesound.com/gallery99.htm
And he wrote his own obit:
http://www.savagesound.com/gallery100.htm
And the last photo on this page:
http://www.savagesound.com/gallery98.htm

I feel weird posting this. But I feel weird reading it as well. I have no doubt that he figured page 100 was about the right time to check out.

Unc,

Thanks for posting the links.

I cannot claim to have ever consciously interacted with this man, but I completely recognize him as a regular face from random music shows. Of course, Arsenal, who's music still loops in the brain after all of these years.

But over the past hour as I read up on the story, and then in his own words, I was affected.

It is a rare insight that his prescience offers.

I acknowledge. R.I.P.