In Passing

Long Beach, Calif.

Art Davis, jazz musician

Art Davis, the renowned double bassist who played with John Coltrane and other jazz greats, has died. Davis, 73, died of a heart attack July 29 at his home in Long Beach.

Known for his stunning and complete mastery of the instrument, Davis was able to jump between genres. He played classical music with the New York Philharmonic, was a member of the NBC, Westinghouse and CBS orchestras, and played for Broadway shows. He was described by jazz critic Nat Hentoff as Coltrane’s favorite bassist.

Davis was blacklisted in the 1970s for speaking up about racism in the music industry, then later earned a doctorate in clinical psychology and balanced performance dates with appointments to see patients.

Santa Monica, Calif.

Chet Currier, financial writer

Chet Currier, whose stock market and investing stories were fixtures in newspapers across the U.S. during a 29-year career at the Associated Press, died July 29. He was 62.

Currier, who also worked for Bloomberg News, died of prostate cancer at a hospice in Santa Monica, Calif.

A prolific writer, Currier for years reported the Wall Street story as it developed throughout the trading day, also turning out three weekly columns on the markets and personal finance. He later launched two columns on mutual fund investing for the AP.

“Chet Currier defined the Wall Street beat for the Associated Press at a time when millions of average Americans were becoming stock and mutual fund owners,” said Jim Kennedy, AP vice president and director of strategic planning. “He literally opened the territory for the general news audience.”

Houston

Marvin Zindler, crusading reporter

Marvin Zindler, the flamboyant television consumer reporter whose crusade against a rural brothel inspired the play and movie “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” died July 29. Zindler, 85, died of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Zindler landed at Houston TV station KTRK in 1973, soon after being fired at age 51 from the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, where he had fought consumer fraud. He wasted little time before making his mark by railing against “a bawdy house” near La Grange that July.

The TV reports made Zindler a household name statewide. His fame grew when a Playboy magazine story followed. “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” became a Broadway smash and propelled Zindler to national renown.

He liked the play but hated the Burt Reynolds-Dolly Parton movie of the same name, in which Dom DeLuise played him over the top.