Paul Buckmaster, the genius instrument arranger, who worked with everyone from Elton John and The Stones to Keith Urban to Guns and Roses, has passed away at 71.
I've studied his arrangements for decades; his orchestral arrangement of Elton John's Levon still blows me away, and it doesn't matter that I've heard that song hundreds of times, I'm still in awe.
He was an incredible musician (his main instrument was cello, but he certainly wasn't limited to that) and as an arranger, he is matched by only a scant few (George Martin).
RIP Good Sir. You left us with some of the most beautiful music ever recorded.
-d.