Ray Blue, the Peekskill musician who entertained audiences throughout the world with his jazz saxophone, died on May 21. He was 75. His generous spirit and soulful music were a balm for a weary world. He will be waked at the Joseph F. Nardone Funeral Home on Sunday, June 1, from 2-8 p.m. A celebration of Life will be held at the AME Zion Church 1220 Park Street at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 2.
Blue, who was named Raphael, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 17, 1950, to Jacqueline Millicent “Jackie” Smith and George W. Fleming. He was raised in Peekskill by Jackie and Jeptha B. Blue. He was the eldest of four children and became known as Ray. He was the first grandchild of his mother’s parents, Ursula Mahon-Smith and Coleman Smith Sr., who raised 12 children.
He attended Peekskill schools and graduated in the Class of 1968 from Peekskill High School (PHS), where he played football and baseball and was a member of the marching band. He went off to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, with his trusty saxophone, where he studied sociology and earned a master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Iowa.
He began his professional career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the Veterans Administration Hospital and later became an Adjunct Professor at Mercy College and the University of New York, where he taught sociology and academic enrichment skills. He also created a college incentive program for high school students in Mount Vernon.
Always interested in spreading the power of music, he founded and became the executive director of Cross-Cultural Connection, Inc., a non-profit jazz organization, focusing on teaching, developing, and presenting live jazz to students and wider audiences.The annual Jazz in the Park Festival, produced by Cross-Cultural Connection at the Peekskill Riverfront Park, was close to his heart.
Traveling, playing jazz music, entertaining, teaching, and mentoring were some of his delights. An experienced reader of sheet music, Blue played original jazz compositions, taught, and mentored musicians in countries on many continents. He studied at the Jazz Mobile in New York City with Charles Davis, Stanton Davis and later with Paul Jeffrey, Sonny Sharrock, George Coleman and Barry Harris. More of his mentors include Arthur Blythe, Houston Person, Ornette Coleman and Benny Powell.
He traveled all over the world, including the U.S. State Department tours to South Africa, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Gabon, and Zambia. One of the many highlights of his professional career occurred in 2003, when he performed at the Macufe Festival in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Legendary trumpeter/bandleader Hugh Masekela invited Ray onstage to play with him in front of a huge jazz festival crowd. Ray Blue’s legacy is his music, which can be enjoyed in his many recordings.
He released his first CD as a leader, Always with a Purpose, in 2001. Then came Ray Blue Live at Liars Theater in 2004 and “Ray Blue Live at Liars Theater 2 in 2005. In 2006 he released ‘Transvision’ on the Neu Klang label and Berries and Blues in 2010. The newest CD ‘Work’ on Jazz Head Records was released in October 2019. He also has recorded three Duo Christmas single releases with Lafayette Harris and Nat Adderly, Jr..
He was the recipient of many awards and recognitions over the years, including the Distinguished Career Award from his alma mater, William Penn University, in 2010. Since 2004 William Penn University annually presents “The Ray Blue Jazz Award” to a graduating senior. The university hosted its inaugural “Jazz Education Festival” in 2007 for high school and college musicians in Ray Blue’s name. “The Ray Blue Jazz Academy was initiated in 2019. He was inducted to the New York Hall of Blues in 2013 as a Master Blues and Jazz Artist.
In the city of Peekskill he was a favorite son, with a proclamation declaring February 2014 as “Ray Blue Month” to thank Ray for his service to the Peekskill community and beyond. In 2023 he was honored in Peekskill’s Juneteenth parade.
Always remembering his roots, Blue made himself available to various organizations for local gigs, from the Garden Club of Peekskill’s holiday tea and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala brunch to the inaugural Kwanza Ball in 2015. He was instrumental in creating a jazz culture in Peekskill, anchored by the Bean Runner Café.
On the day after he died, in a Facebook post entitled “Ode to Ray Blue” the Bean Runner family summed up who Blue was:
“You didn’t just play jazz — you breathed it. Your sax told stories that words couldn’t hold. Here at Bean Runner Cafe, your music filled the room, and your spirit filled our hearts.
You weren’t just a performer – you were family. Mentor, Friend, Fixture of our stage. Your presence elevated our little café into something sacred, night after night, note after note.
Thank you, Ray, for the rhythms, the laughter, the soul, and for making this corner of Peekskill feel like the center of the jazz universe.
You’ll always have a seat at our table, and a spotlight waiting.
A devoted husband to his wife of 23 years, Riitta Blue, he was a loving and caring father to Maurice and Jason. He was a loving grandfather to Ava Christine Blue, Kennedy Reese Blue, Jackson Patrick Blue, Sydney Shea Blue, and Mackenzie Beth Harris. Ray adored his aunts Carmen and Angie. He also loved his aunts and uncles, who predeceased him, David Calvin Smith, Coleman Smith Jr., Muriel Consuela Smith, Roaul Francis Smith, Raphael Kent Smith, Lola Smith, Lowell Smith, Romaine Smith-Jameson, and Alma Smith.
Essentially, Ray Blue was just a good dude. He was transparent and had no problem telling it “like it is.” Ray was bluntly honest and trustworthy, which attracted many people to him. He shared knowledge and gave support to others without hesitation, wrote his family in their remembrance of him.
He is survived by his loving wife, Riitta, his sons, Maurice and Jason, and his brother, Sylvester. He was an adoring uncle to Michelle R. Gilchrest, Gary J. Gilchrest and Christin “Boomanchew” Gilchrest. In addition to his beloved parents, Ray was predeceased by his sister, “Gwennie” Blue-Gilchrest, and his brother, Steven “Stevie” Blue, both of whom he was very protective. His lifetime friends were Billy Thomas, Joe Cattuti, and many of his high school friends from Peekskill. Ralph Leapheart, Moss Duddley, Alfio Tognocchi were special friends from his college years.
His family ended their remembrance of him with the expression, “As long as you remember someone, they never really leave you. Their thoughts, their feelings, their memories, they become a part of you.”
That saying has never been more poignant than now.
