Brian Case 1937-2026
When Brian Case joined the Melody Maker in 1978, at my invitation, he dubbed himself “Junior Beret” in tribute to Max Jones, the paper’s senior jazz writer, who habitually covered his bald pate with just such a piece of jaunty headgear. Brian died oin Monday, aged 88. I hope to write more about him elsewhere, but for now I’ll just say how much I loved his work, which was as full of surprises as the music he described.
It was my privilege to supply the foreword to a collection of pieces about his favourite subjects (On the Snap, published in 2015 by Caught by the River), including Dexter Gordon, Sam Fuller, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Norman Mailer, Jimmy Smith, Al Pacino, Ian Dury, and Gerry Mulligan. And, of course, Art Pepper. Here’s Brian opening a feature on the great saxophonist with a description of his long-awaited UK debut at a London church in 1979:
Few among the congregation who rose to their feet and applauded before a note was played at St. Paul’s Church, Hammersmith, could have had much idea of what that ovation meant to the performer. They wouldn’t have learned much from his face, but they were to hear it in his music. It was one of those spontaneous exchanges of gifts that achieve a rare, fulfilling parity, a love for a love, and not the love-all of those exchange & mart comebacks with the bombardiering boxed orchids. The tribute to Art Pepper was compounded of respect for his endurance, his artistry, and — for those who understood the shifting symmetry of anguish and elegance in his playing — an acknowledgement of the toll of that equation. Real music costs.
Afterwards Brian told Ronnie Scott he should get Pepper in for a season. Knowing Pepper’s reputation as a major junkie who had spent years in and out of Chino, Folsom, Lexington and San Quentin, Scott was dubious. But a year later it happened. The photograph above was given to me by Jak Kilby, who took it backstage at Ronnie’s one night in 1980. Pepper is in the middle, Brian is on the right, I’m on the left. Happy times. Be seeing you, Junior Beret.
thebluemoment.com 
Brian’s writing at the NME in the mid ’70s was a revelation to me. One of my gateway drugs to jazz. He was a wonderful stylist, with bone-dry humour and great perception. Getting to reread his work after he came on board Rock’s Backpages was an enduring pleasure. RIP.
Brian taught me European History before he joined MM. I say taught, but his approach was a little looser than most. My essays were perpetually late but his response was invariably “Don’t worry, man. When you can.” A couple of years later, I was a staffer in the CBS Records press office where our jazz roster was a natural attraction for him. When we first encountered each other he was completely non-plussed to see me installed behind a desk. “Oh Hi, man.” We went on to have a different – but much more rewarding for both parties – relationship than our first classroom encounters. A completely genuine soul. How he survived to 88 on his diet of roll-ups is a mystery.
Brian was a fabulous writer, who (like you) turned me onto some stunning music. He’ll be very much missed in this parish.
R.I.P.
Very sorry and sad to hear about Brian Case’s passing. I enjoyed his writings back in the day. I have the book ‘On The Snap’, in fact I bought 3 or 4 copies of as gifts and loaned mine out..and got it back! It took me to some heroes and some intriguing people, as you listed. I’d recommend it to anyone commenting here, if they don’t have it. They’ll not regret. RIP Brian.
Sad news. I too first encountered Brian with his work at the NME where his writings on jazz and film were a welcome contrast to the ‘hip young gunslingers’ operating there in the mid-70s. A description of Archie Shepp’s playing (probably unprintable now) still lives long in the memory as does an interview with Mal Waldron (and I think Jeff Clyne) just before they were due to play at the ICA. Berets were often mentioned. To my shame I never knew he’d jumped ship to the MM. His influence on informing my musical tastes was considerable. RIP. One of the good guys. Tim
Dear Richard,
Sad news.
Ronnie Scott’s, 25 May 2015

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Oh so very very sorry. I worked with Brian on the Maker early 80s and envied his cool. He could write about anything effortlessly and make it sparkle – even a single by the Krankies. Jazz remains a closed book to me, but the only person who inched it open for me was Brian. Keep boppin’ BC…
The short period when Brian was writing alongside Max Harrison and Michael James under your editorship at MM was a golden period indeed
Ve
Very sad news. I still refer to ‘The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz’(Salamander, 1986) co-written with Stan Britt & Christie Murray.