Herb Wong, one of the West Coast's leading jazz experts and educators, who for more than 35 years hosted and produced shows for the Bay Area radio station KJAZ , died on April 20 at his home in Menlo Park. Mr. Wong was frequently called upon for his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history, whether recounting the evolution of the Monterey Jazz Festival on CNN or commenting on the cultural significance of Dave Brubeck for PBS. In the early '80s, Mr. Wong served as the artistic director and president for Palo Alto Records, an independent label that released albums by the likes of Dianne Reeves, McCoy Tyner and Lalo Schifrin. In an interview with the Palo Alto Jazz Alliance's magazine he said he postponed a final because it conflicted with an appearance by Woody Herman at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. In his later years he founded the Stanford Shopping Center Jazz concert series and served as the president of the International Association for Jazz Education.
Reported by SFGate 38 minutes ago.
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