Obituaries: Tributes to Halifax Musician Henri Sangalang of Flashing Lights and Kearney Lake Rd

Henri Enrique Sangalang, a Halifax musician best known as the bassist of Flashing Lights, died on April 9, at age 56. A cause of death has not been reported.

Sangalang earned a Jazz Studies degree from St. Francis Xavier University, and early in his music career he was a member of Kearney Lake Rd, alongside Chris Murphy and Jay Ferguson, prior to the latter two forming the legendary band Sloan.

On Instagram, Chris Murphy posted that "He was a fantastic bass player and Henri's songs were probably the best ones in the KLR repertoire. ''Prescription,' 'Every Trip and Fall' could have been hits but this was before Nirvana changed the world. We practiced all the time, played a few times and never made money but we loved it. RIP Henri."

In his Instagram tribute, Jay Ferguson noted that "I'm very saddened to hear about the passing of my old friend and former bandmate, Henri Sangalang. We had many mutual friends in our mid-teen years, and I'd heard his name mentioned often. Henri always sounded like someone I wanted to get to know and that I'd have a lot in common with, but I didn't get to meet him until 1987.

"I believe it was at a house party that we first talked about the idea of playing some music together. He said he knew a guy named Chris Murphy who played drums and would perhaps be interested in getting together to play. That band became Kearney Lake Rd and we played together for two and a half years.

"Not to over-mythologize, but without meeting Henri, my life may have turned out a lot differently. In Kearney Lake Rd, he was the first of us in the band to write good original songs and was the best musician of the three of us. It was such an exciting time and I'm grateful for those years spending time with Henri. He eventually went on to play with 100 Flowers and most notably, The Flashing Lights with his long-time friend, Matt Murphy. What a band and what an essential part he played. Incredible musician of the highest order.

"I hadn't spent time with Henri in many years, but as time went on I always thought I'd see him again. I still have the same interests that we had back when we were teens and I think he still did too. It would have been great to hang out again. I know many people have great memories of him, including myself. A caring and thoughtful guy. My deep condolences to his family and loved ones. Thank you Henri."

Active from 1987 to 1990, Kearney Lake Rd released a self-titled cassette in 1989.

The Flashing Lights were founded by Matt Murphy as a side project, performing around Halifax when Murphy was not performing and recording with the band The Super Friendz. The band initially primarily played as a cover band, but then became Murphy's primary band following the Super Friendz' breakup in 1997.

Murphy and Sangalang moved to Toronto, where they recruited Gaven Dianda on keyboards, tambourine and harmonica, and Steve Pitkin on drums. The group released two full-length albums, Where the Change Is (1999) and Sweet Release (2001), and one EP, 2000's Elevature. They scored a hit on modern rock radio stations in Canada with "Half the Time," from their debut album.

On Facebook, Matt Murphy posted this tribute to his bandmate: "I can’t believe the news about Henri. So sad thinking about him and all the fun times we had. From our first real gig at a grade 12 grad party at Gabby Shaw’s to the many hours jamming in his folks’ garage, touring in sun and snow, or just bombing around town blasting music together.

"Unlike a lot of us, his enthusiasm was always matched by his skill and talent - be it scooters, clothes, music, yoga, tennis and on and on. And he could really get you excited about his passions and loved to help you find your way into them. And for sure his bass playing with our band Flashing Lights was something that after every show would be pored over by local musicians. He was a legend. Henri I will miss hanging out with you, sharing our lives and reminiscing about all the good times we had. Love you so much."

Sangalang also appeared on Neko Case's album Furnace Room Lullaby in 2000. In May 2023, at the Marquee Ballroom in Halifax, Sangalang joined on bass for a one-time mini-reunion of The Flashing Lights, performing the song "High School" with TUNS.

Over the past decade, Sangaland played bass in Halifax ska band The ConquerAlls.

An official obituary reported that "Henri was a brilliant and creative force who for four decades entertained fans across the country and beyond. He collaborated with so many talented musician friends over the years in various bands across multiple genres. Many will fondly remember him with his band The Flashing Lights. The local and Canadian music scene has lost a great one."

"Henri’s impeccable taste and legendary style made him the coolest and best-dressed person in any room, yet he never flaunted it. Instead, he was just humble, clever, funny, and kind," the obituary continues. "That was Henri. A serious scooter enthusiast, Henri was a founding member of the Halifax scooter and mod scene, and has been building, fixing and riding since the 1980s. Over the years, Henri could be spotted scooting around town on one of his beautiful Vespas and that Lambretta. Anyone who knew Henri has at some point exclaimed, 'Hey, there’s Henri!'

"He also helped many people achieve wellness and peace in his practice as a yoga instructor and he was a wonderful colleague to his work family at the Halifax Water Commission. He will be dearly missed by all."

Former bandmates and peers paid tribute to Sangalang on social media.

Flashing Lights leader Matt Murphy offered Billboard Canada this homage: "The thing about Henri, apart from his immense talent and brilliant mind, was that he was 100% committed to the music. I have a picture in my mind of Flashing Lights playing in Chicago. It must have been the first time we were there because I was pretty flustered and kept messing up. But I remember looking over and seeing Henri beaming from ear-to-ear as he drove our band forward. (Looking super slick too, in a spiffy zoot suit.) Not the last time he saved the day.

"Anyone who played with him will remember that smile and know how contagious his enthusiasm was. I also remember the kindness and energy he brought to helping his friends. Above all he was a good friend with a kind heart."

Flashing Lights drummer Steve Pitkin (now with Elliott BROOD) posted this on Facebook: "Henri Sangalang was a genuine cool cat. He operated with integrity and I was blessed to have him as my rhythm section partner in Flashing Lights. I had a front row seat into his intensity and precision on the bass. Top shelf attention to detail. Listen to his bass playing on those recordings and you can hear that and his care for presentation. I’m so glad his artistry remains there on record, as well as what he has contributed to the Vespa scooter community. Soft spoken, good humoured and honest in conveying his feelings and challenges in life. He will be missed by many."

Fellow Halifax musician Barry F. Walsh (Cool Blue Halo) posted a tribute on Facebook that reads, in part: "Although I didn’t know Henri Sangalang super well, I was lucky to be able to see him play with numerous bands… and not only to see him in his sartorial splendour and with gorgeous basses and equally gorgeous dexterity in playing them, but also to hear him expertly weave through chiming chord changes and thunderous drum fills, playing the dual role of anchor and melodicist.

"The dominant memory I have of him is that he just radiated kindness… even to someone like me who didn’t know him well. It’s a sweetly beautiful memory to have. Thanks, Henri, and travel well."

A reception to visit his family and gather with friends will be held at Cruikshank’s Funeral Home in Halifax on Tuesday, April 22, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. A community event to celebrate Sangalang is being planned for June 1, Sangalang's birthday.

International

Max Romeo (born Maxwell Smith), a prolific and prominent exponent of roots reggae whose albums focused on Rastafarianism and Jamaican politics, died on April 11, at age 80.

An extensive Guardian obituary noted that "Romeo reached his peak as a roots reggae singer in the mid-1970s with two albums, Revelation Time and War Ina Babylon, that focused on Rastafarianism and its juxtaposition with the fraught politics of post-independence Jamaica – ostensibly parochial topics that nonetheless gained him a worldwide audience.

"Much of Romeo’s best work was done with the producer Lee Scratch Perry in the mystical Black Ark studio, where he wrote a number of reggae classics, including One Step Forward, Stealing in the Name of Jah and the memorably bombastic 'Chase the Devil,' in which he declared: 'I’m going to put on a iron shirt / and chase the devil out of earth.'

"Romeo had first emerged in the late 60s with music of a more frivolous nature – notably the single 'Wet Dream' (1969), which reached No 10 in the UK despite being banned from radio airplay for its sexual content. Although the popularity of his subsequent work failed to extend much beyond his mid-70s zenith, he continued to tour and record almost up to his death, notching up more than 25 albums and 75 singles."

After winning a talent competition at the age of 18, in 1965 he joined a group called the Emotions with Lloyd Shakespeare (brother of the bassist Robbie) and Kenneth Knight. They had a local hit in 1967 with "(Buy You) A Rainbow." He then went solo, quickly scorng a hit with "Wet Dream." The Guardian reports that song " was particularly popular with British skinheads, for whom it became an anthem, and despite official censorship it spent 25 weeks in the charts, in the process establishing Pama as one of the U.K.’s major outlets for reggae.

In the early '70s, his growing interest in Rastafarianism saw him move into a roots reggae style. His Revelation Time album (1975) and War Ina Babylon (1976), collaborations with Lee 'Scratch' Perry, are considered classics in the genre.

Romeo relocated to the U.S., becoming involved in a Broadway musical flop, Reggae. After he guested on the Rolling Stones’ album Emotional Rescue (1980). Keith Richards reciprocated by co-producing and playing guitar on Romeo’s first U.S.-based album, Holding Out My Love to You (1981), but it failed to generate much attention.

Future commercial success eluded him, but he kept recording and was a popular live artist, staging his final tour just two years ago with more than 50 dates across Europe.

Nino Tempo (born Antonino LoTempio), an American musician, singer and actor, best known for the No. 1 hit "Deep Purple," with April Stevens, died on April 10, at age 90.

Born in Niagara Falls, New York, he learned to play the clarinet and the tenor saxophone as a child. He was a talent show winner at four years of age and appeared on television with Benny Goodman at age seven. When his family relocated to California, he was featured on the Horace Heidt radio show, performing a Benny Goodman clarinet solo.

A child actor, Tempo appeared in The Red Pony and in The Glenn Miller Story featuring James Stewart.

He worked as a member of the famous session band the Wrecking Crew, with artists including Elkie Brooks and Maynard Ferguson. Via a Bobby Darin recording session, Tempo made connections with Atlantic Records and signed with its subsidiary Atco Records.

Nino Tempo is known best for his 1963 duet "Deep Purple" on Atco with his sister Caroline (singing under the stage name April Stevens), which scored No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won the 1964 Grammy Award for best rock and roll recording, selling more than one million copies and earning a gold disc.

In 1973, Tempo formed Nino Tempo and 5th Ave. Sax, which had the hit "Sister James," reaching No. 53 on the Hot 100 on October 27. Recorded at A&M Records studio with the backing, writing, producing, and arranging of Jeff Barry, "Sister James" became one of the first instrumental disco records to score the national charts. "Sister James" is often classified as an example of Northern Soul.

During 1975, Tempo played saxophone on John Lennon's album Rock 'n' Roll, and was a featured soloist on The Kenny Rankin Album (1976). In the 1980s he was a voice actor for multiple Garfield TV specials.

Drew Zingg, an American rock, blues, soul and jazz guitarist, best known for his performing with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, has died, at age 68. A cause of death has not been reported.

Zingg was born and raised in New York City. He learned the guitar and spent about a decade on the New York club scene, at times backing Shawn Colvin and Lucy Kaplansky. He also did some Broadway production and session work.

Eventually, Zingg started playing in a band headed by keyboard player and vocalist Jeff Young. In 1989, Donald Fagen signed up Young and his band, which included Zingg, initially as the rhythm section for what eventually became Fagen's (along with his future wife Libby Titus) New York Rock and Soul Revue.

Zingg can be heard on the 1991 album The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon, which also features Michael McDonald, Phoebe Snow, and Boz Scaggs, among others. The New York rock and soul gigs led to Walter Becker coming to New York and joining the Revue in the summer of 1992.

Then, Fagen and Becker decided to hit the road, touring as Steely Dan, with Zingg joining them on the tour as a lead guitarist and music director for about two years. In 1995, Steely Dan released a live album entitled Alive in America that was recorded during the 1993-1994 tours, with Zingg soloing on "Green Earrings" and "Third World Man."

In 1996, Zingg started touring with Boz Scaggs in 1996, and he can be heard on Scaggs' 2004 release Greatest Hits Live. He also toured or recorded with Marcus Miller, Rickie Lee Jones, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Alana Davis, and Patti Austin.

His first album, the self-titled Drew Zingg, was released in 2012, featured guest vocalists Michael McDonald and Scaggs, plus musicians George Whitty, Will Lee and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Zingg contributed guitar work to five albums by acclaimed Toronto-based jazz-rock combo Monkey House, including a guest solo on a track, "Smoke Em If You Got Em,'" featured on Monkey House's upcoming album, Crashbox, out on June 6.

In a Facebook tribute, Breithaupt recalls that "I met Drew at Le Bar Bat in New York in August 1993 at the bash that followed Steely Dan’s triumphant Madison Square Garden show. Eighteen years later, Drew first appeared on a Monkey House album; it was the beginning of five straight guest shots.

"He was always effusive about my music, and always brought his 'A' game. I don’t think he had any other setting. My forthcoming album features yet another of his exceptional solos, and for all I know it’s his last recorded work."

"Drew was a master of his instrument, an extraordinary improviser. He navigated complex chord changes effortlessly, which made him a perfect fit for Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs (with whom he recorded and toured for a much longer stint). I will miss his sound, his groove, his soul, and his friendship for many years to come."