of Mark Sandman's passing.

His band, Morphine, reached into my musical soul and redefined it.

A most unique ensemble, Morphine consisted of only three members playing drums, baritone sax, and a 2-string slide bass. Sandman's compositions were dark, soulful, redeeming, and brilliant. They reach right into you and through you. Up until the time I heard Morphine (well in my 40's), music had resonated inside me before, but never passed through me like this affecting my deeper atomic structure.

Sandman died on stage in Italy on this date in 1999 from a massive heart attack. Here's what baritone sax player, Dana Colley, said about it.

"It was [July 1999]. The day before we were in Portugal, and it was 100 degrees on stage. The next day in Italy it was as hot on stage. Mark was moving pretty slowly, but no one really thought much of it. We were going through our set, having a great time. About the seventh song in, I just noticed out of the corner of my eye, Mark was buckling at his knees. And the next thing I know, he had fallen over backward. And all I could think was, 'He's going to get back up.' I went to him, and his bass was booming, reverberating as he hit the ground. I tried to call him back, shouting at him to hang in there. But he died, right there."

Despite the band's name, Sandman was NOT morphine or heroin addict. Some speculate that his aorta had been damaged when he was stabbed by a passenger when he was driving a cab in his 20's.

By the way, if you want to see a most excellent rock documentary, pick up "Morphine: Journey of Dreams" that came out last year. It's quite amazing.