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Clifford Adams is seen here in December 2013. (Photo provided by Scott Miller)
TRENTON — Kool and the Gang trombonist Clifford Adams passed away Monday morning after a battle with liver cancer, a friend close to the family said.
Adams, a Trenton native, had been suffering with medical issues for about a year and had no heath insurance to cover medical expenses. He was hospitalized at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.
Adams's family and friends turned to the jazz community in Trenton for support last month, holding several fundraisers to try to cover the cost of a liver transplant. The family received support from Jazz Bridge, a nonprofit founded to help area jazz musicians through tough times.
Adams, 62, is best known for playing with Kool and the Gang but he also played with The Stylistics, Patti Labelle and the Bluebells and Duke Ellington's Orchestra during his career. Adams released two solo albums – The Master Power and I Feel Your Spirit.
Adams' longtime friend and fellow Kool and the Gang musician Michael Ray described Adams as a loving and caring husband and father and a great friend.
Trenton-born and world-renowned trombonist Clifford Adams performs at the opening day of Capital City Market, downtown on E. State Street. (Michael Mancuso/The Times)
"If you knew Cliff you knew his infectious smile and his strong spirit," said Ray. "He was powered by family values and he was one of the baddest trombone players in all the planet."
Ray and Adams are childhood friends who grew up in Trenton and started playing music togehter.
"I was there when he first went on the road, when he got married," said Ray fighting back tears. "This was my closest and my oldest friend."
"We've been around the world several times just playing," Ray said. "He loved the music and he was a master musician. He taught me so much."
Ray said he has heard from fans and musicians from all over the world today expressing their condolences and surprise at Adams' death.
Adams,who moved to Ewing in his adult life, sought to give back to Trenton and helped to found DRUMM, a non profit dedicated to bring back music to Trenton schools and offer inexpensive music lessons to children. DRUMM, which stands for Developmental Roundtable for the Upward Mobility of Musicians, was founded by Adams and other local musicians.
"Our higher purpose is to try to help these young kids learn to play music, so when they get to the high school, they have a grip on the music, " said Adams, in a 2010 article about DRUMM.
"That was very near and dear to Cliff, having the ability to give back to the community," said Ray Keniebrew, one of the other founding members.
Spoken word Poet Todd Evans played with Adams on occasion and remembers him as humble and down to earth.
"He was one of the most humble brothers i have ever met," Evans said. "For him to be a Kool and the Gang member and behind songs I grew up with, you wouldn't know it from talking to him. He was just like everybody else. He didn't wear his success on his sleeve."
Evans is helping to organize a fundraiser event on Friday Jan. 16 that will raise money to help Adams' family offset his medical expenses. The event, which will include spoken word poetry and music, begins at 6 p.m. and will be held at 429 John F. Kennedy Way in Willingboro.
Donations can also be made through Jazz Bridge.
Jenna Pizzi may be reached at jpizzi@njtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaPizzi. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.