Cosimo Matassa

COSIMO MATASSA, a recording engineer, studio owner and staple of the New Orleans music scene, died 9/11 at NOLA's Ochsner Medical Center; he was 88. Matassa "played an essential role in the birth of rock and roll," according Rock and Roll Hall of Fame VP of Education and Public Programs Lauren Orkney (quoted on nola.com); during his career he helped shepherd essential recordings by Fats Domino, Little Richard, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, Aaron Neville and other Nawlins musical visionaries into the world. NARAS bestowed its Trustees Award on him in 2007, and he was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2012. J&M Recording, the studio he opened in 1947 in the city's French Quarter, became a mecca for R&B and rock and roll artists; Jerry Lee Lewis made his first demo there, and such crucial recordings as "Tutti Frutti," "Tipitina," "Tell It Like It Is" and Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise" were born there. Matassa also mentored young Allen Toussaint, who become of the town's most influential writer/producers. The building housing J&M was declared a historic landmark in 1999. Matassa is survived by three sons, seven grandkids and eight great-grandkids. Funeral arrangements are TBA. (9/12p)