Death came swiftly to Bud Shank on April 2, 2009 when he died in his sleep at his home in Tuczon, AZ of a pulmonary embolism following a return to his home following a recording session in Los Angeles. His wife Linda told the press that he knew it was the end of his career as his doctors told him that if he went to the sessions, he would not be expected to live. A lifetime crammed with work as a big band musician, discovering new world music forms the literally play with imaginatively and a brutally honest critic of the current music scene. These and more were the qualities that made up Bud Shank, one of the more original artists to emerge from the big band era whose willingness to try something new artistically would reward every music lover and critic with hours upon end of immense satisfaction, knowing that the results, if a bit odd looking at first, would nevertheless be flawlessly done with intelligence and forceful honesty all rolled up in a ball of yarn that was the world of Bud Shank, one of the Renaissance men of jazz.