We lost a pair of legends this week. Hugh McCracken was one of the least pretentious people I’ve ever interviewed. His style-a combination of elegance and sting-left its mark on the last quarter of the 20th century. If you need proof, listen to his exquisite solo on Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen.”

And what can you say about Phil Ramone, other than that he was an icon-one of the few true giants in the industry-and that no one realized he was nearly 80. Many of you had personal relationships with Phil; the pages of Mix will soon be filled with stories about him.

Staking a claim in one creative quadrant would be enough for most musicians, but Craig Sharmat has managed to succeed both as an artist and as a composer of commercial production music. A gifted guitarist, Sharmat’s latest single, “A Day in Paris,” is currently nestled in the Top Ten of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart. His work in a wide range of styles (head to scoredog.tv for a taste) has been featured on The Real Housewives of New Jersey,  America’s Most Wanted, and countless other television shows. His library tracks are heard worldwide. Sharmat is also one of the select composers who helped elevate orchestral emulation to a high art. We spoke earlier this week.

When your status as one of baseball's top players helps you land a recording contract that most full time artists would kill for, expect some critical listening. Bernie Williams, the Yankee centerfielder for the last eight years, recently released The Journey Within, his debut smooth jazz CD on GRP.  Rookie jitters and inexperience are evident-Bernie never quite lets loose the way a more seasoned player would, but all in all he hangs with the All Star cast that producer Loren Harriet has surrounded him with.  

You dig a deep groove, I know that. Ergo, you’re a fan of Bashiri Johnson, right?  Since 1986, when he was tapped to add percussion tracks to Madonna’s “Holiday,” Bashiri, who grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, has been on the top of every producer’s list. I’ve known Bash for over 20 years and have been fortunate enough to have his talent on a number of my own recordings. We caught up by phone the other day.