Errol Parker (1930-1998) was born Raphel Schecroun in Oran, Algeria, which was then French. He fought in the French Army in World War II, and in Paris he studied sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. A self-taught pianist, he played with Django Reinhardt while in Paris in his mid-20's and later played with James Moody, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke.

In 1964 he wrote the song ''Lorre,'' a classical-jazz piece that became a hit in France. He moved to New York City in 1967 and started his own record label (Sahara Records), on which he issued more than a dozen records. He finally switched to drums to realize his vision of a North African style of jazz drumming, with minimal cymbals and a conga drum in place of snare. In 1983, he formed the Errol Parker Tentet, one of the more innovative bands of the 1980's.

Mr. Parker died shortly after hearing his music performed by the Errol Parker Tentet at St. Peter's Church, at a benefit concert. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.