FAREWELLS

, a bassist, composer, and arranger who became a stalwart of the Chicago jazz scene and a world-traveled and renowned musician before building his career anew in his native central Alabama, died July 5 at a hospital in Birmingham, Ala. He was 80. Eaton was probably best known for his 10-year stint in the Ramsey Lewis Trio, in which capacity he shared in two Grammy Awards and four gold records, and for his subsequent 17-year stint with the Count Basie Orchestra. However, Eaton was far more prolific than these two lengthy tenures would suggest. He also played with seminal Chicago figures Bunky Green, Bobby Gordon, and Gene Ammons, as well as icons Frank