Al Casey, a jazz guitarist who played with pianist Fats Waller, died on September 11, the New York Times reports. He was 89. Al Casey's 90th birthday was to be celebrated this coming Thursday. This event is now to be a memorial tribute. The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band will be joined by pianists Brooks Kerr, Chuck Folds, Frank Owens and Emme Kemp, along with other musicians.

Al Casey, who played guitar with Fats Waller for over a decade, passed away Sunday morning, according to the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band's founder and leader, Al Vollmer. He had been confined with cancer to the Dewitt Rehabilitation Center, East 79th Street and 3rd Avenue, New York, NY, for about a year. He is survived by his wife, Althea, and his son, Al Casey, Jr.

Casey played with Fats Waller, the bandleader and composer of "Ain't Misbehavin'," from 1930s until Waller's death in 1942. He also played with Louis Armstrong and, after switching to electric guitar, with saxophonist King Curtis and other rhythm and blues musicians.

Born Sept. 15, 1915, in Louisville, Ky., Casey's successful musical career began in the early 1930s when he joined Waller's group and remained his guitarist until Waller died in 1943. In 1939 and 1940, Casey worked with Teddy Wilson's big band and recorded with Billie Holliday, Frankie Newton and Chu Berry.

In 1944, Casey played and recorded with Louis Armstrong when both were recognized as leading jazz musicians. Over the next decades, Casey made the switch from acoustic to electric guitar and freelanced in various blues and swing venues. From 1957 to 1961, Casey played rhythm and blues with saxophonist King Curtis.

From 1981 to 2001, Casey was a member of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band. Casey had completed a rich musical career in 1981 when Vollmer and Peter Carr brought him out of retirement to join the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, with whom he performed for two more decades. With them he performed in 2000 at Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow, to mark the Louis Armstrong Centennial. That band included three members who had worked with Armstrong, pianist Edwin Swanston, drummer Johnny Blowers, and Mr. Casey.