Brian Case, jazz writer and critic from Deptford, dies at 88

Brian Case, a jazz and music critic whose writing blended literary allusions with sharp musical insight, died on 2 August 2026. He was 88 and lived in south London. *The Guardian* reported his death, describing him as a defining voice in music journalism.

Case grew up in Deptford and attended Haberdashers’ Aske’s grammar school in New Cross. After studying history at Hull University, he worked as a teacher before publishing his first novel, *The Users*, in 1968. The book earned praise from Anthony Burgess, who called it "a remarkable debut".

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A career built on cultural depth

Case began writing for *NME* in 1974. His reviews and profiles stood out for their literary references, often drawing on film, novels and poetry. In a 1974 piece on Miles Davis, he compared the trumpeter’s tone to "rain on windows, the exquisite melancholia of Roderick Usher".

His work appeared in *Melody Maker* and later *Time Out*, where he spent 18 years. He served as film editor, senior feature writer and books editor during the magazine’s print peak. Colleagues remembered him as an "ultra-cool elder statesman", known for his sharp wit and silvered military moustache.

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By the close of the 50s, Miles’s trumpet was the most syndicated sound in jazz. That lovely, elegiac, choked-down tone evoked rain on windows, the exquisite melancholia of Roderick Usher.

Brian Case, writing in *NME* in 1974

Legacy and personal life

Case’s 2015 collection, *On the Snap*, gathered his interviews and reflections on musicians and cultural figures. He remained active in journalism until *Time Out* shifted away from its print format. His first marriage, to teacher Pam Jones, ended in divorce. He married Sonia Meller, an actor, in 1980.

Sonia later became a headteacher in south London schools. She survives him, along with their daughters, Daisy and Molly. Case’s parents, Anne, a Welsh nurse, and Harry, a City of London police officer, preceded him in death.

What happens next

No public memorial has been announced. *The Guardian* reported that Case’s family has requested privacy. His work remains accessible through archives of *NME*, *Melody Maker* and *Time Out*, as well as his published books.