News Roundup: 3/17/2011

R.I.P. acid jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks, who died of heart failure at his home in Mt. Vernon, NY. Sparks began as a soul-jazz guitarist in the ’60s and ’70s, playing with artists including Lou Donaldson. Those sounds inspired a new generation of players in the ’90s and 2000s, such as the Greyboy Allstars, Galactic and Derek Trucks. Sparks restarted his recording career with 1997’s I’m a Gittar Player; his last release was 2006’s Groove on Up. [Gibson.com] Jack White performed an impromptu show at SXSW as part of Third Man Records Rolling Record Store. White played Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and the White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” to a crowd in a parking lot. He also introduced a new Third Man recording artist, Seasick Steve, who played a short set as well. [TheDailySwarm.com]