05/26/2026
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that acclaimed jazz guitarist and CSUF faculty member, Ron Escheté, passed away May 20, 2026 at age 77.
He taught at the School of Music for 28 years and will be missed. Bill Cunliffe wrote some words of remembrance below.
Thank-you for sharing the news with us Dr. Randall Goldberg
"Ron Escheté was one of the great guitarists of our day.
He had an unparalleled harmonic imagination… his longtime drummer Paul Kreibich called him the Bill Evans of the guitar. Paul, Ron, and fellow CSUF faculty member Luther Hughes formed the rhythm section for the great pianist Gene Harris.
A strong soloist and a magnificent accompanist, Ron specialized on the 7 string guitar, which had a low B, which allowed him to create deeper, more complex voicings than most players… but he managed that with clarity and rhythmic precision, so it was always distinctive, and interesting.
The list of folks that hired Ron is formidable: Ernestine Anderson, Ray Anthony, James Darren, the Clayton Brothers, Joey De Francesco, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Warne Marsh, Jack McDuff, and Gerry Wiggins are only the best known.
Ron was equally gifted as a teacher, spending over twenty years at Cal State Fullerton, after stints at Saddleback College and the Musicians Institute.
Giuseppe Continetti said of him, “Some teachers do more than teach notes, harmony, or technique… they quietly shape the way we listen, feel, and understand life itself.”
Every moment I had with Ron on stage was playing… interacting, smiling, and laughing. It was ALWAYS a blast.
Ron once told me, 'Willie, you know a LOT of chords. But I know more chords than you.'
Love you, Ronnie. Rest in peace."
- Bill Cunliffe, Grammy-winning pianist, composer, arranger.
