Montez Coleman, a sharp and ebullient drummer best known for his close association with Roy Hargrove, died on Jan. 14 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.

He was 48. The cause was congestive heart failure, his wife, Carlynda Coleman, tells WBGO.

An exemplar and proud exponent of the jazz community in St. Louis, Coleman radiated crisp authority as a drummer, exerting lift and momentum in any setting. “He had a natural swing that made you feel good right away,” bassist Vicente Archer, a regular partner, tells WBGO. “On a personal level and musically, you knew when he was in the room. He was a loving person, and he always had your back, too.”

Among Coleman’s steady affiliations was a group with Archer and pianist Bruce Barth, which recorded a forthcoming album last summer, one day after a gig at Mezzrow in New York. “I took an immediate liking to Montez,” says Barth, whose first encounter with Coleman was at Jazz St. Louis 20 years ago. “He had such a deep groove and this exuberant, positive energy that was infectious.”