[Dixielandjazz] FW: Louis Brown funeral and continuation

[Rebecca Thompson]

Received today so I am passing it along to the list members.

Rebecca

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas K. Sanders [mailto:papabearS@comcast.net] 
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 10:44 AM
To: rebecca Thompson


Hi Rebecca,



The funeral was in good taste. It was conducted by a minister who said
all
the right things with the band spliced between playing some of Louis'
favorite songs: Roses of Picardy, Trouble In Mind, Closer Walk With
Thee,
and I more that I forget. It was well attended. The chapel was almost
full
and I believe it holds about 250 persons.

The band was Chuck Bond, cnt; Dennis Solee, ss; David Hungate, gtr: John
Vogt, bass; Tom McBride, kb; Danny Coots, dr. Jerry Krahm is on the road
with the Mr. Jack Daniels Silver Cornet Band and could not get here.

The chapel was impressively decorated with Louis Brown momentos: lots of
pictures displayed on a large table, Louis' trombone standing alone, and
a
bass drum with the name of his Nashville band, The Firehouse JB, painted
on
it. At the end of the service the funeral director announced that it was
one
of the most impressive services ever held there (again paraphrasing).

Afterwards we advanced to a new venue where we had a Celebration of
Life. It
was more or less a jam that started off with the same band as at the
chapel,
substituting Steve Kummer on keyboard and adding Billy Huber on
trombone.
Louis' trombone was put in a vacant chair with its case leaning on the
arm
rest. It was hard to look at it without tears coming.

It was very well attended by fans and musicians alike. There must have
been
over 30 Nashville musicians there, many of whom sat in and told funny
Louis
stories during breaks.

Musicians that sat in:
Neil Rosengarden, tpt (son of Bobby, the ledgendary drummer)
Jerry Venette, clt
Bill Joors, harmonica
Walter Hartman, dr
Matt Davich, clt
Dave Balph, tpt
Bill Davidson, singer
April Barrows, singer
Jim Hoke, clt
Susan Fiering, singer
Mac Davis, clt.
Robbie Cook, dr

Some of the tunes played:
Sunday
If I Had You
Darkness OnThe Delta
Margie
Poor Butterfly
Bourbon St. Parade
Oh!Baby
Caravan
Back Home Again In Indiana
A Hundred Years From Today
Some Day Sweetheart
Do You Know What It Means to Miss NO
Tin Roof Blues
Marie
High Society
What A Wonderful World

It was announced that the regular Nashville Sunday night gig will go on.
This band contains the Nashville Titans when they're in town and other
good
musicians otherwise.

It was a wonderful, but sad day. Our feelings go out to Louis' wife,
Leigh.

Blessings,

Tommy