[Dixielandjazz] Helm-related notice from another list.

[Don Ingle]

This has been a bad year for trad clarinetists. We also lost Frank Powers --
who was for many in the heartland what Helm was to West Coast trad. Both
will be missed, both will be remembered, thanks to their many recordings.
Don Ingle
----- Original Message -----
From: "M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl@ix.netcom.com>
To: "m - Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 3:27 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Helm-related notice from another list.


> [From the Anglican Mailing List. For those bothered by religious
> language, please focus on the essential subject matter instead.]
>
> Re my request for prayer of a short while ago, Mr Helm moved on
> yesterday, September 1.
>
> For several years now I have been posting the occasional notice of the
> passing of a traditional jazz artist.  Though it's no doubt obvious to
> most, we all, above and beyond our love for God, have at least one
> special attachment to something by which God helps us to "enjoy Him
> forever" (Shorter Westminster Catechism, Qu. 1) in this fallen world,
> and mine has always been traditional jazz ("dixieland" for those that
> need clarification).  Here on the west coast, back in the late 1930s, a
> time seemingly oblivious to the fact that it had sold its collective
> soul to the interesting but over-commercialised form of jazz known as
> the "Big Band" style, a group of musicians tired of the big band ratrace
> and dying to revive the type of music they were hearing on the 1920s 78s
> of Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, et al, they were
> ravenously collecting, did exactly that by starting what most mainline
> jazz histories relegate to a footnote labeled "San Francisco New Orleans
> Revival."  The three biggest names in that young bunch were Lu Watters
> (d. 1989), Turk Murphy (d. 1987), and Bob Helm.  (Those familiar with
> San Francisco life might know that May 30th is "Turk Murphy Day.")
>
> Mr Helm was the last of the original bunch.  He played with such gusto
> that even when young he was accused of intonation problems, which only
> worsened as he aged and his damaged inner ear lost its ability to hear
> what he was actually playing.  But he never lost that splendid spirit
> which truly (in my opinion) earned him long ago the position of
> Traditional Jazz Statesman of Good Will, after the Mighty Turk, of
> course.
>
> I'm blest to have met him, and I can only hope that my letter of last
> week reached him before things got too bad.  If not, oh well.  His
> blessing remains and continues, nonetheless,
> --
> Etc,
>
> M J "Mike" Logsdon, Cleric, NAORC (http://www.naorc.org)
> Salinas, CA
> USA
>
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