[Dixielandjazz] Rambling Remembrances of Mike Silverman - Dick Broadie

[Richard Broadie]

Rambling Remembrances of Mike Silverman

Bobbie called me early this AM and requested that no post be done on this
list until many of his close friends were notified personally by her.  Now
that Paul has provided you with this very sad news, I guess I'll add a note
or two.

I was best man at Mike's first marriage and he was the godfather to our 33
year old son, Brian.  While we were in college we worked many gigs together
and were best friends even though he attended USC while I was at UCLA.  I
remember sharing many rides with him on gigs where he'd scat the trumpet
lead and I'd scat a counter-part of some sort to the good old trad
standards, and by this means we kept each other thoroughly entertained all
the way to and from work.  We had fun.  I remember Sandy and later Brad,
Mike's kids when they were infants or before, and watched them grow up.
They turned out to be quite brilliant in their respective fields.

For those who lived in the LA area in the 1960s, Shakeys Pizza Chain
provided many great places to play.  Mike and I would sit in with Cliff
Beard in Rosemead one night, with Roger Snell in N Longbeach the next and
then Wes Grant in Long Beach the night after.  With free beer and pizza so
readily available, neither of us could be called "lightweight musicians"
during this period.

We used to do a bizarre dance together on stage where ...   I can't describe
it.  All I can say is the viewers seldom were able to stay in their chairs
from the laughter.  Let's just say that Laurel and Hardy would have been
proud of us.

We, being suave and sophisticated, frequently played practical jokes such as
topping off a beer mug so that when he or I picked up what we though was a
nearly empty container, we'd get soaked.  Sounds very sophomoric,which it
was, but then again we weren't much more than kids back then and we did had
FUN!

I have lots of photos from those days, including Mike and myself on the back
of a flat-bed truck with a 6 pc band helping a Monterey Park politician get
elected.   I have photos of Mike at a 1969 jam session at our house along
with Ed "Montudie" Garland, "Aud" Alexander, Wes Grant and a bevy of others
including my late dad who played bass.  These photos were priceless before
and I can't even ponder their value to me now.

As a musician, I loved Mike.  His Hot Frogs and later the Silver Frogs
always had excellent musicians and preformed brilliantly.  As good as the
bands were, they were made very special by Mike's unique and (usually) droll
sense of humor.  I'll let others critique his music.  Our friendship of over
40 years prohibits my being the least bit objectionable in this matter. But
I must say I thought he was great!

It's most difficult to consider a world without Mike being a phone call or
an email away.   Now that he's gone, I can only wish I'd used that phone or
computer more often and kept in closer touch in recent years.

It's very likely that had I not met Mike when I did, I never would have
become a professional musician. In fact, he's the one who talked me into
joining LA's AFM 47.  In many ways, Mike was a major influence in my early
days as a player.

I'm rambling here, and with a lump in my throat.  I'm tempted to proclaim
the world to be a less "hoppy" place today, but only Mike would have truly
appreciated that pun.  And sadly, he's gone.

I proffer my profound condolences to Bobbie, Sandy and Brad.

Dick Broadie




His musicianship
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Reid" <whadayesay at webtv.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 10:21 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Mike Silverman


> Many of you know Mike from the infamous Hot Frogs Jumping Jazz Band as
> co-leader. I recieved word from his wife Bobbie that Mike passed away
> last evening. Mike was a close friend, and I enjoyed being a part of
> that band plus playing other gigs with him.
>        Mike was backing his car into the stall next to his mobile home.
> Evidently, this is the point when he expired, as his car hit the storage
> shed and stalled out. This alerted Bobbie who was inside the mobile home
> and went out and found him behind the steering wheel.
>         Mikes wishes were for a wake, rather than a memorial. So a
> celebration is being planned for sometime close after the Mammoth
> festival, (Possibly July 19th) as his birthday is on july 12th.
> When more details are known, I'll post a notice
>
> Respectfully,
> Paul Reid
>
>
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