[Dixielandjazz] Rambling Remembrances of Mike Silverman - DickBroadie

[Don Ingle]

I must add my personal thanks to Mike and Bobby for their many kindnesses to
Uncle Rosie. Rosie McHargue, in his last years, had many infirmities, and
needed help to get around and continue to be active in music, and Mike and
Bobbi were there through most of it, and for that I am so very grateful. I
knew Rosie all my life -- even from the time I was a baby, and he subbed for
my dad so Red could be at the hospital when I was born. This spirit of
"family" was in effect when many young players later found Rosie, hung
around him to learn, and then go on to play as established players on their
own.
Mike and Bobbi were among a close, loving circle of friends that helped pay
back Rosie's many years of similar help and inspiration to others who wanted
to play jazz.of our form.
Bobbi, should you read this, thank you for your and Mike's being there for
Uncle Rosie in his last years. Please know that many of us are there with
you now and adding our prayers to those of Mike's many friends.
Don Ingle


----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Broadie" <richard.broadie at gte.net>
To: "Paul Reid" <whadayesay at webtv.net>
Cc: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 4:23 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Rambling Remembrances of Mike Silverman -
DickBroadie


> 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
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
> >
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz