[Dixielandjazz] Glenn H. "Pappy" Koch

[Don Ingle]

Kit:
Not good news to get on a rainy, gloomy day in Michigan for sure.
I am very saddened at the news of Pappy Koch's passing. He was a great
friend and I  enjoyed working with him over several years with the Sons Of
Bix -- including the 1979 five-country European tour.
A good drummer, he was also a charming man, with a ready smile, a twinkling
eye that spelled of some mischief about to be sprung on us, and was one of
the calming influences on a band under the stress of loading and unloading a
ton of luggage and instruments  from one train to another in order to make
the dates in Europe on time. I recall one time when he stepped in front of a
German rail guard who was holloring at us about going over the train tracks
between platforms in order to get all the gear over to load in time for the
train's departure. The guard was screaming verbotten, verbotten when Pappy
stepped up in front of him in his "mister humble" mode and said, in a voice
we could all hear...Spreichen zee Deutcsh? It caught the guard so off
balance that he couldn't speak for a moment, and but by then the transer was
complete. Pappy smiled with his oh-so-innocent blue-eyed charm at the guard
and then said Auf Weidersehen, and stepped into the train as it started
up -- leaving the guard mumbling somtething about a-hole Americans.
We shall all miss you, Glenn, but Jean and I will remember you so very well
while we're here. Take a well earned five, old friend.
Don Ingle

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Black Swan CJB" <kit at bscjb.com>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 1:15 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Glenn H. "Pappy" Koch


> I am very sorry to report that Glenn Koch -- "Pappy" to his friends -- 
> passed away this morning at about 1:10am. Pappy was a good friend and
> performed on drums and washboard with Black Swan between 1989 and 2000. I
> will miss him. I've included a bit on Pappy's musical background here,
> though I daresay that others could add quite a lot more, as much of his
> musical career was spent in and around Chicago.
>
> Glenn Houser Koch was born in Covina, California on October 25, 1913. He
> played his first gig at age 16. Glenn switched from violin to drums while
in
> high school and continued his percussion studies at the University of
> Southern California. He soon moved to Chicago and began a career in the
> insurance business. After a 20-year hiatus from music, Glenn began
> performing again in the late 1950s.  He subsequently traveled to Europe
with
> the Sons of Bix, on U.S.O. tours in the Pacific with Franz Jackson and to
> Japan with Dr. Jon's Medicine Show and Jazz Band. Other "ports of call"
> include stints with Lil Armstrong, Chuck Foster, Jimmy Featherstone, the
> Chicago Footwarmers, the Salty Dogs, Stumptown Jazz, John Bennett's
Swipesy
> Cakewalk Ragtime Band and others.
>
> One of Pappy's oft-used quotes was "...so many drummers...so little
time..."
> His own time was excellent, however, as attested to by the many dancers
who
> loved his simple, steady rhythms. Pappy always told me that he wished to
be
> remembered simply as "Glenn Koch - A Drummer". He deserved the title.
>
> Kit Johnson
>
>
>
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