[Dixielandjazz] How nearby was Kenny? (Really)

[David Dustin]

Not sure that Left Coast OKOM event managers should be guilt-tripped about a
failure to engage the late Kenny Davern when he was living ³nearby² in New
Mexico.  Kenny was a connected pro and certainly very able to reach out and
influence buyers in major markets for his music. If I recall correctly that
he passed from cancer, it is very likely that his health was such in the
last couple of years that he was either unable to perform to his standard
and realized it, or feeling so poorly that he was focused on treatment with
music being the last thing on his mind.  I can¹t think of a more pathetic
spectacle than putting a former monster player up on stage when his powers
may have been taken from him by disease.  I played in a big band with an
86-year-old tenor player who used to cut a wide swath in Texas dance bands
back in the day but was now being kept around (on ³second bari²) out of
kindness. It was tough keeping him from launching into a solo when he no
longer had the chops. I doubt many of us would have enjoyed seeing an ailing
Kenny Davern trying to play through a lot of pain.

David Dustin