[Dixielandjazz] Glenn Dodson

[Steve Barbone]

"Dave Stoddard" <dhs2 at peoplepc.com> wrote
 
> Dear Steve:
> 
> I am sorry to learn of the death of Glenn Dodson.  He was a towering
> trombone talent and a fine jazzer.  For those of you who may not have gotten
> to hear Glenn play, he was not a particularly spectacular jazz player
> (although a very skilled one).  Glenn preferred phrase-making to displays of
> technique.  The trick lay in Glenn using his technique to go exactly where
> he wanted to end up.  That was much more subtle than endless displays of
> fireworks, and for me much more impressive.
 
Marty Nichols <marnichols at yahoo.com> added:

> Listmates:
> The poignancy of dying in the arms of a fellow trombonist is not lost on me.
> How beautiful! Though vastly different we may be, trombonists definitely have
> a unique bond in my opinion.
   
Thanks Dave and Marty.

Glenn was indeed unique. His phrase making was incredible and his sound was
so lush and full if desired, on ballads or in a quartet setting. His breath
control was amazing. When he got requests for "Stardust" or "I'm Getting
Sentimental Over You" his renditions would bring tears to listener's eyes.
He could also generate a lot of heat on a song like "Tiger Rag" or "Fidgety
Feet" and get that wonderful dirty jazz tone as well. He loved to solo in
certain songs with just the sexy walking bass of Ace Tesone backing him,
then take a second chorus with full rhythm section heat. Beautiful.

The bond among trombonists is a beautiful thing. He was one of Joe Alessi's
mentors, from his early days in New Orleans to those with the Philadelphia
Orchestra where Joe was second trombone to Glenn's principal chair. Very
poignant indeed that he passed away in Joe's arms. They were friends and
colleagues for many, many years.

You can see pictures of Glenn on Joe's website at: (listen to the music on
the home page first, that's about how Glenn sounded on ballads)

http://www.slidearea.com/intro.html

Then see Joe's mentor page at:

http://www.josephalessi.com/mentors.html

A young Glenn Dodson is center rear of the first photo of the New Orleans
Philharmonic Trombone section, (late 1950s, early 60s) and then there is a
head shot of the older Glenn at the bottom right. Taken probably about 2002
or so. That's how most of us remember him.

Glenn Dodson always made his time and expertise available to other
trombonists, from Joe Alessi to Bobby Scann, a Las Vegas musician/teacher
who used to visit his sister back East, to Doug Finke of Independence Hall
JB, to Pete Pepke who was Barbone Street's trombonist prior to his moving
away from the area, to Pete Reichlin of the Trenton Symphony,(and
Independence Hall's tubist) to workshops in NYC, California, Sweden and
many, many others. 

He refused all attempts of trombonists to pay him for "lessons" believing
that it was his duty to freely pass on what he knew.

A beautiful man, a beautiful player, an impish sense of humor. All of that
will be sorely missed. Those of us who knew him are devastated.

Steve Barbone