[Dixielandjazz] Phil Urso R.I.P.

[Paul Edgerton]

It may be silly to mourn for a man who lived to 82, especially given
what happened to so many of his peers, but I'll definitely miss Phil
Urso.

Phil had more than a brush with the jazz greats -- he was one of them.
He saw what that day's version of "the jazz life" did to his friends
and chose something different for himself.

The Phil that I knew had been out of the limelight for a long time,
but he belonged in it. Even when playing a soprano sax in a pickup
Dixie combo, Phil brought his own approach to the music. He was a
master of the quote. He could -- and regularly did -- work almost any
tune into the one rest of band was playing. He fit comfortably between
the cool sons of Prez and the hold-back-nothing New Yorkers. Phil
brought class and style to any gig he played.

Goodbye, Mr. Urso.


On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 7:26 AM, Mike Johnson <mike at washboards.com> wrote:
> I don't know how many of you would be familiar with Phil Urso (reeds).
>  Phil worked with a lot of people in his career including Chet Baker.
>  Phil had lived in Denver for many years and passed away a few days ago.
>  He was 82
>
>  I don't have any more info, but services are this afternoon.
>
>  Mike Johnson
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