[Dixielandjazz] R.I.P. Herb Wong - San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2014

[Robert Ringwald]

Herb Wong, Leading Bay Area Jazz Expert, Dies at 88
by Aidin Vaziri
San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2014
Herb Wong, one of the West Coast's leading jazz experts and educators, who for more
than 35 years hosted and produced shows for the Bay Area radio station KJAZ , died
on April 20 at his home in Menlo Park. He was 88.
His death, after a lengthy battle with cancer, was confirmed by Paul S. Fingerote,
a longtime friend and colleague.
Mr. Wong was frequently called upon for his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history,
whether recounting the evolution of the Monterey Jazz Festival on CNN or commenting
on the cultural significance of Dave Brubeck for PBS. He wrote liner notes for hundreds
of jazz albums and co-founded the Palo Alto Jazz Alliance, a nonprofit group dedicated
to promoting jazz education and performance on the Peninsula.
For 25 years, Mr. Wong taught jazz history at the Palo Alto Adult School and developed
an oral history of the genre for the Smithsonian Institution. He introduced jazz
education in Berkeley elementary schools, bolstered by performances by jazz greats
such as Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington's Orchestra. He also co-authored several
children's books on science.
In the early '80s, Mr. Wong served as the artistic director and president for Palo
Alto Records, an independent label that released albums by the likes of Dianne Reeves,
McCoy Tyner and Lalo Schifrin.
Herbert Wong was born in Oakland, on March 18, 1926. He grew up in Stockton, where
started to play classical piano at age 6. He fortuitously discovered jazz when he
was 11 by opening a package, addressed to the former occupant of the Wong's family
home, containing seminal records by the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and
Benny Carter. He and his brother Elwood became lifelong fans of the genre.
"We used that as a starter for a game that we devised," Mr. Wong said during a 2011
interview with the Jake Feinberg Show. "We made a game out of these recordings by
challenging each other to come up with the name of the tune, the artist involved
and then we had to name everybody in the band playing an instrument. Eventually we
found that the game started to become a little dull because it wasn't challenging
enough."
In the '30s and '40s, Mr. Wong would frequently take the train from Stockton to Oakland
to see jazz concerts at venues such as Nicolas Brothers, the Orpheum and the Rio
Theatre. Her served in the Army during World War II, gaining his first experience
as a disc jockey on the Armed Forces Radio Service.
When he returned to the states, Mr. Wong enrolled at the University of California
at Berkeley, pursuing bachelor and doctoral degrees in zoology. In an interview with
the Palo Alto Jazz Alliance's magazine he said he postponed a final because it conflicted
with an appearance by Woody Herman at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. "I had to convince
the professor to let me take the test orally at a later date," he said. "So I told
him, 'I got to go see this Woody Herman show,' and the professor said, 'Oh jeez,
I wish I could go.'"
He also earned a master's degree in science education at San Jose State University.
In 1959, Mr. Wong started hosting his own radio show on KJAZ -- a position he held
until 1996. In his later years he founded the Stanford Shopping Center Jazz concert
series and served as the president of the International Association for Jazz Education.
In 2013, he was awarded the Palo Alto Excellence Award in Jazz Education.
Mr. Wong is survived by his wife, Marilyn; brother Elwood; daughters Kira and Kamberly
and four grandchildren.
Memorial plans are pending.
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-Bob Ringwald K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
916/ 806-9551

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