[Dixielandjazz] Toronto saxophonist Jim Gallow-- obituary in Toronto Star

[Norman Vickers]

To:  DJML and Musicians & Jazzfans lists

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

The following remembrance of saxophonist Jim Galloway appeared in the
Toronto Star today.  Thanks to Toronto  jazzfans Beverly Harris and David
Mordecai for passing this along.

 

 
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http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2015/01/06/toronto_jazz_festival_
cofounder_jim_galloway_dies_at_78.html

 

Bandleader and saxophone player Jim Galloway, fondly remembered as a driving
force behind Toronto's annual summer jazz festival, has died at 78.

Born in Scotland in 1936, he trained at the Glasgow School of Fine Arts and
was an established jazz performer before he moved to Canada in 1964. Known
for his love of swing music, he headed numerous bands, including the Wee Big
Band.

"Toronto wouldn't have a jazz festival if it wasn't for Jim," says Fay
Olson, part of the team that helped put together what was then called du
Maurier Downtown Jazz in 1987. Galloway was its artistic director until
2009, when he retired from the post.

"I always felt Jim would be a great artistic director of the jazz festival
because of all of his world travels, working with the best names," says
Olson. "He could be booking talent all year long instead of scrambling at
the last minute to see who was available."

In spite of all the years Galloway spent in Canada, he never lost his
Scottish accent, says Olson, who works in music promotion. She used to try
to get him to say one of the festival's old venues - Downtown Browns -
because he would say "Doontoon Broons," she says.

"Jim was a lovely guy, one of those who sees the good in everyone and always
finds a reason to laugh."

Galloway stayed on as artistic director as the festival morphed into the TD
Toronto Jazz Festival <http://torontojazz.com/festival>  and also performed
frequently with his band and other performers in town for the event.

The signature performance day would be the last Friday of the festival, says
drummer Don Vickery, who performed in Galloway's bands for 50 years and whom
Galloway called his "tiny perfect drummer."

Vickery, who is five-foot-three, says the two shared a love of puns.

"It was always fun to play with Jim, no matter who we were playing for,"
says Vickery.

Galloway had the ability to not only play the saxophone well, but to
transmit his love of music to an audience, says Vickery.

"It was a wonderful feeling to see that sent out to the audience."

Ross Porter, CEO and president of Jazz.FM91, <http://www.jazz.fm/>  hosted
career retrospective broadcast of Galloway this week, with interview clips
featuring Galloway's strong Scottish accent in all its glory.

"He was very charming," says Porter. "He always had a joke, a comical story
to tell you."

His lifelong pal, retired jazz broadcaster Ted O'Reilly, says Galloway died
at home with his wife, Anne Page, after months of declining health.

The two men became friends shortly after Galloway came to Canada and
O'Reilly says many people didn't understand that Galloway also had a
European career and was well-known around the world.

His great strength, says O'Reilly, "was melody. He knew hundreds of tunes."

A private family ceremony was held Jan. 6.

 

 

 
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