[Dixielandjazz] A memory of Ev Farey
Daniel Barrett
danpbarrett at hotmail.com
Sat Apr 7 21:44:20 EDT 2018
Ev Farey saved my life.
I was twenty-two years old, on my first trip to Europe with a now-legendary band called the Sunset Music Company. People often ask me for the "musical highlights" of my career so far, and I always respond that two of them were playing for Benny Goodman for the last seven months of his life (Dec. 1985 - June, '86), and playing with the Sunset Music Company. Generally, people nod knowingly when I mention Mr. Goodman, and are puzzled by the other reference. Nonetheless, both experiences meant a great deal to me.
Ev Farey was the trumpet player of the first edition of the SMC. In May of 1977, we flew to Schipol Airport (near Amsterdam) and traveled by bus an hour or so to Breda, which still hosts an annual jazz festival. Back then it was known as the "Oude Stijl ('Old Style') International Jazz Festival."
Other band members in that first version of the SMC were: Mike Baird, clarinet and alto sax; Mike Fay, bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums; Ev on trumpet; our leader, Lueder Ohlwein on banjo and vocals; and young me on trombone.
Lueder ("Lyoo'-dur") was an extraordinary musician. He played solid, swinging tenor banjo; could sing beautifully (including some of the hippest scat singing I've ever heard), and moreover was one of my favorite BLUES singers! (When it comes to blues singing, German banjo players don't exactly spring to mind). In short, Lueder was a remarkable guy, and a huge influence on me both musically and personally.
I made many Dutch friends at that first festival; my very first time overseas. I'm happy say that I am still touch with many of them, and several have become lifelong friends.
Naturally, I was excited to get to play with Ev! Like many of our generation(s) who are interested in traditional jazz, I had enjoyed and studied the two Good Time Jazz LPs made by the Bay City Jazz Band. Back when I discovered that band, I was primarily a trombone player (still am) but was also playing trumpet (still do). I would listen to Sanford Neubauer's trombone work, but then go back and listen to the same tracks with my focus on the two trumpets. Many years later, it was a treat (and a brass lesson) to stand next to Ev, and hear him play the trumpet--such a demanding instrument--so well.
After the Breda Festival we all climbed into our VW van. The rear side windows were decorated with terrific charcoal drawings of Lester Young and Vic Dickenson. The drawings were gifts from a young lady named Machteld van Buren. (Machteld was married for a few years to cornetist Jim Goodwin, who had come to Breda in 1976 and was Ev's replacement in the SMC in 1978). Machteld has a great sense of humor, and used to play trombone more than a little bit like Benny Morton! Over the years, she has become an accomplished and acknowledged artist in many mediums. She too is still a good friend.
So, let's get to where Ev Farey saved my life. Just after the Breda Festival, the band traveled to Germany, where Lueder had lined up about three weeks of solid work for us; mostly pubs and crowded basement jazz clubs, reeking of decades-old beer and cigarette smoke. It was wonderful!
We had one gig where we had to perform in the late morning, which was "early" morning for us, don't you know. It was in Dortmund, where we were asked to stand on an open-air balcony overlooking a small plaza; the central location for a small traditional jazz festival there.
I'm not proud of it, but I'll admit I had partaken of 'way too much German beer (and probably several schnapps) the night before, and was feeling more than a little rocky that morning. I managed to get my old Williams and Wallace trombone (a gift from the late Mike Fay, in fact) out of its case, and put it together. I climbed up the stairs in the hotel where we were performing, and wobbled out onto the narrow balcony, right above the street. We were on the "American" second floor (what Europeans know as the "first" floor). It was much higher than in a modern American hotel, for the old German hotels had large rooms, and very high ceilings. So, we were at a pretty good height above the party. There was nothing but a cobblestone street directly below us.
I was valiantly trying to keep whatever it was I had drunk and eaten down there in my stomach where it belonged, but, man, it was a challenge!
I was standing on Ev's right. Mike Baird was on Ev's left. The balcony was so narrow that although bassist Mike Fay, drummer Jeff, and Lueder were right behind us, they were actually playing from inside the hotel room. think it was about the third tune in when I leaned a little too far over the low, wrought iron balcony railing. I remember thinking, "Sheesh! This railing should be a little higher! It isn't safe!" And then my horn and I were falling over it, with nothing but those unforgiving cobblestones below. Playing his trumpet with his left hand, and without missing a note (I remember this clearly), Ev reached over and managed to grab the back of my pants with his other hand. We're both lucky I didn't weigh then what I weigh now!
Ev yanked me back, and I think it was Lueder who caught me from behind, so I didn't fall backwards into the rhythm section. When Ev looked at me and said, "Hey, Danny! You gotta be more careful up here!", there was no judgment in his voice. Just some fatherly advice he was passing along. Believe, me, I took it! I like to think I was somewhat better-behaved for the rest of the tour, but I'm probably deluding myself. Again.
I mentioned earlier that the great cornetist/pianist Jim Goodwin took Ev's place for the 1978 tour. Bill Carter, Herman Foretich, and John "Butch" Smith shared reed duties separately that year, replacing Mike Baird.
Lueder has been gone for many years now, felled by an aneurysm at his home in Three Rivers, California. Jim Goodwin left us in 2009; Mike Fay passed away a few months ago. Now, Ev is gone.
We're all in that same line, waiting our turn, I guess. Until I'm the one who hears an unfamiliar and most unwelcome voice holler, "Next!", I'm happy I can look back on my life thus far, and remember guys like Lueder, Mike, Herman, Jim, and Ev Farey.
Thanks for the "balcony save," Ev. I appreciate it every day.
--Dan Barrett
Anaheim, CA
7 Apr 2018
________________________________
From: dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com <dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 7, 2018 9:00 AM
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Subject: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 184, Issue 6
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Today's Topics:
1. Ev Farey, R.I.P. (Bruce Stangeland)
2. Re: Ev Farey R.I.P. (Tam?s Ittz?s)
3. Re: Ev Farey, R.I.P. (Bob)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 09:57:00 -0700
From: Bruce Stangeland <stangeland at earthlink.net>
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
Message-ID: <5c532c7d-e4d4-d4e1-345e-47463c2cc8e2 at earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"
Bert,
I'morry to hear about Ev's passing. I enjoyed playing with him years ago
when he subbed with the Jubilee Jazz Band. More recently I got to jam
with him during New Years Day parties in El Cerrito, CA.
He reminded me a few months ago at Earl Scheelar's music celebration
that he had offered to let me look through his extensive sheet music
collection. I never got around to it. Too bad.
Bruce Stangeland
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 01:47:58 GMT
From: "Bert Thompson"<dr_bert at juno.com>
To:dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
Message-ID:<20180405.184758.17861.0 at webmail07.dca.untd.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
Trumpet player Ev Farey passed away last evening, Apr. 4. He was best known, perhaps, as the co-leader of the fine Bay City Jazz Band of the 1950s in the San Francisco area, but he also led the Golden State Jazz Band and played with the Port City Jazz Band and the Gold Coast Jazz Band among many others. Bert Thompson
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2018 17:14:06 +0000
From: Tam?s Ittz?s <ittzes.tamas at gmail.com>
To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey R.I.P.
Message-ID:
<CAMzSihSp8ebz+o-aJf6coQQZejP1Oc_Pov+b7ZGenzXBebdjBQ at mail.gmail.com>
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Oh, Ev was a great guy, I had the Port City JB at my Boh?m Festival in
Hungary back in 1998 or so. He also accommodated half of my band when
touring the US a year later. Talked to him on the phone 4 years ago when I
was in San Francisco but he couldn't come to my concert that day so we only
had a long chat on the phone. He was still active and relatively strong
although did not play too much by then. Great man, great trumpet player,
very knowledgeable nice guy. He is surely greatly missed by many, including
me.
Tam?s Ittz?s
<dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com> ezt ?rta (id?pont: 2018. ?pr. 6.,
P?n 18:32):
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> 4. Re: Ev Farey, R.I.P. (Marek Boym)
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> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 19:13:05 +0000
> From: Ed Fehr <edfehr at msn.com>
> To: "dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 184, Issue 4
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> On Apr 5, 2018, at 9:00 AM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com wrote:
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> > 1. Charquet Ltd. (Marek Boym)
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> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 00:29:19 +0300
> > From: Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> > To: Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> > Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Charquet Ltd.
> > Message-ID:
> > <CABGvO8ARRA4b6UShRiTsKeRHjC=
> X0-R3qaB6h-6vFw_zxXpnSw at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> >
> > When I discovered the band it was called Charquet & Co. Dick Baker
> should
> > know it - I first heard it on a Stomp Off LP, and fell in love with it.
> > Traditional jazz with a twist - at its best!
> > Enjoy
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOOn_MUsoT4
> >
> > <
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
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> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 01:47:58 GMT
> From: "Bert Thompson" <dr_bert at juno.com>
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
> Message-ID: <20180405.184758.17861.0 at webmail07.dca.untd.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
> Trumpet player Ev Farey passed away last evening, Apr. 4. He was best
> known, perhaps, as the co-leader of the fine Bay City Jazz Band of the
> 1950s in the San Francisco area, but he also led the Golden State Jazz Band
> and played with the Port City Jazz Band and the Gold Coast Jazz Band among
> many others. Bert Thompson
> ____________________________________________________________
> Google May Not Show You This - Enter Any Name
> Truthfinder
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> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 20:46:25 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
> From: M J _Mike_ Logsdon <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
> To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
> Message-ID:
> <
> 244909647.16185.1522986385766 at wamui-esmeralda.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> RIP, indeed.
>
> Let's also not forget his presence on Turk's Columbia "Dancing Jazz", and
> Helm's "Riverside Roustabouts".
>
> And, though it's of no list significance, his being the person my son,
> Everett, is named for.
>
> God bless him. I never met him. Email only. But a soul we all shall
> certainly miss, and the heavenly band will certainly welcome.
>
> M J (Mike) Logsdon.
>
> "Aaugh[.]" -- Charles Brown.
> "Avoid dull needles and use a soft cloth." -- E Kovacs.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 17:06:59 +0300
> From: Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> To: Bert Thompson <dr_bert at juno.com>
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
> Message-ID:
> <
> CABGvO8DCEW+dWxr01VxOQDE0s72+AxX1tY7BxFdKf3D+zY0+hg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Another one gone!
> Incidentally, right now I have started a Jim Leigh Eldorado Jazz Band
> double CD (on Trad Jazz), which, among others, includes Ev Farey (whom I
> had never heard before acquiring that album).
> RIP indeed.
>
> <
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
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> ???
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> <#m_-4718394916028773123_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>
> On 6 April 2018 at 04:47, Bert Thompson <dr_bert at juno.com> wrote:
>
> > Trumpet player Ev Farey passed away last evening, Apr. 4. He was best
> > known, perhaps, as the co-leader of the fine Bay City Jazz Band of the
> > 1950s in the San Francisco area, but he also led the Golden State Jazz
> Band
> > and played with the Port City Jazz Band and the Gold Coast Jazz Band
> among
> > many others.
> >
> >
> > Bert Thompson
> >
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________
> > *Google May Not Show You This - Enter Any Name*
> > Truthfinder
> > <http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3132/5ac6d1e11fee551e01a52st03duc>
> > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3132/5ac6d1e11fee551e01a52st03duc
> > [image: SponsoredBy Content.Ad]
> > _______________________________________________
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 12:19:07 -0700
From: Bob <shoring.b at gmail.com>
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Ev Farey, R.I.P.
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Ev was a true gentleman as well as a first class trumpet player. I had the pleasure of meeting him several times.
He will be missed, indeed!
Bob Shoring
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