Jazz and Joe Healy

I got my love of music from my father.  He loved all kinds of music. He had stacks of 78s, LPs, Tapes and CD’s when I was growing up.  They covered all kinds of styles and genres but his favorite by far was Jazz. When he was in the service as an MP in the south he used to go into the jazz clubs to hear Dizzy Gillespie and other greats of the time. His favorite Jazz musician was Stan Kenton.  As the story goes, on their first date, my father asked my mother what she though of Stan Kenton and her response was “It sounds like a lot of noise”. Thankfully he did not hold that opinion against her!

In the 70′s I remember him listening to a lot of the Outlaw Country movement. When I was really into Rush in my tweens I asked him to sit and listen to the song “Xanadu” and he ended up listening to the entire “A Farewell to Kings” album with me. He would watch Austin City Limits every week and he would discover new musicians and seek out their recordings. I can still remember how impressed he was when he saw Stevie Ray Vaughan doing “Riviera Paradise” on that show and how happy he was when I told him I not only knew who he was but I also handed him a stack of his CD’s from my collection.

 

From Tony Bennet to Tom Waits my father loved music. He was always seeking out new music and he loved turning others on to music as well. Even toward the last of his days he was bringing the nurses in Stan Getz CD’s because they enjoyed hearing his music during his treatments. Turning others on to music is a trait I also have in spades and a tradition that I carry on.

Thursday night I saw Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra perform at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland. The band sounded great and it was a wonderful evening of great talent and excellent music. The opening set grabbed me right from the start and took me away. For a brief few moments as I closed my eyes and let the music carry me down the rivers of sound I could almost feel my father was sitting by me listening and tapping his feet to the music with a big grin on his face. It was a wonderful special moment that only music can do.

The last time I enjoyed Fathers Day was ten years ago. Now I try to get through it as quietly as possible. I miss my Dads humor. I miss his laughter.  I miss his smile.  I miss the all day canasta card games we used to play at the beach without ever seeing the ocean. I miss the fishing trips where we spent the whole day looking for the perfect spot and never actually fished. I miss going out to breakfast for no good reason.  I miss him teasing me and me teasing him back. Most of all, I miss sharing and listening to music with him.

“Ten Years Gone”

Kind of makes me feel sometimes, didn’t have to grow

But as the eagle leaves the nest, it’s got so far to go

Changes fill my time, that’s alright with me

In the midst I think of you, and how it used to be

Did you ever really need somebody, And really need ‘em bad

Did you ever really want somebody, The best love you ever had

Holdin’ on, ten years gone

Ten years gone, holdin’ on, ten years gone