Clark Terry

I became aware of the death of Clark Terry in a way that is becoming all too familiar; all of a sudden I was hearing an awful lot of his music in places and times when you don't normally hear his music.  No one was announcing, they were just letting the music play, as it should be.  This afforded me the opportunity to enjoy Clark Terry in the present for a few more precious hours before I was forced to acknowledge his passing.

I keep reading his biographies listing all the great musicians he shared the bandstand with during his long illustrious career.  It really should be the other way around, listing all the musicians who shared the bandstand with Clark Terry.  Because he really was an unparalleled musician, second to none.

He was as gregarious and comedic and talented onstage as Dizzy, but suffered the curse of being chronologically subsequent to the creation of the new music and didn't share in the glory of the birthing of jazz as we know it.  Although he was able to create a new branch of scat that, as yet, I have not heard anyone else successfully duplicate, that being Mumbles.  Maybe we will let Mr. Mumbles have a go at it tomorrow.

Everything that can be said, probably has already been said much better elsewhere.  So I will just let the man and his music speak for itself.  Thank you Mr. Terry for bringing so much joy into my life with your music and your wit.

RIP