Tuesday, March 24, 2020
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My deepest condolences to the family. Dick and I performed together many times over the years. He accompanied my poetry on the congas. He is featured on my audio recording of my book EMBOUCHURE, poems on Jazz and Other Musics. Another recording we did together, features Dick on piano, while I am singing a song for Amnesty International. This recording includes an address by Patrick Stewart and was distributed around the world.We were both proud of that particular effort -- music in service of human rights!
Dick made community. He played with a number of regional bands and groups, in particular Wheeley Barrow. His jam sessions in his home brought disparate people together to make music. It was a bit of utopia. He was in love with a plant, the amaranth, and grew them while extolling their virtues. He was a natural and constant teacher and proponent of oneness, through music.
The bio doesn't mention his performances at the Apollo, nor his win on the Ted Mack Amateur hour -- I guess because those are accomplishments from another era. They are impressive, nonetheless. His unflagging energy and will to create were compelling. He made community, wherever he was. May his song ever resound. May his spirit ever soar.
