all that jazz

Well, here we are in April: Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as "JAM"), created to recognize and celebrate the heritage and history of jazz. As the website apassion4jazz.net says…
“Jazz music is among America's greatest cultural achievements and exports to the world community. It gives powerful voice to the American experience. Born of a multi-hued society, Jazz unites people across the divides of race, region and national boundaries. It has always made powerful statements about freedom, creativity and identity.”
 
You know, I’ve been a jazz fan all my life and two memories come streaming back to me as I celebrate this month. Both of them involve the late Peter Appleyard, marvelous vibraphone player. Peter had become a bit of a friend and one night, at Montreal Bistro, my dad (then in his 80s), my son Charlie (who was 17… shhhh, you were supposed to be 19 to be there) and me, then in my 50s, attended to see Peter play. He came over to our table between sets to say hi. I bought him a drink and invited him to sit. “You know Perter,” I said, “you should be pretty proud that you have here a guy in his teens, another in his 50s and still another in his 80s present to hear your music. That’s pretty much covering the waterfront!”
He beamed with pleasure and announced that indeed, he was proud. When he got up to play the next set, her dedicated it to the three of us, which was awfully kind.
 
My other memory of Peter is at a Jazz.fm concert of live musicians. It was staged at Convocation Hall, University of Toronto. My sons Charlie and Jamie took me there that evening as their guest and we sat through some wonderful acts of young jazz musicians. But then, to end the event, the announcer introduced none other than Peter Appleyard. Peter came out, played several tunes with mastery, and then, for the finale, he and the back-up group played “Frenesi”. Half way through the tune, Peter put the vibes mallets down, approached the piano and nudged his way onto the seat, pushing the pianist off. And he started playing some marvelous jazz piano rifts. But that wasn’t enough. He now went to the bassist and did the same thing, pushing the player aside and playing the bass himself with wonderful dexterity. He did this as well with the guitarist and finally ended up on the drums, performing an amazing drum solo, smiling gleefully all the while. Then he returned to the vibes to finish off the tune.
My two sons could hardly believe what they had just witnessed. And the audience obviously felt the same astonishment because they immediately rose to their feet to give Peter a standing ovation. “Not bad,” I said to the boys. “An 80 year old guy performs with all these young dudes and he’s the only one who gets a standing O!”
 
Here’s to Peter Appleyard. And here’s to Jazz Appreciation Month.

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