Bill Crow writes from New York:
So sorry to hear of Floyd’s passing. When I returned to the Seattle area after 3 years in the Army, I met Floyd and Quincy and Gerald Brashear and Buddy Catlett and Kenny Kimball and Ray Charles. We played a lot together in the music annex of the University of Washington. I was a valve trombonist and Buddy Catlett was a good alto player. Neither of us had any idea of playing the bass at that time.
I loved Floyd’s playing and his sweet nature. He could have made a national name for himself. Certainly Quincy would have seen to that. But he preferred Seattle and his life there. RIP sweet Floyd.
Jim Wilke of Jazz After Hours also produces and hosts Jazz Northwest on KPLU, a Seattle-Tacoma radio station. Next Sunday, December 28, at 1 pm Pacific time, 4 pm Eastern, he will devote Jazz Northwest to memories of Floyd Standifer and to Floyd’s music. KPLU is at 88.5 on the FM dial. Or go here for streaming internet audio. The hour will include comments from musicians who worked closely with Standifer, among them Jay Thomas, Clarence Acox, Bill Anschell, Butch Nordall and Michael Brockman. The program will be available as a podcast at kplu.org following the broadcast.