Jack Brownlow

Rifftides will be in suspension for a while. I don't know for how long. Two years ago, I wrote this about a great pianist:

Jack Brownlow, at 81, has doggedly refused to let a round of health problems put him out of commission. He is gigging less, but a stream of colleagues comes to his house to play music with him and learn from him. He is an inspiration to them, as he has been to me since I was sixteen.

This evening, the health problems won. I've lost my best friend, a wise teacher, the older brother I never had, a musician who from the time I was a child moved me with the profound beauty of his playing.

Jack Brownlow

When Paul Desmond heard Jack for the first time, he said, "If I played piano, that's how I'd want to play it."

There is a lot to sort out. I'll check back in as soon as possible.