A memorial service for broadcaster, editor and jazz historian Paul Blair will be held this evening, January 30 at St Peter’s Church in Manhattan. Thanks to Jim Eigo, here is full information:
Paul’s family and friends from elementary school, college, Peace Corps in Malawi, Voice of America, the New York Jazz community, are remembering Paul with words and songs.
Speakers:
Amandus J. Derr , Senior Pastor of St. Peter’s Church
Yessy Blair and Nick Blair
Ellen Miller from PS 16 and West High of Rochester, NY
Bob Abel / Charlie Meliska, Wooster College, OH
John Geraghty / Sandra Lauffer, PCV in Malawi
Barry Maughan, VoA (eulogy read by Nicholas Blair)
Howard Mandel of Jazz Journalists Association (JJA)Musicians Set 1
Bob Dorough
Bill Mays
Pheeroan akLaff
Steve Berger
Pat O’Leary
Bob Mover
Scott RobinsonMusic set 2:
Cecilia Coleman Big Band:
Peter Brainin, Bobby Porcelli, Stephan Kammerer, Geoff Vidal, Stan Killian, Frank Basile, Jeff Wilfore, Hardin Butcher, Kerry MacKillop, John Eckert, Don Sickler, Matt McDonald, Mike Fahn, Sam Burtis, Joe Randazzo, Tim Givens, Jeff Brillinger, David Coss, and Cecilia Coleman.The family of Paul Blair thanks all friends who expressed their condolence and love.
Special thanks to Gwen Calvier and her staff at Hot House Jazz magazine
St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, New York, NY 10022
For a summary of Paul’s life, career and contributions to jazz, see Howard Mandel’s remembrance on the Jazz Journalists Association website.
I attended the memorial service since Paul was my editor at Hot House during the six years I’ve written for them and a good friend for thirteen years. The vibes were great and Paul would have enjoyed the speakers’ comments (several of which were hilarious) and the superb music.
A couple of notes: Bob Mover was absent, though Bob Dorough stole the show with the rendition of his very own “Devil May Care.” Also, Sharel Cassity subbed in the reed section for someone in the big band, though I’m not sure who she replaced.
Among the attendees I talked to afterward (in addition to the performers and speakers) were journalists David Alder, Laurence Donohue- Greene, Arnold Jay Smith, Hot House managing editor Gwen Calvier, publicists Don Lucoff and Jordy Freed, saxophonist Bill Kirchner, pianist Peter Zak, drummer Matt Wilson, vocalist E. J. Decker and Jazz Record Center owner Fred Cohen, to name a few. I’m sure there were others I overlooked or didn’t spot.
The Hot House staff published their thoughts about Paul in the January 2012 issue, viewable as a PDF on pages 36 and 37 at the following link:
http://www.hothousejazz.com/jan2012.php
See my Remembrance at:
http://news.jazzjournalists.org/2011/12/paul-blair-1942-2011/
Royal, I enjoyed your piece on Paul Blair and glad that Howard Mandel read a portion of it during the service.