Remembering Stanley Cowell and Other Toledo Jazz Memories

 

Stanley Cowell, 1941-2020
 thanks to Toledo Jazz Newsletter 

"2020 has been a tough year for many, and now we are faced with more sad news.  Toledo's own jazz piano great, Stanley Cowell, passed away on Thursday, December 17, 2020. Cowell, born in Toledo in 1941, became a world-renowned jazz pianist, composer, and force in the development of jazz.  As a youngster in Toledo he played piano for Art Tatum and that seemed to point the way for his pathway in life."  Doug Swiatecki, Toledo Jazz Newsletter 

I was sad to get this news. I didn't know Stanley Cowell personally but through his music and the fabulous sound of the Piano Choir. I'll never forget hearing those 7 pianos in DC. The news brought back a flood of memories. Personal, quiet, the memories of a single fan among millions of jazz aficionados, the anonymous folks who love jazz. We listen to magnificent jazz albums in the privacy of our homes. We listened to Marian McPartland on NPR every Saturday night, and had our car radios tuned in. We are among the unknown faces in an enraptured audience listening to live jazz whenever and wherever we could. Pure joy.

Clifford Murphy on his
big bass.

I remember certain Toledo-born Jazz musicians from the 1970s and early 1980s who performed at Rusty's, Murphy's Place, Hines Farm and other area venues. Some names elude me now. One of my best memories was getting to know jazz bassist Cliff Murphy through his partner Joan Russell.  Joan and I met at a group called Lutherans for Human Dignity. I doubt many folks have ever heard of it. It was an ecumenical group of people united in fighting for civil rights and increased racial understanding. It was founded by an African-American doctor, an optometrist, whose name I'm sorry to say I can't remember. Joan was faithful, dedicated, determined, and I loved that about her. 

One of the important issues that group worked on was adding Black history to the public schools curriculum. It included a protest in front of the Toledo Public Schools Administration building. It was in the early '70s. Joan joined our motley crew of about 30 protestors with some good signs and lots of enthusiasm. It was a pioneering effort at the time. Learning about Black history was as critical then as it is now. We're still fighting that battle. It reminds me that every advance in American political and social life begins with these kind of grassroots protests against racism and injustice, the troops behind leaders like Martin Luther King. It's how Fannie Lou Hammer got her start in Mississippi, fighting for voting rights. A rising from the ground up. 

I loved going downtown to hear Cliff and other wonderful musicians, with the brilliant Claude Black on piano, at Murphy's Place. Glenda was often the lead singer. I thought she was a fantastic talent, with a powerful voice. Joan made all her outfits, glamorous, colorful, dramatic. Joan in my mind could do anything, and she was the kindest person any friend could have. So was Cliff. That's how far back we go.  

I left Toledo for Washington, DC in 1985, where I lived and worked for almost 20 years. It had a great jazz scene, from Blues Alley to smaller clubs to art and education nonprofits like that powered by Charles and Linda Cassells. They organized important jazz education programs and brought in some great musicians, like Wynton Marsalis, that served to spread the amazing history of jazz and led lucky participants to embrace the music.  The DC humanities council supported many of the Cassells' projects. 

While I was away from Toledo lots changed, of course. Rusty closed, dear Joan died, Murphy's closed, and a few years after returning to Toledo in 2011 from living in Florida and in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Cliff died. Claude Black died. It was 2013, the same year that Marion McPartland died. I'd go with friends to listen to an aging but still elegant Cliff play at that corner pub downtown, on the corner of Huron and Monroe. For me now, with Cliff's death, then Cowell's, it feels like the end of an era. 

The music, of course, lives on. The tradition is solid, enshrined and as sacred as the American jazz canon that our Toledo Musicians were part of and that they enlivened and enriched. I imagine that heavenly chorus of jazz greats playing together from on high, filling up the heavens with a glorious sound.  

Some Sources: 

* Doug Swiatecki, Toledo Jazz Newsletter, link to a WBGO article about Cowell's life and achievements: https://www.wbgo.org/post/stanley-cowell-pianist-composer-and-educator-kaleidoscopic-view-jazz-dead-79#stream/0.  Great article. 

"His output in that decade was both prolific and far-ranging; among his signature ensembles was The Piano Choir, which consisted of no fewer than seven pianists, including Harold Mabern and Hugh Lawson./ Handscapes and Handscapes 2 the first albums by The Piano Choir, were released on Strata-East, a pioneering label that Cowell founded with Tolliver in 1971. Inspired by Strata Records, a collective entity in Detroit, Strata-East was an independent affair in every sense, from the production to the distribution."

Swiatecki's memory about Cowell's visit to Cliff Murphy when he was very sick especially moved me. "The visit with Murphy was particularly touching as Cowell used an electronic keyboard to play for the ailing Murphy." Now we can imagine these jazz greats playing their music in heaven. 

*  https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/toledoblade/obituary.aspx?pid=194581877

"Mr. Murphy was a bassist who impressed people by how effortlessly his unusually large, bear-like hands glided across his instrument's strings. But to hundreds of musicians - many of whom went on to play professionally across America - Mr. Murphy was the more calming, gentle, and reassuring half of a duo [with Claude Black] that for several decades took it upon themselves to teach young people how to play jazz through real-life nightclub experience."  Murphy and Claude Black played together from the late 1940s until Mr. Black died in 2013. 

"Clifford was a kind and gentle big bear of a man who left a huge legacy of jazz in our community. He was a mentor for so many young jazz players, offering support and encouragement, a big smile and a warm hug," Ms. Lefevre Johnson said. "I was blessed to sing with Clifford [Murphy] and Claude Black at Murphy's Place where I learned so much about jazz, about performing, and about love and support for your fellow musicians. Clifford was a musical giant full of love for the music and for all who were lucky enough to share the stage with him. He could play any jazz standard in any key and play it right."

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handscapes

One of my all-time favorites. I took piano lessons for many years
and loved the sound of 7 pianos playing together!  .Awesome.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_McPartland.  It was amazing to be reminded of how long her NPR program ran, from 1978 to 2011, a few years before she died. She was a jazz pianist and composer, married to a jazz musician, and her knowledge was incredible. 

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/06/01/Toledo-jazz-enthusiasts-lament-the-closing-of-Murphys/stories/20110531070

Joan 

* https://toledocitypaper.com/music/claude-black/

Claude Black on piano. He was fantastic.

"Lauded jazz pianist and legendary Toledo musician Claude Black succumbed to his year-long battle with cancer and passed away on Saturday, January 19th at the age of 80. Claude was a staple on the Toledo jazz scene who started his career in Detroit at age 16 playing with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker and Wes Montgomery. He was the house pianist at Murphy’s for over two decades where he regularly performed as well as mentored young Toledo jazz musicians, passing along his vast knowledge of music to several generations of players. A true artist and gentleman, Claude was known for his friendly demeanor and desire to hear other people’s stories rather than tell his own. He will be dearly missed by Toledo’s citizens and music scene." —GMK