Charles Gayle passed away last week at the age of 84.
He played passionately, and left an indelible impression on those of us who saw him at his best.
May his memory be a blessing.
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Unlike McC, I only saw Charles Gayle perform once, and not at his peak - he wasn't even playing tenor by that point. The event was largely ruined (for me) by the choice of venue - I wrote about this, rather bitterly, some months after the event. For all it was heavily compromised, the experience had a lasting effect on me, and CG's personal dignity impressed me greatly. Undoubtedly, another titan of creative music has left us
yes i remember that concert quite well, we walked away somewhat underwhelmed. in fact it took me a while to listen to his albums again. his late 80s-early nineties stuff is simply crucial.
my buddy saw him at tonic in nyc, they got to talk a little. it went something like this:
cg: where are you from?
mb: tbilisi, georgia
cg: huh... do you know jazz there?
mb: sure, we have jazz festivals too
cg (somewhat incredulous): really?
mb (beaming with pride): yes, sun ra played there
cg (astonished): wow! well, that's enough!
then he signed a piece of paper for him and put his telephone number there (!) my friend keep this framed on the wall.
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