My Content
Membership has its privileges! Sign up or sign in to gain full access to both All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Learn more.
Don Suhor: From Dixieland to Bopsieland
Another mark of Don's originality was his way of incorporating notes above the normal range of the clarinet and alto sax into his solos. This skill wasn't employed as an attention-seeking gimmick."Showmanship," whether in the form of instrumental hotdogging or strained bodily contortions, was antithetical to his unassuming personality. The notes were simply there, like all others, accessible for unaffected use in melodic improvisation. His fellow musicians were stimulated by his bopsieland synthesis, with few exceptions. When he was subbing with one Dixieland group, the leader whispered nervously, "Think Faz, Don, think Faz!"
Late in 2002 Don, a lifelong smoker, was stricken with lung cancer. I drove to New Orleans from my Montgomery, Alabama, retirement home to be with him during the weeks of decline. I helped organize the January 13, 2002, benefit jam session at Palm Court Café. The last thing I heard at the end of the final set was a shout from the bandstand."We love you, Don!" He died two weeks later at the age of seventy.
Photo credit: Rick Olivier. From New Orleans Magazine 1997. Traditional Jazz All-Stars. Left to right: Eric Glaser, bass; Alvin Alcorn, trumpet; Tom McDermott, piano; Don Suhor, clarinet; Louis Cottrell, drums.
Late in 2002 Don, a lifelong smoker, was stricken with lung cancer. I drove to New Orleans from my Montgomery, Alabama, retirement home to be with him during the weeks of decline. I helped organize the January 13, 2002, benefit jam session at Palm Court Café. The last thing I heard at the end of the final set was a shout from the bandstand."We love you, Don!" He died two weeks later at the age of seventy.
Photo credit: Rick Olivier. From New Orleans Magazine 1997. Traditional Jazz All-Stars. Left to right: Eric Glaser, bass; Alvin Alcorn, trumpet; Tom McDermott, piano; Don Suhor, clarinet; Louis Cottrell, drums.
Tags
Related Articles
Profiles
Sonny Buxton: Mid-Day Saturdays and A Radio Master Class With Strayhorn's Last Drummer
By Arthur R George
February 11, 2019
Profiles
Sonny Buxton: Mid-Day Saturdays and A Radio Master Class With Strayhorn's Last Drummer
By Arthur R George
February 11, 2019
Beauty, Love and Justice: Living A Coltranian Life
American Descendants of Slaves Empowered Through the Arts, Social Media #ADOS, and Activist Preaching
By Christine Passarella
February 13, 2019
Profiles
February 11, 2019
Sonny Buxton: Mid-Day Saturdays and A Radio Master Class With Strayhorn's Last Drummer
By Arthur R GeorgeFebruary 11, 2019
Profiles
Sonny Buxton: Mid-Day Saturdays and A Radio Master Class With Strayhorn's Last Drummer
By Arthur R GeorgeFebruary 11, 2019
Beauty, Love and Justice: Living A Coltranian Life
American Descendants of Slaves Empowered Through the Arts, Social Media #ADOS, and Activist Preaching
By Christine PassarellaFebruary 13, 2019
Album Showcase
-
Swallows & Swans by Florian Ross
-
Crosswinds by Christoph Irniger
-
Trio Tapestry by Joe Lovano
-
Imaginary Friends by Ralph Alessi
-
East Of The Sun by Michael Kocour
Jazz Poll
Help us identify the world's top 100 jazz venues. Voting takes seconds so please participate! Learn more.
Shop Amazon
Jazz Story
I love jazz because it's an area of music where I am free to incorporate everything I've experienced in music, including multiple genres and global cultures, and creatively express myself as a composer and improviser
Read more
By Michael Occhipinti
Member since: 2008
