Jazz Fest '08 Dedicated to Howard Hedges
Second-annual music festival honors local musician posthumously
Much can be said about jazz. It's been called everything from music to revolt to “the sound of God laughing."
For the late Howard Hedges, it was a way of communicating.
“It's a kind of music where the soul of a person comes out," said Hedges' widow Kathy. “Because it was free-form a lot of times, it was about the performer and meeting people where they were. Howard would listen and feel like he could really know the person through their music."
For those who know the Hedges, it seems perfectly appropriate then that this year's second-annual Jazz Fest be dedicated to Howard, who died last October. Having moved to Homer in 1990, Hedges brought with him a legacy that was both awe-inspiring and humbling. A talented trombonist who had played with some of jazz music's greatest legends -- from Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin -- he was known not only for his exceptional skill, but for his sense of humor as well.
“He made fabulous music," said Mark Robinson, who was the director of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra when Hedges came to town. “He had an incredible ear, was down-to-earth and hysterical. Howard was this unusual combination of superior musicianship and professionalism with a wicked sense of humor."
Even where his body failed him -- a debilitating stroke in 1993 left him paralyzed on one side -- Hedges never left his love for music behind.
Much can be said about jazz. It's been called everything from music to revolt to “the sound of God laughing."
For the late Howard Hedges, it was a way of communicating.
“It's a kind of music where the soul of a person comes out," said Hedges' widow Kathy. “Because it was free-form a lot of times, it was about the performer and meeting people where they were. Howard would listen and feel like he could really know the person through their music."
For those who know the Hedges, it seems perfectly appropriate then that this year's second-annual Jazz Fest be dedicated to Howard, who died last October. Having moved to Homer in 1990, Hedges brought with him a legacy that was both awe-inspiring and humbling. A talented trombonist who had played with some of jazz music's greatest legends -- from Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin -- he was known not only for his exceptional skill, but for his sense of humor as well.
“He made fabulous music," said Mark Robinson, who was the director of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra when Hedges came to town. “He had an incredible ear, was down-to-earth and hysterical. Howard was this unusual combination of superior musicianship and professionalism with a wicked sense of humor."
Even where his body failed him -- a debilitating stroke in 1993 left him paralyzed on one side -- Hedges never left his love for music behind.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
