Re: A Great Man Has Passed.


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Posted by Alex C on January 15, 2002 at 14:35:13:

In Reply to: A Great Man Has Passed. posted by Tracy Bedgood on January 15, 2002 at 01:30:00:

It was my great pleasure to work with Bobby and be his friend for several years. Most of the readers of this list will not recognize the name but he was a musician of the highest order.

My favorite serious Bobby Cheatham story concerns a performance of The Prayer of Saint Gregory (Hovahaness) about twenty years ago.

We had brought in the finest trumpet teacher/orchestral (CSO) performer for a clinic. He was sitting in the audience and when the performance was over the another teacher turned to make a comment to our guest artist. He never made the comment because when he looked over, there were tears still streaming down the face of the world famous trumpet player. He was deeply affected. Bobby's sound and musicianship were that good.

Bobby was a talented individual without an ounce of guile in him.

On the lighter side, Bobby had always been something of a hypocondriac (sp?). I have never forgotten the time I saw him after more than a year's seperation. He stood beside me, never said hello, just stood there. It was easy to know it was Bobby, he was tall and large framed, a huge man.

I finally looked over at him and waited as he said most dramatically, "Foot cancer." Who ever heard of foot cancer!?!? He insisted he was the first case in medical history.

Loved his stories, loved his heart, and envied the talent. Students everywhere are feeling his loss as are his friends, old and new.

If Gabriel really plays trumpet, he's got some serious competition now.


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