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Sonny Bradshaw - a father/teacher who will never be forgotten
By Basil Walters Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
As fate would have it, news of the passing of veteran musician/bandleader Sonny Bradshaw came on the night of a commemorative concert marking the 10th anniversary of the transition of Cynthia Schloss, another distinguished artiste.
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| BRADSHAW... tributes flowed glowingly for him at Pegasus Hotel on Saturday night |
A well-scripted departure if ever there was one, for as news that the elder statesman of Jamaican music had joined the late songbird circulated to those gathered in the Gardens of the Pegasus Hotel on Saturday night, the tributes flowed glowingly.
Memories of Cynthia Schloss were shared on stage while reflections of Sonny Bradshaw as a father/teacher were registered off-stage.
One of his leading prodigies, Dean Fraser, declared that Bradshaw was like a father: "Sonny Bradshaw, apart from the teacher, philosopher, the entertainer, the trumpet player , the musician, he was my father personally, seen," the popular saxophonist told the Observer.
"Sonny Bradshaw is just one of them brother weh know this thing. Sonny Bradshaw is a man when you talk about the grounding of music in Jamaica - Sonny. When you talk about arranging - Sonny. He set the pace when it comes to big band arrangement and taught us orchestration, just like Carlos Malcolm did. His insight into jazz/pop music, excellent. And he was a nice man. We are going to miss him," said drummer Grub Cooper.
"I just got the news that Sonny Bradshaw is no longer with us in the flesh. He will be greatly missed especially in the music fraternity to which he has contributed so much. The body of work that he has done is really historic in the annals of Jamaican music and he will never be forgotten. A lot of us have really benefited tremendously from his input. He'll be greatly missed," reminisced guitarist Dwight Pinkney moments after he completed his set on the show.
"A very talented musician, teacher, songwriter, he was all the good things you can think about in music," said percussionist Bongo Herman.
"I remember when I was a kid growing up my mother used to tell me a lot about Sonny Bradshaw, the man with the horn. So I grew up hearing about Sonny Bradshaw all my life and in later years when I looked at him and he hadn't aged. And with such a warm smile. He is going to be sadly missed," was how ace drummer/producer Sly Dunbar remembered the late trumpeter.
A man of few words, top reggae crooner Beres Hammond also described Bradshaw as a teacher and one of the persons who influenced him.
Seconds before he was due to close the show in memory of Cynthia Schloss, singer Ken Boothe declared, "I would say that he (Sonny Bradshaw) was one of the foundation musicians. When it all started he was there. And he went through many different phases. At one point he was the music union president, and he was also a gifted arranger. With him gone, we have lost somebody exceptional."
Veteran balladeer/bassist Boris Gardiner hailed Bradshaw as a stalwart in the business. "He has done a wonderful job for Jamaican music and I hope he rest in peace," Gardiner said.
"Sonny Bradshaw was a pioneer of the Jamaican music scene and of the premiere musicians that work primarily in jazz idiom. He has influenced a lot of people and contributed a great deal not just to Jamaican music, but music in general. And he will be surely missed," said singer Michael Schloss whose departed sister the show was in honour of.
"Sonny had a great passion for music as we know music ought to be. Full orchestral sounds...he utilised traditional instruments in his band or in his arrangements. And he enjoyed it, he influenced and groomed a lot of top Jamaican musicians who are excelling in the field right now. Dean Fraser, Desi Jones and so many others. He left a great mark on the Jamaican music scene, he tried to mould his own jazz festival to bring a different sort of audience than the everyday audience long before the other so-called jazz festivals. Sonny brought what is real jazz....and he tried to bring the best out of everybody that he had contact with," keyboardist Robbie Lyn attested.
Another of Bradshaw's prodigies, drummer Keith Deacon, who was a member of the Sonny Bradshaw Seven between 1969 and 1972, also hailed him as a great teacher. "He is my teacher, I've learned a lot from him," Deacon said.
"I am really saddened to hear of the passing of Sonny Bradshaw, and I would really like to say on behalf of my family (my husband Owen Brown and the children) I offer my condolences to his family," singer Shirley McLean told the Observer.
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