# Jazz night in America remembers artists we lost in 2019: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/12/29/jazz-night-in-america-remembers-artists-we-lost-in-2019-video/
- Published: 2019-12-29T20:19:17+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Just over 40 years ago, Joseph Jarman published a book of poetry that opens with
a chant: “we pray o God / for the ego / death.” **

Jarman, a visionary saxophonist and composer, was writing mainly about transcendence
of the self. But he keenly understood the power of a collective, which presses each
individual into the service of a greater whole.

That selfless state of being unites all of the artists on our In Memoriam show. 
In addition to Joseph Jarman — who is beautifully remembered by a longtime collaborator,
pianist Myra Melford — we’ll celebrate other brilliant musicians who lifted all 
around them.

It’s a Jazz Night in America tradition to seek out stories from those who knew the
artists best. So we’ll hear about post-bop piano virtuoso Harold Mabern from a former
student and longtime band mate, saxophonist Eric Alexander. Another brilliant pianist,
Larry Willis, is remembered by NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a childhood friend.
The radiant singer Ethel Ennis, known as Baltimore’s First Lady of Jazz, gets a 
testimonial from pianist Cyrus Chestnut, one of many hometown musicians who moved
through her orbit. And saxophonist / composer / arranger Ray Santos receives a glowing
encomium from Latin jazz titan Eddie Palmieri.

You could characterize all of these artists as crucial behind-the-scenes types rather
than natural headliners. You probably couldn’t say the same about Dr. John, the 
New Orleans pianist and vocalist extraordinaire — but as Jon Batiste notes in his
remembrance, he was “the manifestation of a cultural phenomenon.” That’s another
way of saying: he was part of something bigger than himself.

![Dr. John, the New Orleans legend, who died in June at 77.](https://i0.wp.com/www.
wbgo.org/sites/wbgo/files/styles/medium/public/201912/gettyimages-490169256_wide-
633b6f2261fcd68dcb796e77272e0e952e50f41b-s800-c85.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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