Sad news this morning that one of Canada's leading jazz enthusiasts and a passionate oral historian of music in Montreal has died.
Len Dobbin was involved in the world of jazz from his teens in the early '50s, and helped document the vibrant Montreal scene through photos, radio programs and print articles over six decades.
Always ready with a warm hug and a wry story from the jazz world, Len was one of a kind.
He died in hospital early today after suffering a stroke Wednesday night at Montreal's Upstairs Jazz Club, which he represented as a publicist.
You will be missed, my friend.
The death of Len Dobbin creates a vacuum that will be impossible to fill. His passion for jazz and its practicioners, impeccable taste and organizational talents are a tremendous loss not only to the Montreal region but to Canada and the world. I made a habit of listening to Dobbin's Den every Sunday morning. He always played significant recordings that I either did not know or had forgotten about. When I decided to take up jazz singing, he was kind enough to send me the earliest recordings of Nancy King and Joe Moody. I thought that I had every recording of his friend Sheila Jordan but Len came up with some I didn't have. Len, you'll always remain in our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWow. I just heard. I first listened to Len on Jazz 96, Sunday nights in Montreal, in 1977. You could always learn something about jazz listening to Len. And what a library of albums! As mentioned, he could always come up with some rarely heard track. RIP...
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