One Person Connecting All These Things

Lest we forget, there is one person whose encouragement and unfailing good humor inspired each of the people whose products have been mentioned so far (and, I must add, Jody at JodyJazz Mouthieces). He inspired all who contacted him.

That person is the dearly missed Santy Runyon, who passed a couple years ago, well into his nineties.

I remember calling him a couple years before his death. His wife answered and told me, "He's practicing right now. Can I have him call you back?"

Practicing? Such a great player needs to practice in his mid-nineties? That's the kind of yeomanlike musician he was, and maybe it was at once the source of his great humility and warmth. We all miss Santy.

Thanks to Paul Coats for the photo.