Jack Tracy 1927-2010

[brownie]

Steve Cerra on his Jazz Profiles blog and at the JazzWestCoast group forum says that former Down Beat editor and record producer Jack Tracy died Tuesday.

He was 83.

[Peter Friedman]

I had the opportunity to spend time with Jack Tracy while attending jazz events in California.

Jack was a very nice guy and had been heavily involved in jazz as editor of Down Beat, jazz writer, and

record producer. jack produced many many excellent recordings over the years.

Jack was a regular contributor to the current Jazz West Coast List online.

Peter F

[JSngry]

Is the secret of Morris Grants now lost forever?

The guy certainly left a legacy. RIP & thanks. Big time.

[Larry Kart]

Damn. In addition to everything else, his posts of recent times on the Jazz West Coast site made it clear that he remained as clear-headed and feisty (if that's the right term) as ever.

[Larry Kart]

Re: Jack Tracy, here's a multi-part interview with him:

http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2009/04/jack-tracy-part-2.html

http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2009/04/jack-tracy-part-3.html

http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2009/05/jack-tracy-part-4.html

An excerpt:

For decades [Woody Herman] had an East Coast friend, still alive at this writing [2009], named Jack Seifert. They were tight buddies, and Woody would spend as much time as possible with Jack whenever he was in the vicinity of Philadelphia. One night he called his dad, by then a senile widower in Milwaukee, from Seifert's home and listened patiently as the old man rambled on and on. When he finally hung up, Jack said something like, "Woody, I know this is none of my business, but sometimes I wonder why you spend so much time and money calling your dad. These days he doesn't even know who you are."

Woody looked at Seifert. "But I know who HE is," he said.

That was Woody Herman.