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Jacques Gauthe Memorial Day in the French Quarter /Jim Hession/Ryan Burrage |
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| Published on 9/11/2007 |
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| By Jim and Martha Hession |
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For one year Jim Hession joined Ryan Burrage and Jacques Gauthe in the Rhythmakers Jazz Band at Fritzel's. This past June 10,2007 Jaques passed away while on a touring engagement in France, leaving a deep hole in the traditional jazz scene in New Orleans. For the better part of 40 years Jacques held forth as one of the standard bearers of trad jazz. He was a protege of Sidney Bechet,the most renowned reed player /composer of old New Orleans. Jacques became known as the unofficial ambasssador of the Crescent City to thousands of musicians and fans from all over the world that pour into the city several times each year. He became a regularly featured clarinettist/soprano saxophonist at jazz festivals in every corner of the globe.
Jacques was born in France on June 12,1939. His early years were difficult as WWll raged across Western Europe and France was occupied by enemy forces. Jacques was very proud to be a citizen of the United States. He had faced many overwhelming circumstances in his life but none as devastating as Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. Jacques and his family lost their home and all of their posessions. Re-evaluating his life he told his fellow musicians that the the only thing that meant anything to him was his music and his family!
Jacques referred to the front line of the Rhythmakers as the "Three Musketeers". Jim, Ryan and Jacques spent a great deal of time surprising each other with musical ideas and quotations(some of this is documented on Youtube videos). Life was never dull with Jacques. We miss the laughter as Jacques would hear something that delighted him and would roar with laughter and slap his hand on his knee.
The memorial service for Jacques will be in traditional New Orleans style: starting with a club crawl and Second Line at Preservation Hall at 3:30, making its way to the Palm Court Jazz Cafe at 1204 Decatur St. in the Quarter by 7:00PM. We will be celebrating the life of this extraordinary man as a large number of musicians will gather from all over the world to honor the memory of this Ambassador of Jazz. |
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