The cherished LOU BENNETT left us on 10 th . February, 1997. He had already been written in the annals of jazz for many decades as one of the creators of an unusual concept of traditional jazz ‘a la Europe' and who has had a great influence on current generation of jazz musicians. The death of this magnificent organist was undoubtedly a cause of deep sadness for his innumerable fans who had the opportunity to get to know him, to see him and to hear to him at his frequent and unforgettable appearances at the Keyboard Jazz Lounge in Reus and on other stages around the world. His music was the climax of an exciting night of jazz filled with sensitivity and captivating sounds. And each and every one of us felt it!
In these times of glorification and the launch of small geniuses who are artistically impoverished, we remain certain in the knowledge about the style that has best and most nourished jazz: the blues. In any case, my opinion is an incontrovertible sign that the jazz debate can be possible thanks to these great masters who chose this art due to something more than the satisfaction of stomping their feet or moving their fingers in time to each beat of the music.
LOU BENNETT, the organist par excellence, was an exceptional example of this. His playing was such that it transported you through time. It pierced right through you. It surrounded you; it was like a vibration, an absorption of admiration; it was another dimension of extremely unusual jazz. I understand that there could be fans who thought that Lou no longer could surprise them, that he had spent too much time living amongst us, that he had become a habit. And let's not fool ourselves; if Miles Davis, for example, had also come here to live, playing his music regularly, even through he is highly acclaimed and appreciated, he would have lost the capacity for fascination, like a Turner hanging permanently in our living rooms. But no. Music of the type and quality that was exemplified by Lou Bennett, the feeling he lavished upon his fans, made his musical intelligence and the strength of his convictions clear. It kept him from stagnation and became essential for feeding the passion, for, and addiction to, the genre; above all due to his human grandeur.
Ten years after his demise, those of us who had the privilege of sharing part of our lives with his have not forgotten him, we breathe in his knowledge, his friendship and we yearn to be able to feel his music on our skin and inside our souls.
Jaume Juan Magriñà
|
|
|
The mystery, the seduction and the magnetism of Lou Bennett, perfectly reflected in these snapshots taken at the Keyboard in 1996. |
|
