At the funeral of the legendary jazz singer Joe Williams in April,1999 the late Robert Goulet said, “His memory will live as long as our memories live.”
The quote appeared in an AP story when the memory of Williams was still very much alive.
Today, 11 years later, our memories of the man who gave so much to the world are fading.
Fans have forgotten that in 1989 he began an annual concert for deserving music students at the then Community College of Southern Nevada (now CSN).
It was a passion of Williams’ in his later years. He was preparing for one of the concerts when he died in Vegas at the age of 80.
But it appears his passion has not been passed on, at least not to the right people.
In this day when the economy has been pummeled unmercifully, the Williams concert has been cancelled.
No one came forward to donate space to the worthy cause.
It is the first cancellation since its inception 20 years ago.
“It is a sad indication of the times when Joe Williams and his fabulous contribution to music cannot get the support of our city and the many strip venues we have,” said Carolyn Freeman, a board member of the Las Vegas Jazz Society. “Keeping jazz alive is getting harder and harder, but we do have devoted fans who support us. Joe Williams certainly deserves consideration for all the great sounds he gave us.”
Freeman is the widow of renowned jazz pianist Russ Freeman, who died in Vegas in 2002.
Retired school administrator Ed Foster, one of the organizers of the Williams concerts, was equally distressed about the lack of support.
“I thought this town had a heart, I guess I was wrong,” said Ed Foster, one of the organizers of the annual concert.
At least not one the size of Williams’, the native of Cordele, Ga., who was blessed with a rich baritone voice that made him one of the most popular jazz/blues and ballad singers of the ’30s through the ‘50s and beyond.
Williams perhaps is best known for being the front man for the Count Basie Orchestra from 1954 to 1961 (later generations knew him as the father-in-law of Bill Cosby on “The Cosby Show.”
He moved to Vegas in 1967.
“When Joe died suddenly in March of 1999, we had to scramble around to find performers to replace him for the May concert that year,” recalls Foster. “Robert Goulet, Buddy Greco,The Cunninghams, and the Jimmy Wilkens Orchestra quickly stepped up to perform at the Horn Theatre at CCSN.
“The following year, Ruth Brown performed, and in 2001, Jack Jones and Marlena Shaw headlined at the new Blue Note, our first off- campus concert.”
The Blue Note closed and the following year casino magnate Michael Gaughan donated the showroom at The Orleans.
“We featured Bob Anderson, Bill Acosta, and Clint Holmes,” Foster said. “We were at home at The Orleans until Michael sold to the Boyd Organization, and for whatever reasons, we were denied the use of the facility. One year, Clint invited us to use his theatre at Harrah’s, and the following year we were once again without a venue.”
The South Point, now owned by Gaughan, became the concert’s home for two years.
“But this year scheduling became a problem because our featured act, Dianne Schuur, was only available on Sunday, March 28th,” Foster said.
“We have tried to feature performers not only from Las Vegas, but who may not always be available in this town. When Ms. Schuur, who came to Joe’s Memorial Service, volunteered to perform, we had to provide a venue based on her ONE available date. When no space was available, we were forced to cancel the event for the first time in 20 years.
“The fiscal crisis under the State’s budget crunch was another complication. State funds to the College have been severely cut and the college couldn’t provide the funds to pay the professional musicians to back up Ms. Schuur. As a result, we will lose the potential funds, which will deny scholarships to next year’s students. It is indeed a domino effect. My connection to the concert came about for two very obvious reasons. Joe Wiliiams was a truly wonderful and generous man and friend. I wanted to keep Joe’s name alive in his chosen home town. I also realized that it was his desire to continue the opportunities for music education for future generations. It is a pity that the parties in this scenario have lost sight of those goals.”
by Jerry Fink
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