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Jazzwords > Doc Cheatham
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It's with sadness and a great fondness that we celebrate the life of Doc Cheatham. He died just days short
of his 92nd birthday, and had some of his most productive years as a jazz musician in his 70s and 80s. He was
nearly the last living link with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines and Sidney Bechet. His style was an
adoration of Armstrong and the American Popular Song. He was one of a kind, and spent 15 years playing the\
Sunday Brunch at Sweet Basil, where several of these photographs were taken in February.
I wrote some notes on Doc at that time, and they still ring true. At the time of his death from a stroke, he
had just finished playing at Washington, D.C.'s "Blues Alley," and just weeks before he spent a week playing at
Iridium in NYC with New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton.
He was, in many ways an all-star, but he was also modest and self-effacing. He always seemed to be a true
gentleman. Doc is one of my heroes, because he did it so well for so long and offered those who loved him
so much enjoyment. At Iridium, I asked a friend to snap the picture on the left below.
May his music live in each of us and may his zest for life and for jazz invigorate our children for generations to come.
©1998 Dave Leonnig
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