First of all, there is nothing that I can say that can express how I really feel about Juanita Brooks. The first thing that comes to mind is the last show I played with her at Snug Harbor.
Juanita and Jesse
Victor Atkins was on piano, Alonso Bowens on saxophone and Herlin Riley on drums. We didn’t know it when she asked us to play, but it was going to be a very special show because Juanita came with a theme in mind. She had a message to deliver to her people. She came with a message of love. She said several times that there was not enough love in the world, that people needed to love each other more, and that this night was going to be dedicated to love and love songs.
Most of the tunes were not jazz, but were old love pop and R&B songs. She had assembled a collection of tender love ballads. The thing that made it even more interesting was that she really wouldn’t even let us play a solo. The only stretching out we did was on a couple of songs we played before she joined us on stage. Once there, she wanted us play very quietly. She wasn’t going to let it turn into a gig where the focus was improvisation. The focus of this gig was love. I remember that at one point Herlin commented that he was feeling a little frustrated because we were not playing like we were use to. But Juanita had something important to say.
One of my bass students came with his girlfriend to the gig that night. He had been to Snug often and he’d always enjoyed it but he told me that this was his favorite gig ever. He said that the thing he liked so much was that he didn’t feel like he was in school. He didn’t feel like he needed to take notes. He just sat there and opened his heart and enjoyed what Juanita brought, which was this message about love. She had magically reached out and transformed this young student into a young man there with his date. It was no longer about analysis, no longer of the brain, but it was about love. It was about his heart.
Other gigs I remember with Juanita were with Steve Blailock. Even though it was only the three of us, there was nothing missing. Honestly, Juanita could have just stand in the middle of a room and sing by herself, and there would have been nothing missing. There was so much more to her music than thinking about technique or delivery, or breath, or diction, or any such musical elements. It was magic. Juanita was magic. She was one of those rare performers who could reach out and touch the heart and soul of everyone listening.
When I learned of her passing, I had to admit that first thing I did was to cry. She was such a character, very real, always making you laugh, cracking jokes. And again there was the magic of her singing. The way she made us all so much better when she came on stage. Juanita would take the stage and the assembly of musicians would become a band.
She left us so unexpectedly, so suddenly. But even in such great loss Juanita has a positive affect on my life. It sounds a little bit cliché, but this has made me think about living life to its fullest, living each day as if it was the last. An example of this right now is: a friend, Steve Blailock, who I mentioned before, is in town for a couple of days. We played with Gerald French last night and it felt so wonderful that we talked about how we should make a recording with another friend of ours, Thaddeus Richard. Rather than try to plan something for his next visit and figuring out which songs we are going to do, I made a phone call today to see if Thad was available and I called Tim Stambaugh to see if there was any studio time available before Steve goes back to Houston. There is simply no time to waste. You never know.
At first I couldn’t believe it. When something like this, so unexpected happens, it just doesn’t quite sink in. But I have to admit that when I talked to Detroit, I felt his sadness, I felt his love and I know it’s true. Juanita leaving us is a tragic loss for the entire world because Juanita cared and feeling that she cared made others care.
There are certain gigs around town that I always played with her and I can’t imagine what these gigs are going to feel like without her. I still can’t really believe she’s gone. I will always think of that last gig. “There’s not enough love in the world.”
I love you and miss you very much.
