Parting is such sweet sorrow. Being in the music industry affords one the gift of sharing moments with true friends. Having so much in common makes it difficult to deal with losses. In November of 2008 Larry Coryell opened up about how he dealt with the loss of Hiram Bullock and Joe Beck. They had been integral friends in the life of Larry and Bill. Below is how Larry Coryell dealt with the loss of his friends and we wanted to share this perspective with you.
Best always,
Bill “The Buddha” Dickens
“I want to mention to our visitors to the website a personal anniversary, September 3, 1965; that was the day I arrived in New York from Seattle to begin my jazz guitar career in earnest. That night I went to the Village Vanguard to hear the Charles Lloyd Quartet. In the club, I happened to sit next to another young guitarist–his name was Joe Beck. Little did I know it that it was the beginning of a great friendship. Joe was one of the best musicians I ever knew–he could play great guitar, was an accomplished arranger, and an amazing composer. He was also one of the greatest human beings I have encountered in my lifetime. Joe passed away after fighting a long illness in late July–and I’m glad that Tracey and I and my son Murali were able to visit him at his home in Connecticut in April of this year. Ironically, Hiram Bullock, another great friend and outstanding musician, died around the same time that Joe passed. The loss of two great artists almost simultaneously is really too much to bear, but in my sorrow I have to make sure these two great men get mentioned, not only for all the stellar work they did with music, but for their unique humanity. As a a rule, great artists are also great people, and Joe and Hiram were no execption. They were both very, very funny. It’s important to have a healthy sense of humor in our business. I never had the opportunity to record with Hiram, but I did do several recordings with Joe, most notably an Arista three-guitar release called “Tributaries”, along with John Scofield. Joe wrote a song for that date called “Mother’s Day.” It is a great tune; I’ll never forget it, and I’ll never forget Joe. The same “unforgettable” quality goes also for Hiram: I once saw him go up on stage to sit in with Doctor John and his group at Buddy Guy’s in Chicago and Hiram performed as if he had been in the group his whole life–I mean, he sang all the background parts, played perfect guitar fills, and even did a little show-biz dance type moves to augment the Night Tripper’s “gri-gris” Cajun groove. Hiram, like Joe, will be sorely missed. The only way I can deal with these losses is to pretend to myself that both Joe and Hiram are out of town on an extended tour, and when that tour is over, they’ll be back.
Best regards to all,
Larry C
Thursday 28 August 2008 “