Members Pay Tribute to Simon Salz
A Tribute to Simon Salz, 1955-2005 I loved listening to those guys play and I drank in the vibe of the place; the reverberating sound, the low lights and relaxed atmosphere where people got up to dance and move to the music. I tried to make it there every Monday night. I was impressed by Simon the first time I heard him play. He played without a pick, using instead, a classical style of fingerpicking. He knew an endless list of tunes and Ira's tempos were not a problem for him. He had a warm sound and was an important part of the band. He often set a mood with an intro vamp or played with Ira till the very last note of a tune quietly ascended to the vaulted ceiling. I remember his enthusiasm. He seemed to be having the time of his life. I miss those days. -Sandy Poltarack |
When I first moved to Miami, by chance, I moved into an apartment that was walking distance from the Unitarian Church in South Miami. There I met Ira Sullivan and of course so many other great musicians like Simon Salz.I was a long time friend and admirer of Simon Salz-----who was one of the finest in his musical profession --teaching and playing....I shall always cherish the times that I played with Simon and Ira Sullivan.....I know that he will be missed by all who knew and heard him. It was a shock to hear of his leaving us.
One of his many friends…
-Claude Kelly.
*****
Simon Salz is missed by everyone who knew him but his fellow guitarist, in particular, have lost an innovator and guitar community leader. Once when we were playing, I heard what sounded like a marching band snare drum but there was no drummer on the bandstand. He was somehow able to create that effect perfectly with the strings on his classical guitar. On another occasion, I heard him replicate an acoustic bass by tuning his 5th string down one octave. I have been playing for 40 years so I have kind of a jaded ear when it comes to other players but he could do many things I never heard from any other guitarist.
He was the self appointed town crier when we needed to be aware of a guitar event in the area. When the (then 16 year) old Django prodigy, Jimmy Rosenberg, came to town a few years ago, It was Simon who called around to inform everyone of the free concert. He did the same last summer when Flamenco master Gerardo Nunez gave a class on Miami Beach.
-Lucian Williams
*****
He and Ira just happened to be playing for a small party we were attending at my wife's partner's house (they knew of Simon through us). As you can see he was enjoying the music, and he sounded great - very relaxed and really comfortable with the tunes - the mark of a great musician. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to hear him and Ira that evening.
-Gary Keller
*****
I befriended Simon Salz back in the mid 80's when he invited me to go to a concert at the old Fort Lauderdale venue, The Musicians exchange. It was John McLaughlin and Shakti and we both enjoyed the exciting event. I recall that he was such a dedicated musician that
when I went to pick him up, he was waiting outside playing his guitar, never missing a moment to make music. I also attended various concerts in Kendall at Apple City, where he performed with luminaries such as my guitar teacher, Randall Dolohan, drummer Steve Rucker and bassist, Matt Bonelli. All those guys played their hearts out, and Simon shone with his own style of brilliant jazz/classical fingerpicking technique. Simon was a real asset to Miami, giving of his talents to help educate young musicians, a one of a kind individual. I was shocked and saddened to find out that he died so young. He will be sorely missed, but his music will remain a testament to his greatness.
-Marc Vee
*****
I first met Simon Salz in 1975 at Eastman School of Music. I vividly remember him running up to me, ecstatic--he had just completed transcribing ALL the solos on Chick Corea's "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" album. Not ONE solo--ALL the solos on the ENTIRE album.
That story says a lot about the man that Simon was. He never did anything halfway.
I came down to Miami to graduate school and was happy the following year to see that Simon had come down, too, and we resumed what became a 30 year friendship.
As a graduate student who was just beginning to learn about jazz, I felt overwhelmed and overshadowed by all the fabulous jazz musicians that surrounded me in the school. I never felt their equal. But Simon, always treated me as an equal, even then when I was struggling just to get started on a journey that he was already quite adept at. He always included me in impromptu jam sessions.
Much later, when the Gold Coast Jazz Orchestra was going strong, he invited me to perform as one of the 8 performers, telling me that he thought it would be great for the group to have a woman. The group--as always--was impeccable and his willingness to give me a chance allowed me to go to a higher level myself.
And then, of course, there was the University of Miami Young Musician's Camp that he and his wife, Sarah babied into existence. Once again, the excellence that I had seen those 30 years ago at Eastman was apparent. Once again, Simon allowed me to be a part of it, allowing me to grow in my own inner musical journey. Always the pied piper as his mentor Ira Sullivan before him.
And then there was the journey to Russia to adopt their lovely daughter Mitzi. Most people would never even contemplate such a amazingly complex feat! The parenting that he and Sarah provided both Mitzi and his other daughter Naomi have give the world two wonderful young women.
Like I said. Simon never did anything halfway.
I¹m told that Simon said, shortly before his death, that he had come to a new level of his playing where he had found a more spiritual, from the heart kind of playing. He said he had always been more analytical and theoretical and that had been changing. I¹m very sorry that we will never find out how Simon would incorporate this into his lifelong story of never doing anything halfway.
-Juliene Purefoy
*****
Although Simon and I shared countless wonderful, diverse musical experiences over the 30 years we knew each other, when I think of him now (which is often) I keep going back to his sense of humor and how he loved to tell jokes and laugh (just like me). There were times, unfortunately often in the middle of a gig, where something would happen that would just set us off laughing so hard we could barely play.
One of the most recent was one of Simon's "Jazz For Kids" concerts we did last year. Of course, these programs often would provide us with unexpected humor, especially if we opened up the concert for questions from the kids (e.g., "How often do you polish your flute?"). In attempting to demonstrate the difference between the alto and tenor saxophone, Simon asked Mike Gold (alto) and me (tenor) to play an "A" simultaneously. What he should have said was, "Eric, play your 'A' on tenor and Mike, play your 'A' on alto at the same time." Being the astute musicians that we are, Mike and I both played a concert 'A', not only the same note but in the same register, so what came out was a unison that seemed to drone on forever.
It being quite early in the morning as most of those gigs were, Mike and I cast puzzled looks at each other, then at Simon who was looking equally as puzzled at us. After a few seconds of complete silence, the three of us (and the rest of the band) completely lost it and we could barely finish the concert. I couldn't even look at Simon for the rest of the gig for fear of starting to convulse uncontrollably again.
Rest well, my friend. I hope you are still surrounded by music and laughter.
-Eric Allison
*****
Simon was the kindest and fairest person I knew. We worked together for more than 20 years. We played like one person. His accompaniment on guitar was unparalleled.
I knew my friend was ready to depart this world when he told me he “loved me.” Those words will live on with me as his music.
-Mike Gold
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