I asked Google for the definition of “camaraderie” and it said: mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together. This, to me, is one of the core values of Jazz. It is also one of my favorite things about Jazz.

In general, I don’t like making fanfares over a “special occasion.” I want things to be cool in a very understated kind of way.  I also don’t like to be asked, “what’s good at The Jazz Gallery?” because everyday is special at The Gallery. Lol. At least that’s how I feel. So when Roy’s would-have-been-50th Birthday was approaching, I wasn’t going to do anything special at first. I feel that The Jazz Gallery keeps doing what it does everyday and that is the best tribute to Roy and his legacy: but then it came to me one day that there is a way to honor his memory and to celebrate him on this, after all, a special day. Jam Session! Of course. What else?

Two things come to my mind when I think of Roy. His enormous love of music and the generosity of his spirit on the bandstand. When he passed away, everyone, I mean everyone had a story of their interactions and encounters with Roy at a jam session some place in the world: NYC, Europe, Japan, Cuba, or wherever. He would go anywhere and play with anyone.