Klarinet Archive - Posting 000183.txt from 1995/05

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Death of Russel Howland
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 00:05:39 -0400

A number of months ago I wrote of the great NY freelance clarinetist
Paul Howland, brother of Russell. I had the great privilege of playing
with him on several occasions and he was a class act on the clarinet,
particularly the bass clarinet and basset horn. He was very kind in
helping me understand how to play the basset horn and gave me lessons
in 1964. We played Frau Ohne Schatten together, me on basset horn and
he on bass clarinet and it was extraordinarily pleasant to work with
him in any orchestra.

When he died, his brother Russell got Paul's basset horn and eventually
sold it to a player in the Denver SO. I never met Russel but spoke to
him about the kindness of his brother, Paul. And when he finally heard
that I wanted to buy Paul's basset horn, he said, "Well why didn't I
know that someone in NY wanted it? I never really needed the instrument
and took it only because I was unaware that someone wanted it."

What a talented family!!! To have two brothers, both of whom played
at such a high professional level, is remarkable.

Neither man had any children so the gene pool ended there, but Paul
Howland adopted. However, his spirit was crushed when his adopted
son was killed late in his life. It was very sad.

One of Paul's greatest treasures was a tape made of him being called
by "Name That Tune," a rather famous radio show in its day. They
played an old Fillmore March, something like Lassus Trombone, though
not that one, and he picked it out 1-2-3. When asked how he knew it
so well, he said, "Sousa used to do it all the time when I played with
him!" I think he got $250 and a free trip for he and his wife to
Albany, of all places.

I am very grateful that Clark mentioned the fact that Russel died. From
what I hear, his good reputation as a player and as a person was well
deserved. Fresno is an out-of-the-way town in California, but he was
there to make the city a lot brighter by his presence and talent.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================