 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2006-09-16 23:21
My brother forward this to me today.
Since Maynard died I had often wondered what the last thing he played on his trumpet was. Apparently others had too. The following appeared in the forum on the MF tribute website. If you have already read this, I apologize for the redundancy. It is told by Christian Jacob, who played keyboards with Maynard's Big Bop Neauveau Band for awhile, and - more important to the story - is married to Maynard's youngest daughter, Wilder. Here are the words of Mr. Jacobs. If this doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you are a stronger man than I.
"Since the death of Flo, his beloved wife, Wilder and I lived with Maynard until the end of his life. We were taking care of the house when he was on tour, and taking care of him when he was home. I'd like to recount the last touching moment I'll ever remember. My 22 year old cat "Dezi" - who Maynard was very fond of (he used to bounce her up and down on his belly) - passed away. It was a pretty emotional day for all of us, and Maynard insisted on playing "Taps" for the little garden ceremony we had planned. Suddenly he turned to me and apologized for not having asked me first if that was the way I would like it to be. I was of course lost for words and reassured him that I loved the idea. Anyway, Maynard was helped down to the bumpy part of the garden, and with his cane (because of his swollen feet by gout) he slowly sat on a stool and played slowly and beautifully. He played with such a gorgeous round and full sound that I started crying. I remember hearing how carefully and beautifully he diminished his last note into silence. He then cried and was a little embarrased about it. "Taps" was the last piece he ever played on the trumpet. He passed away four days later with all the family around him at his bed."
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