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| Wesley "Skip" Norris |
When word spread January 26th via social media that
jazz titan, concert promoter Wesley “Skip” Norris was in a fatal car
accident a collective sadness hit Detroit’s jazz community, and surely in other
cities where jazz is a big part of the city’s cultural fabric. Although Skip
epitomized what writer Ralph Ellison dubbed many decades ago a Renaissance man,
a man of intellectual hunger, depth, and character Skip’s most recognizable and celebrated
trait was his advocacy of jazz. In all the years as a jazz
journalist and jazz blogger, I never met
an individual more passionate and knowledgeable about jazz than Skip was. Over
the years, I would see or hear Skip at many of the jazz concerts around Detroit
and Ann Arbor. On many occasions, I wondered about that dapper man in the audience
egging on the musicians, shouting out their names at the conclusion of an
inspired solo. I became formal jazz friends with Skip after interviewing him
about a new concert series he was putting on at the Northwest Activity Center
called Jazz at the Center, which in its brief run had world-class jazz acts
such as trumpeter Roy Hargrove, drummer/bandleader Ralph Peterson, and the
all-star jazz ensemble the Cookers. From that time forward, I made sure I caught
every concert Skip had a hand in producing, including the JD Allen, Joe Locke, and
Joey Calderazzo hits at the Detroit Groove Society concert series. And
whenever, I ran into Skip at a show in town I was always a recipient of one of
his bear hugs. I was sincerely awed by Skip’s encyclopedic knowledge of jazz,
and more so that he was personal friends with just about every jazz musician
of note throughout the country. And he seemed to have a warehouse of stories.
At Hartford Memorial Baptist Church Monday Skip’s family, friends, and many
from Detroit’s jazz community participated in a home going service befitting a man
who lived a truly exemplary and blessed life. Those who got a chance to share
their experiences and recollections of Skip characterized him foremost as a man
of unyielding faith. Everybody who wanted to speak about Skip wasn't afforded the opportunity. Had they we’d
still be in the church listening. It was
easy to take from the speakers that Skip was genuinely beloved. Ronald Robinson
Lockett, one of Skip's dearest friends,
jokingly said that God took Skip from us because God needed someone with Skip’s
know how to promote jazz concerts in heaven. There was jazz music during the
service at the appropriate moments from bassist Robert Hurst, saxophonist
Victor Goines, and drummer/trumpeter
Ralph Peterson. During the remarks section of the service, another of Skip’s
closest friends Jacques Mullins noted during the service the greatest testament to a
man is to see how many people come out for his home going. Hartford Memorial was filled with people who as another speaker
pointed out loved them some Skip Norris.
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