Bess Bonnier (1928-2011)

[Mark Stryker]

The Detroit pianist Bess Bonnier, a contemporary of Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Roland Hanna, has died:

http://www.freep.com/article/20111007/ENT04/111007051/Detroit-pianist-Bess-Bonnier-passes-away-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

We also just lost Brad Felt, a euphonium/tuba virtuoso who was in his 50s (cancer). This one was a real shock since many of us did not know he was ill. The diagnosis was apparently just in late August. Brad toured some years back with Howard Johnson's Gravity.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Mark Stryker

[Dan Gould]

Sad news; I'm glad I have her Argo LP and regret the fact that about 6 or 8 years ago she played in Fort Lauderdale but I was unable to attend. I would have brought the LP to ask her to autograph it.

[JohnT]

When I was about 18 years old in the early '70's and living in Detroit, a young pianist friend and I went to see Bess Bonnier in concert for the first time. After the concert we went up to her to tell her how much we enjoyed her playing. Before I could tell her that I was an aspiring bassist, she reached out and took my hand and then asked me if I was a string player because she had felt the callouses on the tips of my fingers. I remember being pretty impressed with that but was more impressed with her graciousness, her inspiring words to keep playing and practicing and her many other words of wisdom. She really inspired me that day and every time I saw her after that. What a wonderful person and musician. She definitely left her mark on many of us from Detroit.

[Mark Stryker]

When I was about 18 years old in the early '70's and living in Detroit, a young pianist friend and I went to see Bess Bonnier in concert for the first time. After the concert we went up to her to tell her how much we enjoyed her playing. Before I could tell her that I was an aspiring bassist, she reached out and took my hand and then asked me if I was a string player because she had felt the callouses on the tips of my fingers. I remember being pretty impressed with that but was more impressed with her graciousness, her inspiring words to keep playing and practicing and her many other words of wisdom. She really inspired me that day and every time I saw her after that. What a wonderful person and musician. She definitely left her mark on many of us from Detroit.

Nice story, John. Thanks.

[AllenLowe]

just listening to her on Spotify.

[JamesJazz]

Bess and Harold McKinney share the same birth year, and both came up during a very fertile period in Detroit jazz. Fine pianist, good composer.

She'd ask to hold the hand of the person to whom she was speaking, and could sense sincerity - guess she had we'd call a good 'bullshit detector'. Bess was a direct no-nonsense person with a wide range of interests. Her 'suite william' was very pretty and reflected her love of language esp. Bill's stuff. We have some nice quotes from Bess in "Before Motown." Bess worked regularly with Jack Brokenjaw (brokensha) and had some tasty trios with Frank Isola, among others.

I recall hearing that her husband (first?) hit the Irish Sweepstakes for several millions of dollars and vanished the next day. Dave Usher, who produced many fine sessions for Argo (and DeeGee, among others) knew her well, recorded her for Argo, had great respect for Bess. She hadn't had too many regular gigs the last decade or so (she wasn't the only one, was she?) and was dogged by unspecified health issues. Hearing Bess play or talk was always a treat. You could always catch Bess at the Michigan Jazz Festival each summer. Don't remember her playing at the Det jazz festival in recent years - the 'new process' requires artists to submit music online, which some of our elders are unwilling or unable to do; asking someone of Bess' stature to 'audition' for a jazz gig really rankles me, but that's the way it is, folks...

[JohnT]

Before his passing in, which I think was in 2010, Jack Brokensha was playing quite a bit down here in the Tampa Bay area (he lived in Sarasota). The last time I saw him we talked at length about the Detroit jazz scene and I think he got a kick out of a story I told him of sneaking into a club at about 16 (the drinking age at that time was 18 IIRC) to see him with bassist Fred Housey. Boy, I remember that Fred Housey made a big impression on me at the time. I'm pretty sure that Bess wasn't with him on that gig but I saw her and Jack together a couple of times. Wow, those were the days!!

[flat5]

I sorta hate this season of the year. Somehow lots more people die...or so it seems to me.