Tom Evered - RIP

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Tom Evered, who some of you might have interacted with at the old Blue Note bulletin board, where he posted as "tomatbluenote", has died. I have no details or a link to his obit, but two of his friends have posted this sad news to his Facebook page.

From Janet Grey:

I just found out the very sad news that my dear friend, Tom Evered, has passed. He was a true gem of a guy, such a jazz enthusiast and connoisseur, a complete gentleman in every way… I didn’t have enough quality time with him, but the little time we spent together was extremely special and sweet. I will treasure the memories. I’m sorry we had not been in touch recently. Another reminder of how important it is to reach out to those you care about - even if they’re far away…

Rest in peace, my sweet friend! Love you always…

 

From Sid Chen:

I’m posting this for Tom Evered’s friends on behalf of Liz Henly, who's not on Facebook. Tom passed away this weekend at home in Nashville. Liz is in Chicago and doesn’t have many details yet.

 

This is from me:

Tom was such a nice guy. I was lucky to meet him a few times during his time with Blue Note. One night, we went out to a few gigs around New York City, including the unusual show at Aaron Davis Hall with Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Andrew Hill, Scott Colley & Billy Higgins. On our way back from that show, we had to make a stop to drop off Joe Chambers' cymbals for a gig he was playing. So I got to meet Joe, but I still have yet to see him play.

 

One of the coolest things was when Tom visited Rudy Van Gelder's studio and had Rudy sign a few posters. He had one of them signed for me. I love this poster & think of Tom as much as I think of RVG whenever I look at it.

Edited August 7, 2024 by Kevin Bresnahan

[Dan Gould]

Sad to hear. RIP.

 

[mjzee]

I do remember him from BNBB.  RIP.

[JSngry]

Always seemed like a nice guy 

RIP

[mikeweil]

2 hours ago, mjzee said:

I do remember him from BNBB.  RIP.

 

37 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Always seemed like a nice guy 

RIP

Yes to both. Sad news. R.I.P.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

It seems that Facebook has become the place for tributes & Tom has been getting a ton of them. Good guys like Tom will be missed.

From Evan Adler:

Just heard that another music industry giant left us. RIP Tom Evered. He was a great guy with great musical ears! He was always so kind to me and all the people he worked with. A Blue Note Records legend! Rest easy Tom and I know you are throwing back martinis with Topsy and Cuscuna.

From Susan Fujiwara:

I am so sad to hear the news of Tom's passing. I worked with Tom back in the 80's at CEMA. He was and continued to be one of the kindest, funniest, sweetest guys I knew. My deepest condolences to Liz and family. RIP dear friend.

From Audrey Singleton:

Oh, Tom. I’m so sad to hear about your passing. Working with you in my first industry job was such a highlight. I will always cherish our conversations and I still have that book you bought me on the French Revolution. You were always so kind to me and offered your assistance whenever I needed it, helping me navigate the label manager world at Naxos. I will miss you. RIP.

From Saul Shapiro:

I was introduced to Tom Evered when I moved to Minneapolis in 1986. Tom was the local rep for WEA.

What I didn’t know then was that 6 years later, Tom would get me an interview with then Blue Note President Bruce Lundvall and we would spend the next 15 years working together at the label. I took Tom’s place as head of sales in LA while he became BN’s General Manager. To say we had fun would be an understatement.

Very few people I know had the vast amount of knowledge of jazz and classical music as Tom did - and it didn’t stop there. A Bee Gee’s singalong party at his UWS apartment became legendary.

He could've also been a great movie critic.

Tom’s dry wit and sarcasm didn’t always fly for some. He sometimes had a challenging job as the GM, the self-proclaimed “Dr No” to Lundvall’s “Dr Yes. “ But there was never a better team. Tom, Bruce and and the late Michael Cuscuna, another dear friend to Tom and the Blue Note Recordse family, steered BN into one of the most prolific and successful decades of the label. I was grateful to be in the room when it happened.

Tom was gutted after his BN days ended and I’m not sure he ever recovered from that. Many close to him were concerned about the state of his health, he could be reclusive, probably lost in old movies and jazz. I think he just missed NY, the jazz scene, friends and a proper gin "see-thru" at Fred's.

A great friend was lost but those memories will last a lifetime. RIP Tom

From Kristine England:

Tom Evered was my boss for six years. When he interviewed me, I confessed I knew very little about jazz but was eager to learn. He, Michael Cuscuna, and Bruce Lundvall took me under their wings and taught everything I needed to know. He recommended music and books that changed my perspective and gave me knowledge that I will carry with me forever. Tom took me to see Roxy Music and King Crimson, both among the best shows I ever saw (Roxy ranks #1). He told Bob Dorough that my favorite schoolhouse rock song was "Lolly Lolly Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here," which Bob played specially for me at a Central Park concert. I received amazing gifts from him, like both Eno boxes, and Pee Wee's Playhouse box sets. He would go to Virgin Records at lunch and bring back something he thought I should have. Tom was one of a kind.

At the end of the day, he would play his "out" song as he was getting ready to leave for the day. This one is for you, Tom. RIP.

From Jeffrey Lein:

This has been tough one to talk about or even believe, but I am very sad to hear my friend, colleague and a music business legend, Tom Evered, passed away over the weekend.

Tom and I were colleagues for several years at Naxos and became fast friends co-hosting the ArkivJazz podcast from 2019-2021 w/ our friend, Kristopher Peck. For those that don’t know Tom, before joining Naxos he was the General Manager of Blue Note Records with the great Bruce Lundvall. To those that know jazz and Blue Note’s legacy, you know exactly how significant that position was. Of particular note, Tom signed Norah Jones, who sold over 50 million units of those famous records. Tom also signed guitarist, Charlie Hunter, and vocalist, Kurt Elling, and launched the careers of so many more on the artist and business side. Tom was also a music advisor to Ken Burns on his documentaries, “Jazz,” and “The War.”

Tom was known for his sharp wit and possessed an encyclopedic mind for jazz and classical music. He was a truly kind man and a blessing to anyone who spent time with him. He really was a funny guy and a lot of fun to be around, and boy was he sharp. Outside of work I’d often grab Tom and we’d hit shows together in Nashville. I worried about Tom not being in NYC anymore and missing all that music so anytime a national touring act was coming through, I’d try and get him out. To no surprise of course, he often knew the musicians personally and we’d go hang backstage.. I met Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Charlap, Charlie Hunter and several other greats that way, and via our podcast. Being a jazz drummer, Tom liked to learn about what I was into also and we had a great balance and mutual respect for eachother. He would occasionally hit my shows too.

The last I saw Tom was earlier this year when I asked him to join me for a concert at Vanderbilt to see the virtuosic singer, Cecile McLorin Salvant and piano genius, Sullivan Fortner. My father-in-law also joined us that night and we were completely blown away by the performance. As we were leaving the venue I asked Tom if he’d like to go with us to grab a drink, as was our custom, but he just said.. “No, no Maestro… I think I’ll let that one settle in a while.” It really was a magical concert and I know he was moved.

I’ll miss Tom and his amazing stories and I’ll most certainly miss doing the podcast with him. I hope you’re having great laughs with Bruce, Michael Cuscuna, and all the legends of the music in heaven whom I know you missed, Tom. We’ll miss you down here on earth but will keep it swinging and sharing the music. Until we meet again, my friend.

From James Gavin:

Farewell, much too soon, to one of the sweetest guys in the record business and a dear friend since 1993. Starting in the '90s, Tom Evered was the right-hand man of Bruce Lundvall, president of Blue Note Records from 1984-2010. Tom served as the calm voice of reason in response to musician-loving Bruce's sometimes overabundant largesse. What a heady time that was - the last golden age of jazz. Holly Cole, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano, Cassandra Wilson, Bill Charlap, Benny Green, Renee Rosnes, Jack Terrason, Us3, Norah Jones, Jason Moran, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bob Belden, Tom's beloved Bob Dorough, and - good heavens - Lena Horne were all on the roster. Michael Cuscuna, whom we lost this year, presided expertly over the reissues, lots of which I got to annotate. Tom went on to run Angel, another EMI label, until its sad demise. With the record business imploding all around him, he moved to Brentwood, TN, where he worked for the Naxos Records until a couple of years ago. I loved being a satellite member of the Blue Note family. What fun we had! I took the picture below at the 50th wedding anniversary party of the great jazz photographer William Claxton, a pivotal person in my life, and 1960s supermodel Peggy Moffitt. Tom, on the left, was speaking to Jack Larson, who had played Jimmy Olsen on "Adventures of Superman." To me, Tom, Bruce, and Michael were beacons of humanity in a sea of sharks. I'm glad they midwived so much great music to remember them by.

Edited August 8, 2024 by Kevin Bresnahan

[jazzbo]

RIP Tom. Classical and jazz fans owe you so much.

[jazzbo]

1m

 

Steve Kuhn self-titled, Buddah/Muzak Japan lp facsimile cd

[soulpope]

R.I.P     ....