Smith Dobson V, saxophone
Keith Saunders, piano
Eric Markowitz, bass
Tony Johnson, drums

Catch this show on our facebook page or youtube channel

Support the musicians your donation by Paypal (to [email protected]), Venmo (@birdandbeckett) or the Cash app ($BirdBeckett). $20 is nice, but pay what you can! $20-200 sliding scale

This outing of the 230 Jones Street Irregulars  is dedicated to the memory of Jerry Logas, who passed away a few short weeks ago. Jerry had a long and wonderful career in the music and was a frequent performer on the Bird & Beckett stage; for years he was a core member of the 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band, which held down the fourth Friday slot until early in 2020, but which is on hiatus while Covid rages.

Drummer Tony Johnson keeps the flame burning meanwhile with the Irregulars. As for their colleagues in the long-running Jones Street band, Glen Deardorff makes occasional dates with the Irregulars while Dean Reilly and Ray Loeckle are toying with retirement, though we hope we can coax them back when the miasma has cleared.

Jerry Logas was a uniquely wonderful guy and jazz musician, and was a crucial part of the Bird & Beckett jazz family from back in the early days of the Diamond Street store up until the time that the pandemic disrupted our regular run of shows. He’d already been fighting cancer for some time by then, and his struggle against it continued right up to a few short weeks ago, when it finally had its way with him.

It’s been a hard year, with significant losses including those of the poets Michael McClure, ruth weiss, Diane Di Prima, Q.R. Hand… earlier, the poets Les Gottesman, Julia Vinograd… and now, Jerry.  Doubtless, many of you reading this can add a half dozen names to this roll call of the departed. Significant pieces of Bay Area culture dating back to the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s…

All are profoundly missed, Jerry not the least, not by far…

This outing of the 230 Jones Street Irregulars  is dedicated to Jerry’s memory. He was a core member of the 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band, which is on hiatus while Covid rages. Drummer Tony Johnson keeps the flame burning meanwhile with the Irregulars. As for their colleagues in the long-running Jones Street band, Glen Deardorff makes occasional dates with the Irregulars while Dean Reilly and Ray Loeckle are toying with retirement, though we hope we can coax them back when the miasma has cleared.

Smith Dobson, in the saxophone chair for the date, had some beautiful thoughts on Jerry’s passing that we’d like to share. He said,

“When I first started on sax, some 20 odd years ago, there was a bit of opposition from the scene. Even though I also played vibes, some of the cats were basically like ‘stop jiving and get back on the drums.’

“Then I had a gig with Al Molina. The tenor player was a cat I’d never met. It was Jerry. From the moment we met, we struck up a deep friendship (instant deep friendships are rare for me). He told me he had gone to SF State with my father, and how much he loved my pops. He knew my mom from all the years shared on the SF scene, and loved her too.

“I really dug his laid back, tastefully swinging style of playing and mentioned to him that I was getting into sax and loved his sound (he was playing tenor at the time.) He played an old Conn, (1923 I think) and it was Jerry who turned me on to these special instruments. He said he’d known an old repairman that had recommended the old Conns, that they were the ‘Stradivarius of the saxophone.’ I bought one shortly after talking to Jerry. It’s still the instrument I play to this day. (I’ve tried a few other horns, including the famed Mark VI, nothing else has stacked up.)

“Not only did Jerry take me under his saxophone wing, one of the first cats to accept me as a sax player, he was always an absolute groove to be around. A terrific human being, always with a sunny disposition, happy to be making the hang, and full of colorful anecdotes about the 60s and 70s SF jazz and rock scene. I only wish I could’ve heard more of his stories. I know he had many more to tell.

“Eventually, Jer and I started a band, dedicated to 50s West Coast jazz, called the Pacific Jazz Connection. I played tenor and Jerry switched to baritone sax, which seemed to be an artistic epiphany for Jerry. He had a beautiful sound on the instrument; touches of Gerry Mulligan, mixed with pure Jerry Logas. I have the fondest memories playing in that band with Jer.

“To say I will miss this beautiful human being is a tremendous understatement.

“Jerry, I know you’re up there swingin with all the cats, including my pops, and having a ball. You will be close to my heart for all of my days and all of my choruses. Love you, madly.

“All of my love to Jerry’s family, and to his wife Sue, another beautiful human and dear friend.”