Before reading what follows, please take a moment to peruse this Website:
I met John in 1972 when we were freshmen at the Indiana University School of Music (renamed The Jacobs School of Music). We have remained good friends and mutually admiring colleagues to this day. Assuming you looked at his Website, you are now aware of his status in the profession he and I share.
While he and his wife were recently in New York for John to receive an award for his visionary leadership in the field, he learned that his home in Altadena, California, had burned to the ground in the Eaton fire. He lost everything, including his instruments, original scores of his compositions and arrangements, family photos and memorabilia, and the list goes on. His daughter Gina, along with her husband and children, who lived a few blocks away, lost everything as well but managed to evacuate and survive.
John Clayton
The tragedy in Los Angeles that is still active is unimaginable.
When events like this that normally seem so far away and removed from one’s reality affect those you are close to, the material things, the accolades, the awards and recognition suddenly seem unimportant. The fabric of their lives and the memories stored in their homes and neighborhood lives loom large. A sudden jolt into a reality check for all of us.
Of course, in addition to my close friends, thousands so far have suffered the same fate, and some have lost their lives. It seems likely that those reading this may also have some connection to one victim or the other.
In happier days, a passion John and I share.
I wonder how many wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and warming of the planet it will take for the climate deniers to finally wake up.
If by chance you know John and his family or perhaps have seen him perform or otherwise heard his music, there are ways you can help him and his family in their time of extreme need. If you need information on how to contribute, please email me at: ajazzmusiciansdiary@proton.me and I will point you in the right direction.
As I sit in the same home I have lived in for the past 40 years, I am grateful for what I have, am reminded of what is important in this life (and what is not) and I have an awareness that whatever I have can be lost in a matter of minutes.
As an ancient Sanskrit poem reminds us, “Look to this day, for it is life.”
TC
Thanks so much is not the right thing to say, but I am grateful to hear of John's devastating loss in that I can pray for him and his family and maybe slide him a few bucks when I am back home after time in the hospital for jaw surgery. Keep doing your thing, Todd, you are appreciated.
🙏🙏🙏
John is a national treasure. Love his music and spirit. Such a tragedy