By Tucker Petertil
It was a busy night last Wednesday – Hump Day for the year, Winter’s Solstice – and to celebrate the return of the light I started the evening at the Washington Center and watched the Klezmatics bring their blend of Jazz and traditional Jewish music to a very appreciative packed house.
From their opening acapella number to the Woody Guthrie Hanukah tunes, the six Klezmatic multi-instrumentalists (who’ve played with the likes of David Byrne, Herbie Hancock and John Cale) incorporated everything from John Coltrane jazz riffs to funk and fusion in their energetic mazurkas, with a Jew’s Harp, hi-hat and violin piece being the farthest out they got. But their mostly traditional melodies had people snake dancing through the aisles and their dervish-like playing would give even the most jacked up jamrock band a run for their money.
I then went over to the Royal to check out the already-in-progress tribute to saxophonist Steve Munger. If you somehow missed the news, Steve, a stalwart member of the Olympia music scene, equally comfortable playing jazz, funk, blues and reggae, died from complications of cancer on December 11th.
Steve grew up in southern California, but spent half of his 52 years in the Pacific NW playing and recording with so many bands and combos that it’s hard to count – though lately he’d been concentrating his energies performing in his own group, the Steve Munger Quartet, and the blues rock band Sour Owl.
The week before, I had attended a crowded memorial at The Olympia Ballroom with much of the Olympia area music scene in attendance, and later an after-wake get together at Ben Moore’s. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the wake, I couldn’t remember a thing. Though I’d turned on my tape recorder to preserve some of the comments, the recording was harder to follow than a murmuration of starlings.
One voice that came through loud and clear though was Lynn Hansen’s of Soul Owl who remembered Steve fining him $5 for every mistake he made at a gig, which one night added up to $45 and Steve’s comment of “Yeah, you were $5 away from amateur night, buddy.” Lynn continued that it made his next performance “mistake-free,” but mainly he remembers Steve’s distinctive “Yeahs” of approval when someone’s playing knocked him out.
But on the Solstice night the Royal was packed with Steve’s friends and fellow musicians eager to share their memories. When I arrived I ran into Bruce, an old friend of Steve and his wife Susan Amberson, who told of how Steve had been fighting various health issues so severe that at one low point 16 years ago there had been a benefit to raise money for his funereal expenses. Phil Post of the Oly Mt. Boys also remembered Steve’s longtime struggle with health issues and was just happy for the extra 20 years Steve endured to play music. Phil called him “my hero” and a “simply beautiful man” who despite a hard road had followed his dream.
Sour Owl Pianist Joe Baque had known Steve for 25 years and recalled a very kind gracious and understanding man who always told the unvarnished truth. Singer Holly Graham remembered him as lovely and kind. Susie Engelstad of Art House Designs and home to many jazz concerts said Steve was “love, light, laughter and positive.”
Sour Owl: Tommy Russell and Steve Munger
Though I arrived late, I still saw amazing sets from Hurts like Hell, sounding like a soulful Lynyrd Skynyrd band with an amazing guitarist and a singer with a voice big as a house. Sour Owl was next and in awesome form, with Jim Prebinow sitting in for Steve on tenor sax. Tommy Russell played a baritone sax solo that felt like it was ushering Steve into the kingdom of heaven. The Brown Edition closed the evening on a superb note with many toasts to the images of Steve that were being projected on the side wall.
Everyone was in agreement that Steve was an amazing musician and a true friend and helpful soul who had been dealt a hand full of bad health that plagued him for years before his untimely death.
Tommy Russell summed it up. “Honestly he was the fucking best, just being around him was a high experience because he was so high, man. The last gig I played with him after 27 years was the best, he was roaring. I haven’t stopped crying thinking about that brother, we’ll miss him terribly.”
There is a fund set up to help defray Steve’s health expenses and the burglary that recently occurred while Steve was hospitalized.