The very sudden death of Cliff "Kid" Bastien on Saturday February 8th has cast a cloud of sorrow and pain, not only on the Toronto traditional jazz community, but also for his many jazz friends around the world. The "Kid" was the leader of the "Happy Pals" and of the "Magnolia Brass Band" which will play at his funeral on Friday February 14th (as I write)

On Saturday February 8 Cliff did not turn up for his regular Saturday matinee at Grossman's Tavern, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, where he had been playing jazz sessions since 1968. Some of his friends went to his apartment to look for him. They heard the TV playing but there was no reply to their knocking. Eventually banjo player Jack King broke a window and they found him dead in his armchair, in front of the TV. Cliff enjoyed watching the English football matches shown by satellite. He had experienced problems with his heart some four years ago, and at that time he made a decision to decline by-pass surgery. To avoid the surgery, he drastically changed his life style, diet and would walk for miles every day, to and from his place of business.

It is impossible for me to imagine the Toronto traditional jazz scene without Cliff Bastien and his raw, emotional brand of New Orleans jazz. Personally I would rate him the most popular and influential jazz band leader figure I have met in Toronto. He taught many others to play their instruments in the style and introduced thousands of people to the joys of New Orleans traditional jazz at the Grossman's Tavern matinees and elsewhere.
Cliff stayed firmly with his brand of jazz, which followed that of his idol "Kid Thomas Valentine" the famous New Orleans trumpet player, whom he first met and befriended at the age of 19, during a trip to New Orleans from England. Cliff subsequently emigrated to Canada from England in 1962 and for most of those years since then, he has made an annual pilgrimage to New Orleans around Jazz fest time.
He had expressed a desire to be buried in New Orleans but I have no information about these plans being carried out at the present time.

I first met Cliff around 1977 or 1978. He was playing drums in a band led by Peter Savory, which played at Grossman's Tavern. The band at that time also included Jack King on banjo, Bruce Bakewell on clarinet, Rainer Hunck on bass, and Mike White or Ron Sullivan on trumpet. I had not played jazz trombone for around nine years, since leaving England in 1969 to work in Trinidad and Canada.
As soon as Cliff, Jack, Peter and the guys found out I was a trombonist, they had me sitting in on a regular basis. Thanks to them I was soon back into the jazz environment. Cliff was an all-round musician. He played drums, banjo and trumpet very well indeed but I will remember him mostly for his vocals. He had the gift
of communication, a warm, smiling delivery, with occasional cheeky but mild innuendo in his lyrics. He just loved to entertain. Whenever I sat in with his excellent band - "The Happy Pals". I was always swept along by his joyful friendly "vibes". He had not time for commercialism or "hype" at all. I remember once, when a
particularly "dim" sound-man, probably used to amplifying rock bands, just could not get it right. the "Kid" made him turn all the amplification off, even though there were six or seven hundred people in the room. It was of course, much better when they did!
I had the good fortune to have been sitting in with the "Kid" on his last jazz session. On Saturday February 1st I went along to Grossman's Tavern, after our own matinee with the Hot Five Jazzmakers finished at "C'est what?" Happy to report that the Kid's last session was a darn good one. The matinee did not finish until 9.30 p.m - there were many encores. I was there the following Saturday too, after learning of the death that day. It was a very sad and tearful room. The band played on, because that is what he would have wanted. Janet and I sat in but the usual joy was missing.

I visited him in his workshop the Wednesday before he died. I may have been the last musician to see him alive. We had planned a band together for the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans and we were choosing the players and working out a tune list, to perform in Fritzel's bar on Bourbon Street and on the International stage. He was happy, excited and contented. He even blew his trumpet for me, to illustrate a couple of his tunes I did not know. At the time of writing, as a matter of interest, the band will still perform but will be called "Kid Bastien Remembered" Toronto trumpeter Joe Van Rossem (Silverleaf Jazz Band) will fill in for the "Kid"as he has done several times before. I will be on trombone; Janet Shaw on reeds, Chucke Clarke (Happy Pals) on drums; Geoff Coates (Spain) on banjo and Marcello Bona, from Switzerland, an old friend of Cliff's, has offered to play piano. We just need a string bass, at time of writing.

Last November Cliff had completed a highly successful Scandinavian tour with the Danish/Swedish band "New Orleans Delight". His old English friend George Berry, was guesting on tenor sax so it was a happy re-union and they had a real ball! Cliff normally hated flying and had not flown anywhere for many years. He overcame his phobia for this special trip as it looked so special. He showed me photos and press cuttings. He said some folk had even come over from England just to see and hear him.
While I was with him on that Wednesday, he had just received a trlal CD from Kjeld Brandt, the clarinet-leader of "New Orleans Delight". It was a recording from the concerts they had done in Denmark and Sweden. Cliff was pleased with it but sought my second opinion. He was not fond of recording - he had released only one CD in the past twenty years. That was in 1993, a magnificent CD by the way. He played part of the new CD for me. I thought it was great and told him so. It is wonderful news to hear that it is to be issued. On the Friday before his death, he phoned Denmark to give Kjeld the "go-ahead" for the CD.
At the time of writing, the funeral is planned for Friday February 14th and Kjeld is attending. The Magnolia Brass Band will perform hymns during the funeral service - we had a long rehearsal last night.


Reprinted with permission from The Mississippi Rag