Thanks Donnie

I first met Donnie in 1978 when he started at Dalhousie. I was in my 2nd year of a B.Sc. on my planned path to becoming a doctor, and was playing music just on the side in the local bar scene. “You can’t make a good living playing music” was my thinking at the time (and that of many others). I heard Donnie was starting a big band at Dal and that you didn’t have to be a music student to join in. Up 'til then Donnie was the ‘heaviest’ musician I’d heard live (at Pepe’s in Halifax) aside from Oscar Peterson I think, so I jumped at the chance to play piano in the band. After the first rehearsal Donnie came over and complimented my playing. “You sound good man, a little busy but good” he said. He then invited me out to his house that afternoon so we could hang and get to know each other. I had a biology lab I’d have to skip but of course I went – Donnie Palmer wanted to hang with me! To make a long story short(er) we ended up sitting on his living room floor talking and listening to some great music - that’s when I heard Art Tatum for the first time (there also might have been some of the evil weed involved). As with Mike Murley he impressed upon me the importance of a song’s melody in improvisation, the ability to play in multiple keys etc. - all great stuff. Suffice to say Don encouraged me to seriously think about doing music for a living instead of medicine. “You’ve got what it takes to make a good living in music if you put your ass to the grindstone”. I took his advice and after finishing my degree I played music for a year in Halifax then moved up to Toronto to see if I could make it there. I’ve been a ‘professional’ musician ever since and have had a fairly successful (and happy) career, all because of Donnie. Thank you Don for changing my life’s path. Brigham