Im saddened to hear of the passing of one of Columbias best drummers, Ted Linder. For those of you who knew Ted, he was a phenomenal drummer back in the day. The guy had some incredible chops, and was just a sweetheart of a guy. You couldnt help but love the man. He was not just a drummer, but rather...a musician. I had the pleasure of getting to know Teddy, closely back in 2000. As a matter of fact, it was Teddy who was kind enough to pass the drumming torch (as it were) to me, for the Hunter Gatherer Thursday night gigs with Skipp Pearson and Jazzology. I was honored to follow in his bug footsteps and play with Skipp, Aletha Jacobs, Bill Wingate (and his magic 88) on piano, Reggie Sullivan and Todd Edmunds on Bass, and a whole slew of talented cats that I was in awe to be on stage with, for the next 2 1/2 years. Every Thursday night, wed kill it up at H&G where I met many a people, who would later go on to be dear, Jazz friends of mine. But again...NONE of this would have been possible, had it not all been for Teddy. So Ted, let me first say Thank You my friend, for trusting in me and allowing me to follow in the very big footsteps you made up at Hunter Gather on Thursday nights. I will always be grateful for your faith in my ability to carry on the drumming torch you passed to me, and bequeathing me the regular Thursday night gigs @ H&G. Secondly, thank you for your contribution over the years to the drumming & music world both here in Columbia and abroad. And lastly, on behalf of your fellow drummer, we send out our condolences to Teddy and to his family. Know that you will be in our thoughts and prayers. Rest in Peace Teddy... Enjoy you new gig in the sky ...
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 04:09:45 +0000