Howie Leess

[Jordan Hirsch <trombaedu...>]

I played for a number of years with Howie, first for the Messengers,
then Neshoma, and for Satmar bandleader  Ben Zion Moshe Rosenberg as
well as the odd Klezmer date.
Howie and I played all over New York, as well as a number of "out-of
town" gigs, where he was a kind and delightful traveling companion.
While he was well known and acclaimed for his rhythmic saxophone
accompaniments, he was an excellent harmony section player, who could
play any chair in a horn section with a sensitive ear and smooth,
seamless harmonies. From about 1983 until 1988, I probably did forty to
fifty gigs a year with him. In all that time, an unkind word never
crossed his lips. He was a good musician and a real gentleman. I miss
him and will remember him fondly.

Jordan Hirsch


Pete Rushefsky wrote:

>
>
>           Sadly, the great New York saxophonist/clarinetist
>           Howie Leess passed away on Saturday in Rochester,
>           NY.  I'm sure Henry Sapoznik and others could do a
>           much better job with an obituary to this master
>           musician and wonderful human being than I could,
>           but I'll give a try:
>
>            Howie studied reed instruments with Shloimke
>           Beckerman as a child and then went on to play and
>           record with the likes of Naftule Brandwein, Dave
>           Tarras, the Epstein Brothers, Rudy Teppel, as well
>           as many of the best Society Bands of the times
>           such as Lester Lannan's Orchestra.
>
>           In recent years, he was an important link for
>           younger generations of klezmorim, recording the
>           seminal Klezmer Plus! album with Sid Beckerman
>           (Shloimke's son), appearing many times at KlezKamp
>           and as a featured artist on last year's Yiddish
>           Radio Project tour.
>
>           His ability to create beautiful harmonic and
>           counterpunctual tenor sax lines was only matched
>           by the love and kindness with which he shared his
>           art.
>
>           Howie is survived by his wife Shirley, two sons
>           and a bunch of grandchildren.
>
>           I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to
>           play with him and develop a friendship with him
>           and Shirley after his move to upstate NY in the
>           late 1990's.  I will miss him very much.
>
>           May his light in Gan Eyden burn brightly.
>
>           Pete Rushefsky
>
>
>

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