I'm very sad to say that Joe Segal, a good friend and truly the father of "all things jazz" passed away on August 10th, 2020 at the age of 94.

Joe's dedication to jazz is without equal, and he devoted his entire life to bringing the finest players to all of us. His wonderful club, The Jazz Showcase, was founded by Joe in 1947 and is now in its 73rd year. Joe's work was driven by a passion for the music. "Passion" is an important word here, because quite often the most noble and important initiaitives are those with the least financial reward. It takes a very special person to accept that fact, and to persevere through both good, and difficult times. And I can tell you, over 73 years there were a lot of times when a lesser person would have walked away. But not Joe. He stayed the course, and we all should be thankful that he did. 

Joe's legacy rests in the very capable hands of his son Wayne, and his family. They also have the same passion for jazz that Joe had, and they will keep his legacy alive.

Normally, at this point we'd say "Rest In Peace", but somehow I think Joe would balk at the idea of "rest". In Bebop Heaven there are too many shows to organize with all of his friends who went before. Maybe the first concert will be Charlie Parker and Dizzy, along with Max Roach.

The photo below is my favorite picture of Joe. I took this on Jan 1, 2019 as we all celebrated the start of a new year. After I took that photo I wondered if I would see him again, but he was there again as we brought in the new year 2020. A life well lived here on earth, and still more to come at the Jazz Showcase's new location in Bebop Heaven, located at the corner of Charlie Parker Boulevard and Joe Segal Lane.

Steve