[JPL] Nat Yarbrough obit

[Arturo]

Yarbrough's influence transcended music

Nat Yarbrough recognized that the ability to play was grounded in the
ability to listen while searching for your voice.
By Norman Provizer, Special to the News August 17, 2007

Nat Yarbrough served as a mentor to a generation of young jazz players in
Denver.
"As a teenager, there was a nucleus of musicians who were pivotal to me, and
Nat was one of them," said Denver-born tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, who
has since gone on to earn a national profile.

Mr. Yarbrough died Aug. 9, a day before his 71st birthday.

"He would not only encourage you, he would invite you to his house to talk
about the music and more," said Jackson, who is flying in to play today as
part of a remembrance for the drummer.

"I saw the business aspect of things beyond what's occurring on the
bandstand. And he always supported me throughout my career. He was a man of
few words, but his words had impact and meaning."

The former Marine was buried at 11 a.m. Friday in Fort Logan Cemetery-Denver
(staging area A). A memorial service  followed at 12:30 p.m. at the New Hope
Baptist Church, 3701 Colorado Blvd. After the service, there was a music
session in his memory at Joseph Bonner's drummer Tom Tilton's Jae Ram
Studio, just north of 21st Street in the alley between California and Stout
streets.

Mr. Yarbrough was born Aug. 10, 1936, in Montclair, N.J. Known as a singer,
he took up the drums while attending East Orange High School and worked with
alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson's band, as well as the organ trios led by Big
John Patton and Freddie Roach. In 1966, while with Roach, Mr. Yarbrough
first connected with Denver, and he moved here the next year.

For 16 years, the drummer traveled between Denver (where he played with
pianist Gene Harris) and the East Coast, before permanently settling here in
1983. Mr. Yarbrough quickly became a leading figure in the city, working as
a regular at El Chapultepec.

It was not until 2002 that he had his first disc as a leader - El Yabah on
Capri Records. That disc featured saxophonists Brad Leali and Jackson,
trumpeter Greg Gisbert and pianist Eric Gunnison, all players influenced by
Mr. Yarbrough who have gone on to establish strong reputations in jazz. In
2005, Capri issued his second CD as a leader, Triple Play.

Mr. Yarbrough underwent dialysis for the past seven years and was on the
list for a kidney transplant the past five years. Just days before he died
of a stroke connected to elevated blood pressure, Mr. Yarbrough learned he
was in line to receive a kidney within the next few weeks.

In June, Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge honored Mr. Yarbrough with a show to a
sold-out house.

"Nat influenced all the young players here, and he was like a musical father
to me," said Leali, who returned to Denver to perform at that event.

"What I learned from him was more than the music. What I learned included
the importance of being humble as well as the importance of practicing. He
gave me an understanding of music and life that continues until this day. He
was the real deal."

The articulate drummer recognized that the ability to play was grounded in
the ability to listen while searching for your own voice in the music. About
that Mr. Yarbrough once wrote, "Listen closely . . . listen deeply . . .
expect nothing but the unexpected."

The drummer is survived by his wife, Linda Wooten. Prior to this
relationship, he had two sons, Damon and Caleb; and a daughter, Charmine
Lee.