A tribute to Don Lahey this evening. Sadly Don died in a car accident yesterday (June 22), on Highway 15 near Selley's Bay. He was 60 years old. In the 1980s Don helped to shape the jazz community in Ottawa as a programmer here on CKCU-FM producing an influential show called Rabble Without a Cause with his great friend James Hale. It was fun, funny and always spot on providing insight into great jazz music. Don was also the first manager of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, as he managed the event from some point in the early 1980s until 1986. At that point Don encouraged me to apply to be the manager of the Ottawa Jazz Festival and my life changed forever. Don had a profound impact on my life in many, many ways - from helping me to develop an interest and love for many and varied styles of music to helping me to take my life to the next level by guiding me in my years as the managing director of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. He was always patient and open-minded in guiding me and as a mentor he helped shape who I am today. We could all learn from the great spirit of Don Lahey notably how to treat others with respect, caring and kindness. Don continued to work with the Festival as a volunteer into the 1990s as a member of the programming committe and working on the With An Edge Series. Don will be missed by many people and I hope I pay tribute to his love of people and music on this program tonight. Rest in peace Don. With love... Joe.
| I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian - Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian - Nonesuch |
| Ivory Coast Time Warp - Off Center - Parkwood Records 
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| Come Sunday World Saxophone Quartet - Plays Duke Ellington - Nonesuch |
| Flame Games George Adams Don Pullen Quartet - Live At Montmartre - Timeless Records |
| January Stars George Winston - Winter Into Spring - Windham Hill |
| Brown Rice Shadowfax - Shadowdance - Windham Hill |
| Back To Nowhere Strangeness Beauty - Back To Nowhere - C-Note
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| Bourgeois Boogie Ornette Coleman and Primetime - Virgin Beauty - Portrait/CBS |
| My Feet Can't Fail Me Now The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - My Feet Can't Fail Me Now - Concord |
| Test Steve Tibbetts - Safe Journey - ECM Records |
| Let's Flip Microscopic Quartet - Let's Flip - Osmosis Records |
| Curtis Ran Blake with Houston Person - Suffield Gothic - Soul Note |
| All Blues Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - Columbia |
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Hi Joe. Thanks for helping us all remember a gem of a guy,and a heck of a great broadcaster. If you can, slip in a little Ran Blake. He was a special friend, and favourite, of Don's.
10:35 PM, June 23rd, 2014