R.I.P. Clyde Kerr, Jr.
One of the most influential music teachers in New Orleans history
passed away yesterday. Like his father before him, Clyde Kerr, Jr.
taught several generations of students both the mechanics of music and
the spirit behind it. Social networking sites have been buzzing with
tributes to the man since word of his death began circulating.
Kerr, Jr. was a trumpet player who had a beautiful tone. He released his first and only album, This is Now!, last year. As an instructor at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts his influence goes back at least thirty years when he taught Wynton and Branford Marsalis. In recent years, he counted Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Christian Scott among his hundreds of students.
Kerr, Jr. grew up in the Tremé neighborhood and his childhood home was like a music school. His father taught a who’s who of an earlier generation of musicians including the great maestro Wardell Quezergue and the saxophonist Alvin “Red” Tyler. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. (photo by Michael DeMocker)
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