Memorial Concert July 19 to Benefit Scholarship for Former UMaine Musician
Contact: Diane Linscott, 326-4803
George Manlove, 581-3856
Editors’ note: The following cities or towns are mentioned in this news release: Penobscot, Hanover, Orono, Winslow & Southwest Harbor, Maine, and Portsmouth and Exeter, N.H.
ORONO — Professional jazz singer, recording artist and University of Maine alum Diane Linscott has established a scholarship fund for former UMaine music major and band member Jim Howe, who died last fall.
Linscott, of Penobscot, Maine, has organized a benefit concert in Howe’s memory on July 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Minsky Recital Hall, Class of 1944 Hall, to raise funds for The Jim Howe ’69 Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be managed by the University of Maine Foundation and will benefit future UMaine music students.
Linscott will perform with members of her quartet — several of whom also are alumni of UMaine — a concert of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook and some selections from her recently released CD, “Once Upon a Summertime,” on which Howe played bass. Admission is free, with an opportunity to donate to the scholarship available at the door. Part of the proceeds from CD sales at the concert will go to the scholarship fund.
“All of us in the original quartet were graduates of the University of Maine and will be performing the concert in Jim’s memory — Gerry Wright, piano, Mike Bennett, drums, and I will be on vocals,” says Linscott, a 1960 UMaine graduate. “Mark Neuenschwander, my bassist in Florida who worked with Jim on my newest recording will be bassist for the evening.”
Howe lived in Hanover, Maine when he died at age 61 last October. He taught bass at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and ran “Sunday Jazz” at the Portsmouth, N.H. Press Room jazz club for many years, and he was a regular bassist in Linscott’s quartet. Recalling his “extraordinary musicianship” and “his joy and generous smile when he made music,” Linscott says she wants Howe’s legacy to live on through a scholarship.
“Jim Howe was a great bassist and representative of so many superb musicians who dedicate themselves to excellence,” Linscott says. “A scholarship in his name seemed a fitting tribute.”
Gifts in Howe’s name may be sent to the University of Maine Foundation, Two Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469-5792 or by clicking on the “Online Giving” link through the Foundation’s secure website www.umainefoundation.org. Linscott asks that donors indicate their gifts are for The Jim Howe ’69 Memorial Scholarship Fund.
All gifts received prior to July 11, will be recognized in the evening’s program unless otherwise noted.
About the musicians
Diane Linscott, also a sculptor and visual artist, has served as a trustee of the UMaine Foundation, on the University of Maine Development Council, on the advisory board for the Maine Center for the Arts and as volunteer for many organizations throughout the state. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UMaine, did postgraduate study in experimental psychology and balanced a performance schedule with 10 years of liberal studies, including music, at UMaine.
Gerry Wright, piano, of Winslow graduated from UMaine with a bachelor’s degree in music education and Thomas College with bachelor’s degree in business education. He taught choral music in Oakland, Maine for 27 years, and currently teaches at MCI in Pittsfield, where he is choral music instructor. He also plays for the Al Corey Band in Waterville and is the leader of the Gerry Wright Trio.
Mark Neuenschwander, known as one of the finest bass players in Tampa Bay, has performed in a variety of musical settings around the world with The 5th Dimension, Herb Alpert, Diane Schuur, Chick Corea, and is a first-call bassist for many major artists appearing in the Sarasota area. He is a faculty member in the music department at the University of South Florida, and has worked with Linscott in Florida for the past 10 winter seasons.
Percussionist Mike Bennett of Southwest Harbor, an adjunct faculty member at the College of the Atlantic, earned a music education degree at UMaine in 1993. He has been a first-call drummer for many jazz musicians who have played in Maine such as Larry Coryell, Sheila Jordan, Buddy DeFranco, Greg Abate and Anita O’Day, among others. He was a member of the world music group The Beatroots.