RIP Harold Betters

[ArbanRubank]

Sad to be reporting this...

Harold Betters obituary https://www.martuccifuneralhome.com/obi ... lJxgdCahks

WZUM jazz radio Pittsburgh, PA paid a tribute recently:

https://www.wzum.org/jazz-blog/2020/10/23/mcgjazz-

HB (as his friends knew him) played quite a bit at the Encore Club in the Shadyside part of Pgh:

https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.co ... r_Pf3II8ao

He was a regional favorite because he was born and raised in the Pittsburgh, PA culture. He understood the people and the music we enjoyed listening to. He was my personal inspiration.

As some of the information states, he played frequently on the Mike Douglas show, the Merv Griffin show and appeared on the Tonight Show (with Johnny Carson). I remember him telling me once how terrified he was when Urbie Green came to town. HB refused to play with him b/c he felt he wasn't good enough. Urbie called him to reassure him that he had heard him play - was a fan - and not to worry. The performance together went well.

Frank Sinatra was also a fan of Harold Betters and wanted HB to go national. He didn't want to, though. He was a family man and local Pittsburgh player through-and-through.

Harold Betters' style was unmistakable and his amazing sound was legend. Recordings never did him justice, as fine as some of them were. And while it's true that he may not have had the technique of Bill Watrous or Urbie Green (who the heck did!), his enthusiasm, style, sound and energy more than made up for it.

There will be a podcast this evening paying tribute:

[url]https://www.crowdcast.io/e/harold ... JJVdh4-mj8[/url]

RIP Harold Betters

[King2bPlus]

One of my favorites. Great solo turn on Ipanema among others.

[ArbanRubank]

One of my favorites. Great solo turn on Ipanema among others.

Here's a copy of that song I uploaded to YouTube. I took it from the "Do Anything You Wanna" LP that I bought sealed. I believe it has a higher fidelity than others I have heard on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0y99oFAQJQ

If you listen with headphones on, you can hear band members talking - what they did back then performing live. I always thought those kinds of sounds made a recording more organic. He was big on audience interaction as well.



Also check out his Born Free on the album he was most proud of - The Big Horn. He hit some of the most wicked high F#'s (I think that's what they were - it's been a while since I did a keyboard check) I have ever heard and his double-tonguing was singularly outstanding as well. He certainly had a lyrical playing style, often making the melody sound prettier any more exciting than it originally was.

Born Free from "The Big Horn" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XyTlVwYK8

[KWL]

Thanks for letting us know. I was introduced to Harold Betters as a freshman in college 54 years ago (!) and have been a fan since.