Friends,
I have sad news. My friend Stacy Phillips, a man who was many, many things, including a Grammy award winner, a Bluegrass legend and a founding member of the Afro-Semitic Experience, died on Tuesday, June 5 around 9:30 p.m. He was 74 years old. He experienced a massive heart attack on Sunday and from then on it was just a matter of time. He was surrounded by his family, his sister and his niece and nephew. Stacy was his own person and that was reflected in the life he led as a musician. If this news seems like a surprise or a blow, I agree. I have spent the past two days in a state of disbelief as the life of someone who was a colleague, a mentor, a friend, and a genuine world class grump slipped away. I would say more about Stacy, but others have already said it better. There is a great obituary about Stacy in the New Haven Independent.
On Sunday, June 10, we participated in a musical memorial for Stacy at Café 9 in New Haven. We were joined by so many other musicians, bands, students, and fans who all paid tribute to him. There’s a great article about that event in the New Haven Independent.
Zichronoh l’vrachah May his memory be a blessing