Remembering a Friend

This is a painful post for me to write as it marks the second anniversary of the passing of my dear friend, Kimson Plaut.

Kimson died while on vacation with his wife and son visiting his parents in Puerto Rico. Eleven days later his son, Lucas turned three.

Kimson was a gifted musician who was fortunate enough to make a decent living using his gifts. He played piano, did arrangements and toured with Astrud Gilberto, a Cuban charanga group (that I believe has since folded) called Los Jovenes del Barrio and the tours took him all over the world: Japan, Australia, Indonesia, England, Italy, Germany and Poland among other destinations.

He also recorded his own CD, Ubatuba featuring such Latin Jazz greats as Paquito D'Rivera, Leny Andrade and Romero Lubambo.

One of many things that Kimson and I had in common was a passion for Brazilian music and jazz. We got together often over the phone or in person just to share a new discovery or compare notes on an artist that we had heard about. Kimson's interest went much deeper than mine, however. While completing his masters in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, Kimson went to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, and stayed with the Xavante Indians studying their musical traditions. He then decided to give up the academic life and decided to pursue the life of a professional musician.

What I also admired about Kimson was how devoted he was as a father and husband. His wife, Cristina worked during the day at Goldman Sachs and Kimson took care of their son Lucas during the day, often taking him to rehearsals, dandling Lucas on his knee while playing. Kimson was a dedicated New York Yankees fan and one of my favorite pictures is of Lucas and Kimson at a Yankees game wearing matching Yankees caps. The love and affection between them in that picture was palpable.

I was envious of Kimson for one thing, however. His Portuguese was flawless. I suppose if I lived in Brazil for eleven years, mine would be better than it is now, but when we all first met face to face on this night

Mércia said about Kimson "Ele fala português igual a gente!" (He speaks Portuguese like us!). The one trait that I learned from Kimson was that you are getting to master a language when you can think and dream in it.

There is a not a day that goes by that I don't think about Kimson and how much I miss his friendship and his sense of humor, as equally warped and wicked as my own. Like so many of his friends, Mércia and I regret not spending more time with him and truly grieve for his being taken so young.

If you want to help out Cristina and Lucas, consider buying Ubatuba. Kimson produced and paid for the CD himself, so all proceeds from the sale will go to Cristina and Lucas. There are some samples in RealAudio on the above link. Give it a listen and if you're interested in buying it, follow the above link or contact me directly. The title of the CD, Ubatuba is the name of Kimson's favorite place in Brazil, a beach resort town in São Paulo state, through which the Tropic of Capricorn passes.

I don't put a lot of faith in psychic phenomena, but a couple of days after Kimson's death, I was at the Brazilian Consulate here in New York getting a new visa for an upcoming trip to Brazil. I ran into another American who was married to a Brazilian and we started chatting while we were both waiting. I asked him where his wife was from and he replied São Paulo State. I then asked where in São Paulo and he said Ubatuba. A rush of emotions swirled in my head. I suppose it was ultimately just a coincidence, but I'm not so sure. Not many people live in Ubatuba, indeed, out of all the Brazilians I have met, I had never met anyone from Ubatuba, nor have I since. My friend, Susan Davis-Pereira is convinced that Kimson was trying to send me a message. I just remember parting company with this gentleman and for the first time in two days I felt like some of the shock of Kimson's passing had been attenuated. Two years later I still find myself thinking when I hear a joke or an astute comment or come across a musician previously unknown to me, that I should give Kimson a call.

Comments

[julie bluestone]

I am a flute and sax player who played with Kimson in different bands several years ago. I played alot with Kimson with the Boys Harbor big band and then with a band led by Dassi Rosencrantz and we played at Gonzalez y Gonzalez. During the last several years, I have been doing my own thing. Tonite I just happened to finally listen to the CD by Los Jovenes del Barrio entitled Evolucionando. I was diggin' on the tune called Mofongo, listening to it about 10 times! I looked at who wrote it, and it was Kimson's tune. I wanted to try and get in touch w/him to tell him what a great tune I thought it was, but didn't have his number, so I thought I would see if he had a web site. Well, I googled his name and the rest you can guess.......I am so sorry to learn that he passed away..... my thoughts and feelings go out to his wife and son and I would definitely like to by his CD. Thanks. Sincerely, Julie Bluestone

[civil truth]

Randy, this is one of the noblest things your can do, to keep telling Kimson's story. It's also healing for you and for the listeners.

There's a magnificent childrens book on this topic called Nadia the Willful by Sue Alexander. Your local library should have a copy.