Michael Porter

TUCSON, Ariz. — Michael Porter, another of the last jazz musicians of the world has been lost. He was born Feb. 16, 1952, in Pennsylvania to Geraldine Hillard and died of Huntington’s disease on Aug. 15, 2010. She and Robert Porter bore four other children before she realized she had inherited the dreaded gene of which she later died. Two of Mike’s brothers are also afflicted.

Mike was preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his longtime love, Lee Small of Arizona; three brothers, Norman of Peru, Eric (Amy) of Tiskilwa and Leif (Dawn) of Sheffield; one sister, Krista of Peru; three nephews, Aaron, Nathaniel and Sam; and two nieces, Vanessa and Amber.

Mike graduated valedictorian of Western High School in Buda in 1970. He received his Bachelor of Science degrees in dual majors, music education and mathematics, and a Master of Science in music education at the University of Illinois.

He was introduced to music by his Italian neighbor, Grandpa Primo, who taught him early how to play the accordion. He was well known in his home town of Sheffield for the many hours he played with his Dixieland Band. His mentor in college, Ron Dewar, taught him an appreciation for traditional Jazz, but his true hero was John Coltrane, and he learned, or tried to emulate and infuse his style with those beautiful bent chords. He played with humor and communicated best when he was blowin’ those horns. Be it a clarinet with the JazzberryJam, or his hip little tenor solos with the Tucson Jazz Orchestra, or improv duos with Tony Malaby, or trading 2’s and 4’s with friends, he was doing what he loved best until the disease crashed into his life around 1998. His decision was not to pass the Huntington’s gene, but he enjoyed the children and grandchildren of his mate forever, Lee Small.

There was no service. Just light a candle and listen or play some Coltrane, Dolphy or Monk and remember Mike.

For more information on Huntington’s disease visit www.hdsa.org.

Local memorials may be made to the Sheffield Public Library.