Last night, friends and music lovers gathered to pay tribute to Marchel Ivery at Sammons Jazz. This morning, I got a call from Hope Crouch, the mother of Marchel’s young daughter, Gloria Shalom Crouch. Here’s what she’d like to pass on from the evening:

“Gloria wore a lively pink blouse boasting “I Get My Good Looks From My Dad.” The Johnny Case Band’s rendition of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” reminded me of how beautifully Marchel poured his heart into any genre he played, always with complete sincerity and the courage to love fully.

“From the audience came a polite murmur of assent when Marchel’s drummer Andrew announced Marchel is truly “Wonderful. Wonderful,” as the Marcel Ivery Tribute Quartet prepared to perform that at my special request.

“The music Marchel loved and we loved to share with him was wrapping us up in his warmth again for a couple of precious hours. Thank you all who love him as I do.”