William A. “Bill” Brower, a writer, producer, stage-manager, fest organizer and programmer, retail buyer, interviewer for the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program and consultant to the
Congressional Black Caucus, died April 12, at age 72. He had suffered a debilitating stroke in 2019. Matt Schudel wrote a comprehensive obituary for the Washington Post.
Bill Brower was a longtime friend and key colleague to many JJA members, though never a member of the organization. Washington D.C. area jazz devotees in particular mourn the man Willard Jenkins (D.C. Jazz Fest artistic director, founder and former JJA vice-president, among many other credits) calls in an extensive Q & A interview on his blog The Independent Ear, “a true jazz cultural warrior.” Both touring and local musicians were indebted to Brower’s energies, as were attendees at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where he managed the Jazz Stage for many years.
He was also a music annotator– JJA president Howard Mandel remembers editing record reviews by “W. A. Brower” for DownBeat circa 1980. Eugene Holley, Jr. has posted a moving tribute citing him as a most significant mentor. It’s clear from everyone’s writings about William A. Brower that he was a stalwart and accomplished advocate, activist, altruist, aider and abettor of jazz.
