The passing of yet another great musician. Lyman “Butch” Strong. I met Butch 15-20 years ago. He Played the B3 and we gigged at a black jazz club in Auburn NY. His ability on the organ was astounding. We became musical friends and then real friends over the years into his smooth jazz era where he gave up the Organ for a keyboard and did Orchestrations that Johnny Mandel would be envious of.I often called Lyman for duo gigs. He was perfect for the small gigs with the entire band under his hands. Our ballad work together was legendary. I loved his work so much I used him on my 2nd cd Singin and Swingin. Which was ,as all my cd’s, released nationally and internationally. I felt so happy and proud to share him with the world. Check out "Come in from the rain" on that cd , Its all Lyman and his arrangement.
We worked all over upstate New York . We developed a wonderful following around central New York as a duo. We became very good friends. I work with many piano players and have my favorites But Lyman and I shared more than just the music. He called me, I called him, and we chatted for hours. He loved to sew and made many treasured things for me. When I called him for a gig he never asked me “What does it pay?” He trusted me. I could call Lyman and say “Hey I need to learn some new tunes” and he’d drive up to my house to help me... He spent days sequencing my shows. We were invested. We recorded tunes for free to raise money for Children hospitals at Christmas. He was very giving and loving. We were getting ready to put together a cd of our beloved Ballads when I heard of his passing. I will truly miss him and his tremendous talent. I’m so grateful he shared his many “gifts” with me.
