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IN MEMORY OF MIKE
Mike Turner's wife and daughters have asked that there
should be no
flowers in his memory, but have instead generously
decided that a
fitting memorial will be that donations be made into a
fund to help keep
jazz live at the Trumpet, a cause very close to Mike's
heart.
The fund will be used to help pay visiting guest
musicians, and will be
administered by John Grant and Linda Clement (Reg
Keirle’s wife).
Donations in cash or by cheque should be made to either
of them, and
Linda will be responsible for keeping an account of the
fund, with
John's backup.
All transactions will be recorded, and these records made
available to
any interested parties.
We thank Mike's family for this amazing act of generosity
and
thoughtfulness at such a heartbreaking time for them; and
our sympathies
are with them - not least because we share their shock
and grief at such
a tragic loss.
[Cheques payable to ‘Linda Clement’, and sent to her, c/o
The Trumpet,
58 High Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP]
A transcript of the Layperson's address can be viewed by clicking here The Order of Service can be seen by clicking here (Adobe Reader is required to view the document.
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Mike Turner 18th May 1945 to 20th April 2009 Many tributes have been paid following Mike’s death on 20th April 2009, of Bowel Cancer. Mike was born in May 1945, in Birmingham, but grew up in Willenhall. When he was young, he was very inquisitive. One time his mum said “you are absolutely not allowed to go to the football without an adult”, and he promised to obey. The next day in the paper there was a photo of one of the goals and there he was in the crowd right behind the goal, caught on camera!! Mike’s father, Doug, was a huge jazz fan, and a regular at the Trumpet. This enthusiasm eventually rubbed off on Mike, who taught himself the clarinet, and later the soprano and alto saxophone. Mike’s passion for jazz really took off in his teenage years, whilst at Willenhall Comprehensive. During his sixth form years he would travel regularly to Birmingham with friends to go to concerts – they saw many visiting American musicians, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong himself. He and friend Derek Burns even dodged off school one day, so they could hitchhike down to London for a gig. Derek said ‘It was a great time – we were living for the music’. One of Mike’s A level French teachers maintained he was his best ever French student, so it was inevitable that he should go on to study French at degree level at King’s College, London. He was to remain a great Francophile all his life, to the extent that even the French thought he was French. While at King’s, Mike chose to do his year abroad in Annemasse on the French border near Geneva. He was attracted to the city because of the thriving jazz scene. This sojourn not only lead to joining a jazz band, but also to Monika, who was studying at Geneva University and going out with the piano player in the band. Having met Mike she decided to change instruments to clarinet and sax. After studying and working abroad, Mike and Monika decided to settle in the Midlands, and were married in 1969. Mike found a job teaching French at Northicote Comprehensive. Katharine came along in 1974 when they were living in Appleby Magna. Isabelle followed 3 years later. By this time Mike was teaching in Burton-on- Trent, at Abbot Beyne, and playing in the Mardi Gras jazz band. His colleagues remember him as a loyal and dedicated teacher, always having the best interests of the pupils at heart. His pupils probably remember him as smelling strongly of garlic, as they would often remark on this to him. The family moved to Lichfield in 1978. Mike followed in his father’s footsteps and became a regular fixture at the Trumpet, playing on Friday nights with his band Swing Parade. Good friend and talented trombone player Brian Casson has been playing with Mike for over 30 years, the last time being at the Trumpet just before Christmas. Brian said he played a storm. Mike was sensible enough to take early retirement from teaching 11 years ago, which enabled him to devote himself to his music full-time. Throughout his musical career he has enjoyed playing with many different musicians, and he was thrilled to have the opportunity to play alongside heroes such as Bruce Adams, Alan Barnes, Humphrey Littleton, Wally Fawkes, Tommy Saunders and Roy Williams. Latterly he joined the Old Fashioned Love Band and travelled all over the country playing at different venues. Mel Hill, who played in the Old Fashioned Love Band with Mike, and knew him for 30 years, said: “He was a very intelligent guy and a much-loved man. I started playing jazz with him about 30 years ago, but I was aware of him on the scene before that. We played in various bands together and used to travel to festivals all over the world so I spent quite a lot of time with him. Lots of jazz musicians knew of him and he had an international reputation.” Mike’s attitude to life has a lot to teach us. It’s clear that his daughters idolised their dad. They saw him as a great role model, and have always tried to live their lives the way he did – with a laid back and positive attitude, enjoying all the good things – spending time with friends, enjoying great food and drink and good music, and travelling the world. He had the right perspective on life, feeling that there was no point getting het up on trivia. As long as he could have a beer and listen to some jazz, he was happy. The family has been overwhelmed with the kindness and support they have received from Mike’s friends and colleagues since Mike died so suddenly. The one thing that has struck them is that people have used the same recurring words to describe Mike; he was kind, modest, gentle and got along with everyone. His dry sense of humour and his laid-back attitude to life resulted in lots of laughs. He was loved, respected and admired. He was, in short, ‘a nice bloke,’ who will be greatly missed. * * * Help keep Jazz Live at The Trumpet * * * |
