RECENT DEPARTURES

While I've been on vacation two people of note and distinction have left us. 

• Abby Lincoln, the enchanting jazz vocalist, poet and actress will sing to us no more except in recording.  She had a voice like no other and I will miss her.  She had the talent to emerge, leave and re-emerge several times in her career, each time bringing something special.  Her final  poetic songs gave us all a wise maternal voce to remember as we to pass along.
• Speaking of stars, Jack Horkheimer of the Miami Planetarium passed away this week at a relatively young age.  His zany spooky lectures on "naked eyeball astronomy" were the bedtime serenade for many a TV night owl.  They were always broadcast in the wee hours to the accompanyment to some whimsical space music with Jack relaxing on the moon or Jupiter enthisiastically pointing out exactly where the action was in the night sky.  It was hard not to share his enthusiasm.  He will be missed though the show seems to go on as of last night.  May the elecronic impulses of his shows travel into infinity.