Len Dobbin passes

Len Dobbin, best friend of jazz in Montreal and the world, died last night after suffering a stroke while sitting at a table at the Upstairs jazz club in Montreal waiting for Ray Anderson to perform. He was 74. Dobbin was a passionate advocate for the music, having spent his entire adult life writing and broadcasting with great intelligence, insight, and knowledge about the music he loved. He was about 15, and already known somewhat in Montreal from his calls to radio station CJAD requesting jazz tunes on "Club 800" an after-school pop music show, when he co-founded the Emanon Jazz Society. In all the years since, despite serious illness and ongoing battles with his personal demons, he never flagged in promoting, writing about, and listening to this great music. For the last couple of decades he had a Sunday morning jazz show, "Dobbin's Den" on Montreal's community radio station CKUT on which he played, in addition to albums old and new, rare and unreleased recordings from his personal collection, things rarely if ever heard, presented with lots of background information, perception, and obvious love. An archive of these shows going back to the beginning of this year can be heard here. Goodbye, old friend. Post comments in the Jazz Forum [Montreal Gazette file photo of Len Dobbin] [Update] Tomorrow's edition (Sunday July 12) of Dobbin's Den will be a special commemorative broadcast hosted by Mike Chamberlain, including members of Montreal's jazz community paying tribute to Len Dobbin. Show starts at 11 AM EDT and can be heard online by going to http://www.ckut.ca/listen.php