by Sharon Maeda
Seattle lost a music icon with the passing of Deems Tsutakawa in late February. Social media has been full of comments and memories of the jazz pianist — stretching across the country from Hawaiʻi to Florida as well as locally. While Deems lived in South Seattle his entire life, his fans often became his friends, and they span the world.
Deems started piano lessons at age five and four years later he won the Washington State Music Teachers Association’s Annual Award. He never looked back. I remember a conversation when he was a young adult passionate about his music and determined it would be his career. Years later we laughed at how wrong I had been to suggest that he might consider a back-up means of income.
Continue reading Remembering Seattle Jazz Pianist Deems Tsutakawa, Whose Music and Life Touched Many