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The Service this morning was attended by a good 200 musicians
and friends, with band-leaders Don Lusher, Barry Forgie, Alan
Ganley and Stan Reynolds, and instrumentalists Duncan Lamont,
Gordon Campbell, Cliff Hardie, and Dave Hancock amongst the mourners.
Dave Hancock gave the eulogy, more in the style of "The Alan
I Knew", passing over Alan's brilliant trumpet playing and
his genius at arranging, to tell in a series of fascinating stories
the depth of Alan's generosity and humanity, his ability to organise
when required, and his sense of enjoyment and fun which he displayed
throughout his career. Alan's mental illness in recent years,
which Dave characterised as "the demons inside" was
mentioned, as was his apparent recovery this year when he started
arranging again and his trumpet playing returned to its former
standards.
Several of Alan's arrangements were played during the Service,
starting with Derek Watkin's wonderful rendition of "We've
Only Just Begun", and ending with the Maynard Ferguson band
playing "Give it One".......
What a way to go!
Report from Colin Stuart
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