Bill Sarver passed away a few days ago at the age of 70. His later years had been made quite difficult by health issues. Bill and I had been close friends in the fabulous 1960s and in the early 1970s. We spent many hours in the presence of Miles Davis and John Coltrane in Detroit at The Minor Key. We spent some evenings arguing the merits of John Coltrane verses Sonny Rollins. I remember wearing out my copy of Coltrane's Traneing In - we listened to this and other recordings intently. I also recall shooting pool in my basement while listening to one of Richard Wagner's operas on a small FM radio - Wagner has never sounded better. We were enchanted by the Juilliard Quartet's recordings of Schoenberg's 1st and 2nd string quartets.
The last time that I saw Bill was in Ann Arbor at the Kerrytown Concert House. A mutual friend had invited Bill along to a concert (I don't recall who the performers were). We had drinks after the concert. Since our interests had diverged over the years, Bill and I hadn't kept in touch.
Bill Sarver was a very good basketball player at Highland Park High School and at the University of Detroit. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Pharoah Sanders' Peace Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOpmtFoZWjA
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