A duo sadly dies
RIPThe doublebass virtuoso Gary Karr has communicated the death yesterday of his pianist, David Harmon Lewis. He was 82.
Harmon Lewis, born in Tylertown, Mississippi graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Organ from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned a Master of Music degree in 1964 and in 1979 the Doctor of Music Degree in Organ at Indiana University in Bloomington. Dr. Lewis has held teaching positions at Centre College of Kentucky in Danville, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and The Hartt School of Music in Connecticut.
In 1971, Harmon Lewis joined doublebassist, Gary Karr in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to form the Karr-Lewis Duo which had built a schedule of performances that had taken the team all over North America as well as Great Britain, continental Europe, Russia, Poland, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and especially Japan, where their many recordings have been runaway favorites.
The “duo” spent 24 summers in Victoria, British Columbia where Harmon performed and taught at the “Johannesen International Festival and School of Music and the Arts.” Having fallen in love with Victoria, Harmon and Gary moved from West Granby, Connecticut where they lived for 17 years to Victoria in 1994. Thereafter they both became proud citizens of Canada.
In addition to Gary, Harmon leaves behind his brother, Donald (and his wife, Rita), his nephew, and niece, Justin and Laurel (and their extended families).
Tiresome, ‘gay’ nonsense.
I remember Gary Karr as more of a buffoon than anything else.
Tiresome,nonsense comment.Couldn´t you at least fake some dignity you don´t have in the wake of someone mourning a beloved?…Pity you.
My comment was on them as a performing duo.
Another fatuous and utterly nonsensical comment from James Minch. They were a fabulous duo as their catalogue of so many recordings amply illustrate.
What an utterly disgraceful comment, the more so when his partner has just passed away! You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. Karr was invited by Bernstein to perform as a soloist on his excellent educational tv programmes. As a direct result, Olga Koussevitsky, who knew a great deal about bass playing thanks to her husband, called him and offered to give him her husband’s bass which Karr then played on for much of his solo career. Karr made the bass sing in a quite unique and wonderful way. He and Harmon Lewis made a splendid musical partnership.
An astoundingly ill informed and hateful comment. You should be ashamed of yourself. Gary Karr is a pioneering virtuoso and besides, this post is about the loss of his partner in music and life, Harmon Lewis. GFY.
Heartbreaking news. Harmon and Gary were ‘the’ duo. In life and in music. Rest In Peace, dear Harmon.
How very sad! Although Harmon had been battling illness for some time, his passing means we will never again hear the Karr/Lewis duo. I heard them several times. Harmon was the perfect partner for the more extrovert Karr. In addition to more standard repertoire, I heard them perform “The Last Prima Donna in Las Vegas” for bass, piano and voice at least twice, an hilarious short work in which Karr performed both bass and voice parts. The last occasion was some years ago in Japan when they played before an adoring Japanese audience.
Harmon wrote in his local newspaper how during their regular concert tours to Japan they had got to know the Emperor and Empress – herself a fine pianist – well. During the Royal couple’s official visit to Canada ten or so years ago, they hosted the Imperial couple for tea at their Vancouver Island home. Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, they made a private visit to the country to give free concerts for those who had lost their homes and were living in community centers.
He was an excellent pianist and ideal partner. My deepest sympathies to his partner Gary Karr and his family members. May he Rest In Peace.
I suspect that the piece “The Last Prima Donna in Las Vegas” was originally entitled “The Last Double Bass in Las Vegas”, written by Eugene Kurtz? The score calls for a man, woman and DB.
Just asking since I knew the composer played his piece à few times.
more than a duo partner…
I’m so sorry for this loss. I appreciated both of them, learned tons from them, and was honored when asked to accompany Gary, subbing for Harmon…in late 70s and/or early 80s.
I was a student of Harmon Lewis at Centre College of Kentucky from 1964-68. He was a wonderful man and a wonderful teacher.
After more than 50 years
I started thinking of him a few months ago and I started trying to find a way to tell him how much he meant to me.
I am sorry to learn of his death. He was a wonderful teacher and a lovely human being. I hoped I would have an opportunity to tell him how much he meant to me. But maybe he knew. I send my condolences to Mr. Karr. All who knew him were blessed.
I, too, was a poor student of Harmon’s at Centre. He played organ at my wedding in 1967 and received for his talent, I think, a small check from my cash-strapped father and a great deal of love from my family and Anina’s. We’re at a loss to think why, after attempts to find him over the years, we had not kept in touch with our friend. A fine gentleman of the old school with a truly wicked sense of humor (the recessional at our wedding was a variation on “Three Blind Mice”)!