Musician, neurosurgeon connect through the healing power of jazz
By Patrick Beach, Austin American-Statesman | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Dr.
"He shows up at 9:30 after being in surgery all day," said Blondell, the Harlingen-raised trombonist and bassist who's performed with everybody from U2 and
Here's the thing: Blondell should have died before he and Rose, a neurosurgeon at the
"I waited until the last minute and woke up in the middle of the night wracked in pain and realized I was dying," he said. "I called my neighbor. And if I hadn't had (health insurance through the
"I just kept living through the grace of God and got home," Blondell said. "I got assigned a great doctor, Dr.
Once Blondell was well enough to play again, Rose showed up at a jam session at the
"I could tell he had something. He's got ears like a bat," Blondell said. "He hears it all. This guy's chops are great. He's a star now."
For his part, Rose credits Blondell with driving him to start gigging again. Although he won't say how long he's been playing ("I'm not going to tell you -- I should be the best trumpet player in the world."), he was good enough to be accepted into
"This guy inspired me to get back to playing again," Rose said. "To me, jazz expresses what you feel. It's similar to an operation. Everybody does something different, usually in the same key. It's like the wildest thing you can think of, but you've got to play by the rules.
"He's a huge reason I'm back in my game," said Blondell, who contends he's playing better now than before he got sick. "It's a great thing. This cat is one of the best things that ever happened to me."
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