USA: Portland Jazz Festival 2012: Why Thara Memory is important

"Part of Friday’s show will honor Thara Memory as the second annual Portland Jazz Master. He was named the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Musician of the Year in 2006 and then inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame the following year. Yes, he says he is “humbled” by this award, and I’m sure it’s true. What’s also true is that for the past five years Jazz lovers in Oregon have held their breaths as Memory’s health deteriorated. Thankfully, David Monette built him a left-handed trumpet specially designed to allow Thara to play after losing the fingering use of his right hand".(http://oregonmusicnews.com)