I guess all that time I was unconsciously accumulating inclination and listening. It was a real turn-on, although at the time I could never allow myself to rationally fantasize about ever doing it myself. "And certainly whilst ever I'm around, we'll be teaching about what Don Burrows has meant to Australian jazz," Morrison said.“Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts.” “.the birth of rock and roll coincided with my adolescence, my coming into awareness. The James Morrison Academy of Music offers one-year and three-year courses in jazz, in conjunction with the University of South Australia. Last year, Morrison opened a school of jazz at Mount Gambier in South Australia to continue the mentoring work pioneered by Burrows. The legend of Burrows lives on through students Now it was time to look after him," Morrison said. So when the ageing maestro became unwell, Morrison said he did not have to think twice about helping. When Morrison and his wife had children, Burrows was affectionately known in their household as "Grand Don". He said meeting Burrows was the most important turning point in his life.īurrows invited the then 16-year-old trumpeter to join his band and mentored him through a hugely successful career in Australia and overseas. ( Australian Story: Ben Cheshire)įor Morrison, Burrows' illness has turned the tables on their 40-year friendship. The legendary musician now lives at a nursing home close to the Morrisons on Sydney's northern beaches, and they visit him almost daily.īurrows also gets regular visits from former bandmates including guitarist George Golla and pianist Kevin Hunt.ĭon Burrows, James Morrison and his wife Judi Morrison have always been close. Realising that music was the key to his recovery, they decided to move him back to Sydney, where he could be around music and the "family" of musicians he had played with all his life. Morrison and his wife Judi, who is a nurse, are now Burrows' legal guardians and have taken charge of his care. He didn't get his short-term memory back, but he got his personality back." "It was like his mind snapped back into place. "It was like a switch flicked, and suddenly he was Don Burrows again, he was playing just like he always did," Morrison said. Jazz musician James Morrison, who was mentored by Burrows from the age of 16, vividly remembered the moment his old friend picked up his instrument, about two months after the stroke. "It's a routine that he has continued all his life, and he's fortunate to have that as the cornerstone of his being." "He remembers the tunes, and this seems not to be affected by the dementia," Burrows' general practitioner Dr George Foldes told Australian Story. His ability to continue to play music has amazed his doctors and fellow musicians.
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