Alex Bedini was a master of the fluid, straight-ahead style of jazz that blossomed from the fingers of jazz guitar innovators like Django Reinhardt, Johnny Smith and Joe Pass. But Bedini didn't just play jazz. He was jazz. Everything about him – from his gravel-voice to his cool Van Dyke beard to his hipster sense of humor – exuded an aura of the jazzman. A natural performer, Bedini was a fixture to area nightclubs and festivals for nearly 30 years. It's painful to think of our music scene without him.

Doug Clark
(For rest of Doug's column, click here)

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