Michael Biggs

I met "Mr. Biggs" as my friend Lynnette Quan referred to him in the beautiful Pyramid building in San Francisco in the early 70's. I was playing "Cinderella for Disney Productions at the time and was so delighted to meet him. Lynnette had told me so much about him and his crazy sense of humor. He did imitations of being like "Count Caliostro" and Nixon to name a few. Being a musician myself, we had a lot in common about the arts and we shared many conversations about the current artists. He brought his wife and daughter to a production of "My Fair Lady" with the San Jose Light Opera Co. Later, he told me that his daughter was inspired by that and that she was enjoying show business! I am enjoying hearing his piano as I never heard him in person. What a joy to know you Mike Biggs! I know you are bringing laughter and fun where ever you are!!!! Love, Kathleen

Mike had wonderful musical friends, some of whom hadn't been in touch with each other for decades. His passing brought some of us together again as we wrote to each other our memories. These are some of mine.

Mike's knowledge of jazz was encyclopedic, but he also kept up with what young musicians were doing. Not long ago he sent me a tape of a high school big band that was brilliant, another time a feature article about Krupa vs Rich (Max wasn't an ikon yet).Over the years we played together at a few reunions. Last I think was Bob Poor, Jim Wheaton,Bob Lonsbury, Ron, Jack Shenefield, Mike and me. Some of us were, well, light on technique but not Mike. Still on top of it, Jelly Roll to Lenie Tristano, you name it, and modest, like nothing special, just sits down and plays. Didn't talk about himself, might come up with an apocryphal story, like when Errol Garner played the Bohemian Grove. Sometimes he seemed inaccessible, in a world of his own, but it didn't matter. Mike was Mike. They were good times, no bad ones, and I was happy to be part of it. Later on when Barbara and I visited Jack Shenefield in San Francisco, I saw his warm side, gentle, thoightful, courtly. He took us around town, and it was a riot, pure Biggs. On another visit  we had a lunch with Mike, Ginny, and Jack and Joan, It was a sunny day, a laid back restaurant, a cozy mood and laughs from his whimsical and typically off topic remarks. A very dear man. Mike played great piano, and he also had a unique insight into music and musicians. Is it possible to fill that space? Cloud computing? Not likely. But many fond memories.

Mike and family became and remained a part of my life when I married Walt Clarkson in 1961.
You all will be in our hearts & memories forever. 
Bob Buchanan beautifully describes Mike's & Walt's friendship and the 45th reunion where Walt recalled his freshman good judgment in letting Mike take the lead on all things piano. 
What a treat it was for all our children to have known Mike and his music from his visits to our hometown.

There, in Westfield, NJ, we even managed to borrow a piano for Mike to share his talents

with our family.  Walt & Mike continued sharing family & political activities until Walt's passing in '05.
 
BUT......Mike continued to keep in touch with me and our children, and expanded a new/old friendship
via e-mail with a high school classmate of Walt, Harry Montgomery with whom I've found a new friendship these past three years. 
Mike and Harry remembered each other from their days a half century earlier at Dartmouth and Williams College, respectively.

While also a jazz fan, Harry found that he and Mike were much on the same wave length in concern
about their country's sometimes clumsy and over-extended foreign and defense policies.

We all will miss Mike's kindness, talent, insight and friendship. His joy of living each day fully will stay with us forever.
And thanks so much for the immortal piano jazz.