What Mel and I did in 4 days in New York City May 2016

I took Mel on a whirlwind tour of NYC and Brooklyn. He had been to the city before but had never ventured beyond midtown and downtown. We stayed on the Upper West Side off West End Ave. I've lived in Manhattan, The Bronx, and across the Hudson in Jersey. We did it by subway, bus, and hoofing it. I wore his ass out but he loved every minute of it. - Michael Ramsey

- Daily morning runs/walks in Riverside and Central Park

First Day

Studio Museum in Harlem

http://www.studiomuseum.org/

Rodney McMillian, Rashaade Newsome, Ebony G. Patterson exhibits

Mnuchin Gallery on the Upper East Side

David Hammons "Five Decades" exhibit

http://www.mnuchingallery.com/

Times Square

Theater: Eclipsed by Danai Gurira at the John Golden Theater

Birdland Jazz Club

David Murray Trio with Terri Lyne Carrington and Geri Allen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Second Day

9/11 Memorial and New World Trade Center

The Brooklyn Museum

Gen Japanese Restaurant, Washington Ave, Brooklyn

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Third Day

Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem. Richard Rogers Amphitheater

    Eddie Palmieri Concert

http://mobile.nytimes.com/201…

Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson's The Red Rooster Restaurant

https://www.tripadvisor.com/R…

Lenox Saphire Senegalese Restaurant, Harlem (no, I didn't spell it wrong, they did on their sign)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fourth Day

The Whitney Museum of American Art  (only visited the gift shop, then ascended the High Line)

http://whitney.org/About/NewB…

The High Line Park   http://www.thehighline.org/vi…

Staten Island Ferry (rode this free ferry to and from Staten Island to take pictures of the Statue of Liberty, and water views of One World Trade Center and the New York financial district

http://www.siferry.com/

Battery Park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki…

Pio Pio Peruvian Restaurant

https://www.tripadvisor.com/R…

Dizzy's Club Coca Cola      http://www.jazz.org/dizzys/

  Music:Wessell Anderson and Mark Rapp Play Lou Donaldson's Music 

  Lou Donaldson - we had a great conversation with this alto saxophone great

  https://www.arts.gov/honors/j…

With deep condolences to the Family. A Tribute to Mel: A Life of Discovery and Laughter

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. Mel and I walked the wilderness trails together, chasing the light with our cameras and seeking the truth in the music. Today, I walk this trail for both of us, carrying the light of his smile along the way."

They say that in a long life, you are lucky if you find one or two people who truly "get" you—someone whose frequency matches your own without any effort. For nearly forty years, Mel was that person for me. He wasn't just my best friend; he was a kindred spirit. He was one of the most interesting, enthusiastic, and profoundly kind human beings I have ever known.

Mel and I shared a shorthand for life. We shared a lens—quite literally, through our photography—and a way of looking at the world that felt unique to us. To walk on a trail in the Muir Woods with Mel was never just a walk; it was an exploration. To stand in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art or any art gallery or museum with him was to see the world through his appreciative, thoughtful eyes.

We shared a hunger for the soul of things. Whether we were traveling to new places, sitting in the stands at an Oakland A’s game, or catching a set at a jazz club, Mel was fully present. We supported the music together at festivals and concert halls for decades. Some of my happiest memories were simply sitting in Yoshi’s Jazz Club, not needing to say a word, because we were both "vibing" to the same rhythm.

But if you really knew Mel, you knew his laugh. It was big, it was frequent, and it was infectious. Mel had this incredible gift for finding the humor in almost anything.

We spent countless hours discussing politics and the state of the world. But we didn’t just "debate"—we discussed, we dissected, and inevitably, we laughed. No matter how serious the subject, Mel had a way of finding the irony or the light in it. He didn’t want to win an argument; he wanted to share a moment of connection. That smile of his was a constant reminder not to take ourselves too seriously, even when the world felt heavy.

That light—that shared joy and big smile—was something Mel passed down to his son, Taufiq. They shared that same spirit, that same way of brightening a room.

The true measure of our bond—and the greatest honor Mel ever gave me—came during the most difficult hour of his life. When Mel lost Taufiq in that tragic motorcycle accident, I saw a side of him that few are forced to reveal. Even in the depths of his shattering grief, Mel’s trust in our connection remained. He asked me to preside over Taufiq’s memorial service.

To be asked to find the words when there are no words is a responsibility I have carried with me ever since. But that was Mel—he knew that our bond was strong enough to carry that weight. He took me seriously, and trusted me with his heart when it was broken. Standing by him then solidified a connection that went beyond friendship; we became brothers. It showed me that his kindness and his capacity for love were his core, even in the face of unimaginable loss.

Mel was one of the few people in my long life that I completely and utterly "vibed" with as a human being. Forty years feels like a lifetime, but today, it feels like it wasn't nearly enough.

Mel, thank you for the miles we walked, the music we shared, and the laughter that echoed through it all. You were the most interesting man in every room you entered, and the truest friend I ever had. I’ll see you in every jazz solo I hear and on every trail I walk from here on out.

Rest in peace, my friend. I know you and Taufiq are somewhere right now, sharing a joke and that big, unmistakable smile.

Michael Ramsey

"Life is a lot like Jazz... it's best when it’s improvised. It’s the unexpected note, the sudden laugh, and the rhythm of a forty-year conversation. The music hasn't stopped; it has only changed keys. So we’ll look for the humor, we’ll listen for the soul, and we’ll remember the man who found beauty in it all. Play on, Mel. Play on."

My deepest condolences to the Terry Family.  Mel was such a good brother.

Keith S. Parker