Ron Dewar



Ron Dewar (July 22, 1941 - January 4, 2024) was an American jazz saxophone and clarinet player who grew up in Plainfield, Illinois and worked in the Chicago area. His father, Robert Dewar, worked in a bowling alley. His mother, Ruth Jahneke Dewar taught music. His younger brothers Roger and Randy grew up to perform and teach music.

He toured and recorded with many well-known musicians, including Elvis Presley, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughan, and Louis Bellson. Dewar was a featured soloist on many recordings, from traditional jazz to contemporary to popular to free improvisation to Brazilian and led hot bands The Memphis Nighthawks and Jack Webb.

Career
Dewar started playing saxophone when he was 15. After hearing Joe Farrell at a Joliet club, Dewar decided to attend college where Farrell studied. Dewar began studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and joined the Jazz Band led by John Garvey from 1959 to 1962. Dewar rejoined the band from 1968 to 1972. Dewar played in the band again as adjunct faculty from 1980 to 1981.

In March 1968 he was awarded "top tenor saxophone" at the Collegiate Jazz Festival at Notre Dame with judges Oliver Nelson, Ray Brown, Robert Share, Gerald Wilson, and Dan Morgenstern. Freddy Hubbard and Wayne Shorter were scheduled to adjudicate but both had to cancel. Willis Conover was MC. Saxophonist Michael Brecker from Indiana University won "outstanding musician."

He was a featured soloist of the University of Illinois Jazz Band in 1968 during a two month State Department sponsored tour to Ireland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Czechoslovakia. The band consisted of Don Smith (vocals/flute); Ken Ferrantino, Jim Darling, Jerry Tessin (trumpet); Cecil Bridgewater, Jim Knapp (trumpet/flugelhorn); Dave Sporny, Larry Dwyer, Frank Harmantas (trombone); Rich Rousch (bass trombone/baritone horn); John Prendergast (tuba); Howie Smith, John Wonsowicz, Ron Dewar, Larry Cangelosi, Bill Feldman (saxophone); Ron Elliston (piano); Fred Atwood (bass); Chuck Braugham (drums); Bill Fries (percussion).

On March 14 1969, Dewar performed at the Collegiate Jazz Festival in the University of Illinois Jazz Band and his own quartet with Jim Knapp, John Monaghan, and Chuck Braugham. He was awarded a special plaque for his saxophone playing. The judges were Clark Terry, Ernie Wilkins, Dan Morgenstern, Thad Jones, Gary McFarland, and Sonny Stitt.

In June 1969, the University of Illinois Jazz Band performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Recordings were made of the band backing Sarah Vaughn and Gerry Mulligan. Dewar can be heard briefly on a solo with Sarah Vaughn on "There Will Never Be Another You."

From November 11 to December 23, 1969, the University of Illinois Jazz Band toured USSR. Ron Dewar wrote a fanfare for two saxophones based on Uzbek themes.

On July 31, 1971, the University of Illinois Jazz Band performed at Town Hall in New York City with Gary Burton on vibraphone. Dewar was featured soloist on several pieces.

In the 1970s, while playing with The Chicago Hot Six with Ed "Doc" Kittrell (trumpet) and Roy Rubinstein (trombone), Ron developed a passion for the music of New Orleans. He studied the New Orleans clarinetists Omer Simeon, Johnny Dodds, Barney Bigard and Sydney Bechet and incorporated their styles in his playing, sometimes even playing an older style Albert system clarinet. He delved deeply in the recordings of Jelly Roll Morton and the early King Oliver sides with Louis Armstrong on second cornet. He arranged many of these tunes for the Memphis Nighthawks and inspired many other players to pursue this music.

In the eighties, Dewar and drummer Phil Gratteau, joined Brazilian artists Breno and Neusa Sauer and Paulinho Garcia in a Chicago group called Made in Brazil. In 1984 they recorded "Tudo Joia" for Pausa Records, a blend of contemporary bossa and samba with a jazz flavor. Ron performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1986.

Dewar appeared at the first Chicago Jazz Festival and frequently in the years that followed.