Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1182230
Bill Minor's Life of Jazz B Y M I C H A E L C H AT F I E L D G racious, humble and self-effacing to a fault, Bill Minor would probably disagree with any description of himself as a Renaissance man. But is there a more apt description for a man who has spent his professional career(s) as a visual artist, writer, educator, linguist, musician and poet? A Michigan native, Minor skipped out to New York City as a young man to seek his fortune, a part of his life eloquently chronicled in his 2017 book, "Going Solo: A Memoir 1953-1958." As an author of both poetry and prose, he has produced a stack of books more than a foot high, including a novel and several poetry col- lections. He's contributed to jazz publications such as Down Beat, penned the Monterey Jazz Festival's retrospective "Forty Legendary Years," and was tapped to write the history of jazz that appeared on Monterey Salinas Transit bus tops throughout the Peninsula. Minor's teaching journey led him to such far- flung locales as San Francisco, Wisconsin and eventually Monterey Peninsula College, where he taught for 25 years. He and Betty, his wife of more than six decades, make their home in a comfortable Pacific Grove house, surrounded by books, music and the memorabilia collected over a lifetime of immersion in the arts. SHORTCUTS NEIGHBORS Multi-talented Bill Minor is an artist, musician, writer and more. He's written a novel and poetry collections and taught at Monterey Peninsula College. 66 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 Photo: Kelli Uldall