Jim Petrie and I are so sad to lose a good friend and talent we have had the privilege to work with over the past two years, Suzanne Davenport—in which the 3 of us played classic country from the 40's-70's, some Irish fiddle tunes, and tunes of mine in which Suzanne Davenport really shined!
I saw her first play at Jalopy--she "sat in" with Bobtown, and in her classic style, arrived on scooter--hopped up on stage and jammed out with them on a tune. I loved her spirit and personal style. We met afterward, and decided that someday we should work together—she laughed! "Really? I didn't even play a whole song! I just jumped on stage!"

We were so fortunate to practice at her conservatory-like music room in Harlem. When we got there, she would make the coffee (espresso) her special way--adding some nice frothy milk on top, shaped like a Tapir! She loved playing at the Rodeo Bar with my band, and equally loved the the Irish bar gigs with Karen Hudson River Trio, especially at An Beal Bocht Cafe. She was fearless, loving and creative through and through.

She was a true artist and a good friend! I will miss having her jovial presence at my left side, and hearing her and Jim's trading off of parts, making real, good, honest music together~ In this video we made for NPR's Tiny Desk concert, our inside joke was that the dustbunnies on my socks were courtesy Suzanne Davenport! She loved pointing that out with a big laugh. We had a lot of fun, were really just starting to get to know eachother on a deeper level, and we/I will truly miss her. ~Karen Hudson

Ich kannte Susanne seit 1994 und ich war am Anfang so erstaunt, dass Susanne an mir so interessiert war, ich fühlte mich im Vergleich zu ihr sehr langweilig und nicht sehr faszinierend. Eine kurze Zeit wohnten wir sogar zusammen und natürlich lernte ich in dieser Zeit aber auch davor und danach diese vielschichtige Persönlichkeit kennen. Auch nach meinem Umzug in die Schweiz 2010 legte sie sehr Wert darauf, uns auf unserem Bauernhof zu besuchen. Ich vermisse Dich sehr Susanne, meine Trauer ist irgendwie unwirklich, einzig die Kerze, die immer bei uns brennt ist Trost und Anker, weil Du einfach so weit weg warst und jetzt doch immer um mich, uns bist. Der arme Scott, wie überlebt er die Tage? Danke für Deine Treue, danke für Deine Liebe und die vielen Postkarten, Geschenke...In jedem Raum hier und sogar im Büro ist etwas von Dir. Du fehlst mir so.

I just wrote about Suzanne on my blog:

https://aprilgreene.com/2017/12/20/reme/.../-correspondence/

Goodbye, hero.

I remember many years ago striking up a conversation with Suzanne on the 1 train, as she was carrying both a violin and an accordion. Her sense of fun and adventure, easy and hearty laugh, enthusiasm for music and tapirs have lifted the spirits of all she shared her beautiful presence with. Here is a photo from one of our busking expeditions to raise money for her dear tapirs.

I met Suzanne some years ago in the Orff training program. We connected right away when I saw the violin case on her back. (I am also a violinist.) I loved her energy, her curiosity, her positive spirit, her laugh. I remember hanging out with her after class, talking with childlike enthusiasm, before she zipped off into the night on her scooter. Sadly I never got to play music with her, though we talked about it many times. I will truly miss her. My deepest condolences to all her loved ones.

Remembering Suzanne