LETTER of the MONTH
Doubly important
One influential practitioner of the double bass (, July) was Paul Simon’s father, Louis. When the future pop star was growing up, Louis was a professional musician, playing double bass in nightclubs and in the studio during the taping of TV variety shows like . Paul and his brother Eddie would stay up past bedtime and watch, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of their dad in the background. Louis grew disenchanted with the lot of a freelancer, so went back to school, eventually becoming a professor of education. He is no longer with us, but his double bass stands in the corner of Paul Simon’s office. Paul’s path took a different direction, but
