“He was Omaha’s last real jazz musician from the days of North Omaha being a music town,” longtime friend/mentee Paul Allen IV tells AllHipHop. “But he was a real musician, so he played all styles of music throughout the years. He cared about teaching young people and stood for the excellence that this town was known for in its heyday. He held everyone up to that standard until the end and called them out if they feel short.”