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This webpage is dedicated to a true "one of a kind." Scott had a special way about him - a sense of humor that is difficult to describe, a musical talent beyond measure, a love for the little things and a heart larger than you could ever imagine.
Making music with Scott was truly a gift. Being on stage next to him, gig after gig, just kept getting better and better. He was so natural - so Scott. And so damn much fun to be around!
If you are fortunate to have met him, only then can you truly understand.
Brassworks 4 invites you to share some of your "Scott Stories" to help keep the memory alive. Drop us an email and we'll proudly post your story here.
We will miss you, Scott. But we will forever keep the laughter alive.
Paul, Mick and Connie
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A Musical Tribute Concert for Scott
August 6th at 10:03 AM in the San Juan College Little Theater
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Words cannot express the sadness I feel at the hearing of Scott's passing. Mary Jo called me this afternoon, and my first words were "No, not Scott." What a tremendous loss for all of you in Brassworks 4 and the Rocky Mountain Brass Band. His music and wonderful wit will live on in all that knew him. Maybe he and Ed can do a gig for the angel Gabriel.
My condolences to you all,
Pat Olsen
Bountiful, UT
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Scott was truly one of my favorite people. How I will miss his incredible stories and sense of adventure. Silverton will not be the same without him. He always called me Ol' Beautiful or OB for short (I think because he sometimes forgot my name!), but Scott was the one deserving of the name Ol' Beautiful. His passion for life was unlike most others. There really is no one like him. I only wish I had had the opportunity to get to know him better, hear more stories, go on more exciting adventures with him, and hear him play more. But, I feel so fortunate to have known him for as long as I have. My life has been touched by Scott in so many ways. I have had a rush of such wonderful memories with Scott; hearing his voice just like he's right here, smelling the scent of nicotine on his fingertips, feeling his embrace from so many grandfatherly hugs, and seeing the intent, crystal blue look in his eyes. He will be sorely missed, but forever remembered.
Jamie Carillo
Grand Junction, CO
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"Even though the moon is only 1/4 the size of the earth, it's further away" |
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We are all unique in our personalities and talents, but few would argue that Scott's uniqueness stood him apart from others. His warmth for people was immediate and non-judgmental, even to those he just met. On the first handshake and comic remark you felt welcomed. I am sure Scott had a serious side and down times but few ever saw that from him. He was consistently upbeat, looking for humor in the most trivial moments of life, and, finding it, turned the mundane into mirth.
Don Mort
Ouray, CO
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One year when Paul Maybery had Scott play flugelhorn, the piece came up to be rehearsed. "Are you ready to play, Scott," quipped Paul. Scott buzzed for about 3 seconds and replied, "Yea, sure." The Master of Pork Muckey was always ready!
Liz Beaver
Tucson, AZ
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All of us will miss him. He added so much humor to the band. I think back to the fun days when BW4 were the live wires of the band. I'll never forget Scott's way of getting a laugh through long, convoluted, improbable stories, each with a deep, well-hidden meaning. He played a good cornet too.
John Wyman
San Diego, CA
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He was definitely a unique personality and will be missed by everyone whose lives he touched.
Clint Miller
Palisade, CO
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| Scott was a wonderful person, a funny guy, a fine musician, and a friend to all who knew him. He always made me laugh till my sides hurt and wowed me with his musicianship! I will miss him greatly.
Jim Fady
Colorado Springs, CO
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What a loss, what joy he brought to so many people, what a talent. His arrangements for Brassworks 4 and for Silverton Town Band will be treasures among several for several years to come.
Barbara Chinworth
Tucson, AZ
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I knew Scott primarily from the performances of Brassworks 4 and admired the work he and all of you did to make the group so successful (and it looked as though you guys had a lot of fun in the process!). Portia and I send our heartfelt sympathy to Linda and to all of you who will miss him most of all.
Bob and Portia Jennings
Farmington, NM
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Each of us in our own way loved Scott very much. He will live on in us, through the examples of living that he set for us. He showed us love, patience, kindness, thoughtfulness, hard work and hard play.
His word was golden. Through his humor he could defuse many otherwise tense situations, but most of all his heart was always open to all of us. He was genuine ... and ... he was Scott ... and the very best at just being Scott.
But ... let's celebrate... that his life was so meaningful to so many. We will happily think of him often ... and after the tears there will be smiles ... many smiles.
Paul Maybery
Chatfield, MN
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We morn his loss. What a privilege it must have been for you to play with him in a small group like Brassworks 4.
Denny Kurtz
Silverton, CO
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What a shock to learn of the death of one of my all-time favorite people. I always loved being with him, the impish grin was infectious. I'll never forget the many times he drove up to our house in Silverton with his green Chevy truck, ready for an adventure into the high mountain jeep trails in the San Juans. He was always young at heart.
One story I recall was the time we took an unusually dangerous trail (Picayune Gulch?) and came to a section of trail that required perhaps a 10 foot drop near the edge of a precipice. There was no room to turn around. Scott said "maybe you want to get out of the truck here and watch." He then proceeded over the drop gunning the engine while in mid air. The truck came to a bumpy but perfect landing. Scott told us (I think we were still shaking) that you have to gun the engine at the right spot to keep the truck from going "head over heels." We later met up with another such maneuver and I think Scott mentioned that he didn't want to take that trail again.
In fact, I was thinking before I got the sad news of Scott's passing how much I was looking forward to seeing him again and doing another adventure in a few weeks. He is on an adventure of another kind now and I will miss him terribly. He was a great man, a simple man, a kind man and a man I that I was privileged to have known as my friend and colleague.
Terry Schwartz
Winfield, IL
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"If you take cranberries and stew 'em like applesauce, they taste more like prunes than rhubarb" |
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Scott Ramsey was one of my dearest friends. I first met him my first week teaching at Fort Lewis College. I was told I was to play in the San Juan Symphony and showed up for my first rehearsal and there was Scott. We've been friends from that first time. It was always good to see Linda and the rest of his family.
We played together in the Animas City Brass Quintet during the Animas Music Festival. We frequently played together throughout the region everywhere from Mesa Verde, to parties, schools, church, and mall functions. Scott composed and arranged very good music for us to play -- always clever and often funny.
Later we played together in Silverton with the great Western Rocky Mountain brass band festival under Paul Mayberry. After I moved to Oklahoma and returned to Silverton Scott let me stay in his motor home which he built from an old school bus. He was amazing -- he built a functioning motorhome with many features in a luxury motorhome. Scott was creative and original in everything he did. He let my little girl Elizabeth stay with me in the motorhome for the week of the festival. Scott's dog's name was "dog" and my daughter fell in love with him. He took us for a ride in his four-wheel-drive truck north of Silverton one day and my daughter gathered rocks which she still has to this day.
Scott was a friendly, gentle, and caring man. Looking back I cannot remember a single harsh word to escape his lips.
I wish to send condolences to Linda and his children and to all his friends and colleagues. Scott will be missed.
Jim Klages
Edmond, OK
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Scott was the sort of guy who would stroll into a restaurant and seem surprised that he’d be invited to join your table. Fact is, his company was a coveted gift… of course, after he sat down, one’s meal was finished because all in attendance were laughing so hard that eating was no longer possible.
Steve Norby
Wayzata, MN
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"I'll bet you South America that..." |
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What a musician, what a man! Scott was my first boss. I worked for him at his business called “Action Shots”. He would photograph school events – sports, drama, music, etc. and customers could come in and order whatever pictures they would like. He was a wonderful person with a quick wit and infectious laugh. I remember my high school days with his friend and colleague, John Peed, the choral director at FHS. There were many mornings before school that I sat with these teachers and a few other students just listening to Scott’s stories. We would laugh ‘til our sides split, then start our school day with a smile. My life is richer because of this man, my friend. I’m certain many will say the same.
My most sincere sympathy to his loving family, friends and colleagues. We are all blessed to have had him touch our lives.
Cecilia Taulbee
Farmington, NM
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Scott and I sat next to each other for a number of years in the Silverton Brass Festival. One year both he and I were having a heck of a time trying to read all those little notes at rehearsal, finally half way through the first concert Scott handed me his glasses and said "here try these "and I handed him my reading glasses and said "try these", well we both looked at each other and burst out laughing-- the notes were suddenly easy to read. It turns out we had inadvertently switched our reading glasses early in the week and didn't notice or figure it out till we were half way through the first concert. What a character!!
And of course those casual mountain truck rides with Terry and friends. I think Scott taught a lot of people how to pray on those hair -raising-cliff-hanging rides.
I will truly miss him.
Ken Austin
Orland Park, IL
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We'll remember Scott as an excellent musician with a unique sense of humor. He enjoyed being with people and they enjoyed him. We will all miss him. I remember his first aid for a friend who was suffering from "low sugar" -- he tossed us a handful of M&M's and told the number of the "magic berries" that were needed. It definitely worked and didn't leave brown on the victims hands.
John & Mary Jo Elwell
Hooper, UT
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He was giving me a ride over to rehearsal from the Chattanooga Cafe, and I said, “I see you have installed an altimeter in your truck.” (It was easy to notice, being the only thing in there any newer than the Eisenhower administration.) “Oh yeah,” was his answer. “You know.... up here....” And we lapsed into a self-satisfied silence: two men in a pickup truck who know how things work and what to do about it.
I didn’t, of course, and still don’t. Terry’s story (above) may provide some insight: I suppose it would be kind of cool to watch the dial spin while you plummeted off something. But to go to the trouble of buying an altimeter (where?) and then installing it in a truck with, I’m pretty sure, knob-and-tube wiring .... and for what? What do you do when you notice that you are driving too high or too low? But I kept my eye on the gauge for the rest of the forty-five-second drive. Everything seemed to be okay, and we did indeed arrive safely at Kendall Mountain. And as I got out, it hit me: I need one of those for the jeep. You know.... up here ....
The moment passed, and the Kreitner dashboard remains unadorned to this day. But that’s the point: when Scott did something, even if it seemed to be something totally pointless, part of you thought it might be worth doing just the same. I’m going to try to be more like him.
Ken Kreitner
Memphis, TN
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I met Scott in 1972 when he was band director at Aztec; I was living in Albuquerque and working for Bob Farley Music and was either picking up or dropping off band instrument repairs. He was into making dandelion wine at that time, as I recall. I was invited to their home in Aztec, where I first met Linda.
When I moved to Farmington in 1979 we became really good friends. We shared music experiences, husband experiences, dad experiences, teaching experiences; life, I guess. So many stories.
Four Corners Five Brass Quintet, Red Apple Flyer Dixieland Band, San Juan Symphony Orchestra, TubaChristmas, various other groups in Farmington and Durango, in Farmington.
Lottery tickets, burritos and tuxes. These were the really neat things about playing in the San Juan Symphony with Scott. We’d travel together between Farmington and Durango, stop at the Circle K in Aztec to get dinner (a bean burrito), usually ended up with some of it on our tuxes. We had a contest to see how many seasons we could wear our tuxes before we got them cleaned. Don’t remember who won. After the concert or rehearsal we’d stop for a snack and buy a lottery ticket. These were also times when we were able to talk about serious things, and I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.
Purple truck, canopy, welding. The glorious days of the Red Apple Flyer Dixieland Band. Riverfest, Freedom Days, parades, parties, listening to Scott sing “All Of Me.” Sometimes when he’d introduce a tune we were about to play he’d offer up little-known pieces of history, much of which he made up. His experience in school bus conversion came in handy with “The Truck.“ One of our many joint projects was a 1951 GMC flat bed truck that became the trademark float of the RAFDB. Scott made the New Orleans style wrought iron work, and I’ll always remember playing in the Fourth of July parades under the canopy of the red, white, and blue
Farting. We considered writing a book discussing the many various kinds of farts. Took most of a trip to Albuquerque to air our thoughts. We laughed so hard we hurt and we cried.
I have been blessed by knowing the Ramseys, and yes, life goes on. But the journey won’t be quite as fun without Scott.
John Hutt
McMinnville, Oregon
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I thought the world of Scott. He had just sent me a new number called "Pro "Panel Roof Blues" for the town band. Not sure if he had some roofing done this last winter or if it was in reference to our "Tin Roof Blues" that we played last summer!
I always knew that if Scott said he would be here to help either the Silverton Town Band or the Festival Band, he would be there. The last several years he felt uncomfortable "marching" with us in the fourth of July parade because of health and altitude so we would do our brass band saunter to our rigid military drum cadence, stop on a particular corner, catch OUR breath and then by that time Scott would have caught up with us in time for the downbeat. He always had that easy smile and the attitude that he was really enjoying what we were doing.
Anyway, his presence will always be with us because of the incredible heart, humor and talent that he showed to all of us.
Gary Miller
Ouray, CO
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Scott was a wonderful person and full of great advice. He was a father figure to some, such as my mom, but also a grandpa figure to me. Sort of like my "in town grandpa." One thing I will never forget is when I was a little girl, I was sick one day and couldn't go to school. I went with my mom to their rehearsal. I heard them playing a song and I said, "It's Mickey and the Brooms!" Scott loved the idea and added a subtitle on the piece (Sorcerer's Apprentice) as "Mickey and the Brooms." He will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts and prayers. I know he is up with God looking down and watching all of us. I hope he sees how much he is loved.
Shelby Schulz
Farmington, NM
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We'll all miss him. His departure leaves a big hole in Farmington's music scene.
Edie Farm
Farmington, NM
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I never knew I was capable of shedding tears for this many consecutive days. I'm not ready to say goodbye. You've all told such wonderful stories about my Dad but I have been blessed to know the kind of Father he was. In spite of all the time and love he gave to everyone he came in contact with he never shorted me, my brother or my kids. He was kind, thoughtful, patient, funny (of course) and would always listen without judgment and give the best advice. One of his best qualities was humility. He never had to be 1st chair as long as he got to make music. He is the only trumpet player I've ever known who never tooted his own horn. He will live on in me and in his music. Thank you to you all and I am happy you all were able to have a piece of my Dads beautiful life.
Love, Nan Ramsey
AKA: Nanny the pants de la rag Ramsey(name given by Scott Ramsey)
Las Vegas, NV
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I was in Silverton on Sunday June 21st and got to play with the town band. Gary told me that Scott had arranged another tune for them and they were looking forward to performing it.
Luci and I are deeply saddened to hear the news about Scott. He was a talented man with a great sense of humor.
Paul and Luci Ward
Aurora, CO
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I first met Scott when I moved to Farmington in 1978, he and I played together in the San Juan Symphony for a few years, and in a dance band gig or two,as well as some pick up brass groups. Scott was great fun to be around; his zany stories with no point were a favorite of mine. Scott was a very talented all around musician, and a great trumpet player. I will miss Scott, his talent, stories and all the rest that was uniquely Scott. About a year ago, I asked Scott to arrange the Concerto de Aranjuez for fluglehorn and organ so Julia and I could play it in church sometime. This was after my unsuccessful efforts to find a fluglehorn and Organ arrangement. I had forgotten the request until he came back to Trumpet Geezers this year after his winter in Mexico; one day at rehearsal he handed me the part and said Julia already had the organ part. He had even put the inscription "For Bobby Faulkner" under the title. He had done it over the winter in Mexico. The last thing Scott said to me was to ask if Julia and I had played the arrangement yet. I look forward to performing the arrangement and will always think of Scott when I play the piece.
Bobby Faulkner
Farmington, NM
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Reuniting with Scott each summer in Silverton was like putting on your favorite old jacket that is unpretentious and well worn. It just feels good and comfortable. With Scott you didn't have to try to impress him because he always made you feel like you were already something special. On our rides in the mountains I loved to sit in the cab not because it was safer than in the truck bed, but rather to be able to hear Scott give his perspective on just about any topic. He was the real deal and will be sorely missed.
Tim Schwartz
Amherst, NY
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I first met Scott in 1958 . I was starting my first teaching job fifty years ago this month in the summer session at Los Alamos High School. I then taught at Pueblo Junior High and all the elementary schools in Los Alamos. Scott helped make my first year exciting and memorable. Yes he and Tom Kelly and Paul McEwen actually did push a cow over the bridge in LA! And we spent a memorable night chasing those three out of girls rooms in Albuquerque at All State.
I think that Scott was the first BD in New Mexico to have his marching bass drum section put the drums on the ground in front of them, roll over and stand on their heads. Sensational at the time.
At the West Mesa Jazz Festival Scott's band performed the Stan Kenton chart of "Here's That Rainy Day." It was Saturday afternoon and the West Mesa Theater was packed. Following each performance one of the adjudicators would go on stage and, with a microphone so that everyone could hear, comment on the performance. Bob Curnow was one of the adjudicators that day and standing before the Farmington Jazz Band (on mic) said something like this... "I was the producer when the Kenton Band recorded this arrangement. It's full of mistakes AND YOU PLAYED THEM ALL!
Scott was a dear friend and colleague, a wonderful person. We will surely miss but always remember him.
Ron Lipka
Albuquerque, NM
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| I was deeply saddened to hear of Scott’s passing. To me, Scott will always be remembered as Mr. Ramsey. We all have a favorite teacher, and Mr. Ramsey was mine. I was fortunate to have him as my band teacher in high school. I liked and admired him so much that my senior year I had him for marching band, concert band, stage band, guitar, home room and I was his teachers aide. That year was an emotional year (1988), it was graduation and it was also Mr. Ramsey’s last year teaching at the high school. We traveled quite a bit that year. We went to California for competition, Fort Lewis College to see Maynard Ferguson and a football game in Los Alamos to name a few. It was so cold that the pearls on our instruments fell out and our pads froze shut, but we still marched and performed. In stage band, we learned ‘Hey Jude,’ performed by Maynard Ferguson. The range in this piece was excruciating for a trumpet player (fortunately, I played sax). Mr. Ramsey taught a technique that he learned from Maynard himself and by the end of the school year some of the trumpets could hit the really high parts. Performing this piece as a tribute to Mr. Ramsey is something I will never forget. A friend and I saw Mr. Ramsey once after graduation at his house and got the tour of the school bus that he was converting into a motor home. We thought he was crazy, but we all laughed just the same. He has enriched the lives of all he came in contact with and his love of music was infectious. I credit Mr. Ramsey with giving me the love of music that I have to this day. There has not been a time that I have played an instrument and not thought of Mr. Ramsey. I am certain that the next time I play I will think fondly of Mr. Ramsey and the man, musician, father and friend that he was.
Duane Barr
Mesa, AZ
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I showed up for my first Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band rehearsal in 2001. I was quite nervous because I only knew a few people in the band. I sat down in my assigned seat and to my right was Scott Ramsey. We introduced ourselves, began talking and then soon started in on a one-liner bantering session. I had never met Scott before, but felt like I had known him my entire life. It is obvious from the stories here that Scott made everyone feel that way. Such a gentleman, so unassuming, so natural and so loved. Over the years we continued our bantering back and forth during rehearsals, always discussing the music of course! We traded "eights" on all the marches, had our organizational system for the piles of music we performed (this was a ritual for us!) and played next to each other for seven years. I learned a great deal from Scott, not only as a musician, but as a human being. And of course the fun continued to the campground where I parked my camper next to his green bus. We had many great conversations. Scott was a walking history book and I was fascinated with his stories. What a story teller! We had a blast reading the score of his musical "Silverton" and hearing about the process he went through in writing it.
The last time I saw Scott was when he and The Geezer's along with Mick Hesse came up to my first ever Trumpet-Fest at Mesa State. Boy did we have a good time!! Silverton will not be the same. I will miss the bantering, the conversations, his musicianship, but mostly, I will just miss......Scott.
Calvin Hofer
Grand Junction, CO
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