Sam Rivers Lives On

"YAWP!" by Danny Lyons, www.lycons.com

Sam Rivers proved that you could do anything.

You could play anything. And you'd get away with it, as long as you had the deep passion and the sheer energy to back it up.

As a photographer, I embraced Sam's radical, free-jazz ethos. Sam's music provided raw inspiration and a kind of artistic shelter for a budding creative photographer.

Whenever I witnessed Sam let loose his primal and eternal "YAWP," or when his roaring saxophone would wail sublimely, I knew somehow, I was more alive than ever.

Thank you Sam. You shared it with all of us. We carry it with us and you live on.

Sam Rivers, Jazz Artist of Loft Scene, Dies at 88, New York Times

Jazz Artist Sam Rivers Dead at 88, Rolling Stone