Comments on: RIP George Brumat – Owner of Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:51:09 +0000

My ears tear up writing this and it’s hard to be so far from home when a beloved community member passes.

I had the pleasure of knowing George during the first years of Aural Elixir. He was so nice and respectful to me even though I wasn’t an important, well-known jazz musician. Actually, I played a lot of Checkpoint Gigs back then which I know some folks would think less of me for it, but not George. He was just an incredibly nice man.
I worked at PJ’s next to Snug for a while and often served him espressos. If he had time, he would chat with me about what I was doing musically. And he would always invite me to hang out for a free show after my coffee-shift. Thanks to his generosity I was able to see a myriad of shows which I would otherwise not have been able to afford. I don’t know if I could count the ways those shows may have influenced me musically. Numbers aside, it was just nice to be a part of a community with someone like George who treated everyone well & equal no matter what their perceived position. He is & will be sorely missed.

To this day, Snug is still my favorite NOLA venue. And I hope one day, I will have the honor of performing in the space he so diligently helped create. Thanks for letting me share.

By: Jeff Albert

Jeff Albert — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:19:02 +0000

Thanks Denise. Well said.

By: Denise Mangiardi

Denise Mangiardi — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:16:24 +0000

There are no words to express how important a human being George was to me in my life. Sitting in his office, which him beside me before or after a performance made me know I was in a safe place. If it were not for him, I know that I would not have returned to New Orleans time and time again. He made me feel loved and respected as a musician. Enough to give me the confidence to go on producing cds. It was always with his thought in mind. He was the example of all that I wanted to do best with my life. He drew the stars and I went after them always with the intention of showing him how far I had come. I am still trying and with him in mind always. He was an end result. If it was bad, it was ok, there was always the future and room to make improvement. I still see him standing up there in the balcony by the PA. checking it all out. He was an angel of music who watched over all of us and made a home for us we never had. I will always love and cherish his memory and to all the beautiful people at Snug. I know his spirit will always be up there on the balcony, watching us perform. Denise Mangiardi