Music played an integral part in the frequent parties the late Sandra Day O’Connor held in Washington, D.C., when she was a sitting justice in the U.S. Supreme Court and after her retirement. She had a legendary reputation for bringing people together in an informal setting to build friendships and working relationships to advance civil discussion and civic action.
In a 2008 event, a band that included Bob Schulz, John Cocuzzi, Pieter Meijers, Richard Simon, Ray Templin, Eddie Erickson, and Jim Armstrong shared a meal with the then-retired Justice before their performance. She mentioned how impressed she was in the way musicians interact and communicate to produce quality music.
In thanking the band members at the conclusion of the concert for their part in the occasion, she said, “Your performance was especially meaningful to me because jazz musicians communicate with each other and listen to each other in an effort to create a good final product. That is exactly the process that all of us should employ in legislative bodies and in gatherings to resolve important public issues. It is jazz that points the way.”
In 2017, stride pianis
