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Greene read a letter he authored to himself that touched on his background, music and the tragedy at Sandy Hook.
“As tough as a musician’s life may be, God will always make the way for you. Your faith in him, especially in times of trouble, will give you peace beyond understanding,’’ Greene says in the opening minute of the video. The entire video can be seen here.
Ana Marquez-Greene was one of 20 children killed during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. She was the daughter of Jimmy and Nelba Marquez-Greene.
“Ana will be ripped from you,’’ Greene says in the letter. “Suddenly, violently, senselessly, and without warning. Murdered, in a first grade classroom.”
Greene will release an album, “A Beautiful Life,’’ and dedicated to his daughter this month. Greene, a native of Hartford, has nine solo recordings and performs regularly in jazz venues, festivals and clubs worldwide. Greene is also a composer and is an assistant professor of music and assistant coordinator of Jazz Studies at Western. He has also taught at SUNY-Purchase, the University of Manitoba and was the lecturer at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford.
The video includes scenes of Greene playing the saxophone, Ana, the scene at Sandy Hook and the family.
“Despite your pain and grief, there will be beauty all around you, Jimmy,’’ he says near the end of the video. “The beauty of your wife and son. The beauty of the generosity of your friends and family. The love and concern shown by the jazz community, our nation’s president, and the tens of thousands of people in all walks of life.”
Ana shared her father’s passion for music. The family set up a music scholarship in her name at Western Connecticut. The family also set up The Ana Grace Project of Klingberg Family Centers. Her official remembrance page is on Facebook.
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