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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > October > 18 > Entry
Campise showing slight signs of improvement
Sax player Rene Sandoval was supposed to play Saturday’s Texas Jazz Fest in Corpus Christi with Austin jazz great Tony Campise. Instead, he had to ask the audience to pray for Campise, 66, who’s in critical condition after a fall Thursday outside the Best Western Marina hotel in Corpus Christi.
“He was able to make it into the lobby and tell them that he had fallen and needed to go to the hospital,” Sandoval said Sunday. Campise fell into a coma and was operated on by a neurosurgeon Friday, but Sandoval says he was encouraged to hear Saturday from Campise protege Kris Kimura that Campise opened his eyes.
Sunday showed signs of more improvement, with Campise moving his arms and legs. Campise was at Christus Spohn Memorial in Corpus Christi, but was expected to go back to Houston with his family Monday.
The Facebook page created to give updates on the condition on Campise, the first Austin artist to ever make the Billboard jazz charts (in 1992), posted the following Saturday night:
“The Doctor removed the device from his head that was meassuring pressure on the brain. She did this because he was showing great improvement in movement. He has opened his eyes a few time and even squeezed my finger with the right hand - the side that has had little to no movement so far. The extent of mental capacity driving these movements is still unknown but none-the-less encouraging. Because of the extent of brain damage “best case” scenario is that he will one day be able to “communicate with his environment.”
A titan of the local jazz scene and mentor to up-and-coming musicians, Campise was nominated for a Grammy for 1992’s “Once In a Blue Moon” LP. It was also the first Austin album to make the Billboard jazz charts.
The Houston native moved to Austin in 1984 after several years touring the world in the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He’s also backed such legends as Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan.
Campise’s Big Band played the Austin Jazz Festival at the Zilker Hillside Theater Oct. 10.
Comments
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By Frank M
October 19, 2009 4:48 AM | Link to this
Damn-hate to hear this. Get well Tony!
By maurine
October 20, 2009 4:06 PM | Link to this
I’m so sorry to hear of the event, and will be sending out prayers and positive energy to dear Tony. Thanks for the alert.