Do you have an episode in your life when you lost a tangible item? Not a best friend, a loved one, or your favorite companion, but a keepsake possession that has lots of sentimental value?

I don't mean dollar value. If you've been in this situation like me, the loss represents a significant subtraction.

Before I dive deeper into the phenomenal femme flute sensation Bobbi Humphrey, here's what I lost connected to her essence.

We talked live on-air in the WUSS radio studios on a chilly Friday morning leading into her two evening shows at The Wonder Gardens club in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The interview went well and was recorded.

To my amazement, the recording has been missing in action ever since! Perhaps you were in the region listening at home, and recorded it. This conversation was one that I cherish.

The recording is not among my reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, DATS (digital audio tape), MiniDiscs, CD-R's, thumb drives, and other recordable media.

Here is the large twenty-two inch by fourteen-and-one-half inch poster that promoted her show. 

Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes on the official Blue Note label website...

"Bobbi Humphrey is a jazz flautist whose musical tastes lean toward fusion and smooth jazz-pop. From the outset of her career, Humphrey was quite popular, winning a large crossover audience with her pop-oriented jazz-fusion.

"Throughout her career, her popularity exceeded her critical acclaim, but she received high marks for her technique and showmanship.

"Bobbi Humphrey was born in Marlin, Texas and was raised in Dallas. She began playing flute in high school and continued her studies at Texas Southern University and Southern Methodist University.

"Dizzy Gillespie saw Humphrey play at a talent contest at Southern Methodist and, impressed with what he had heard, he urged her to pursue a musical career in New York City.

"She followed through on his advice, getting her first big break performing at the Apollo Theater on amateur night. Shortly afterward, she began playing regularly throughout the city, including a gig with Duke Ellington.

"Humphrey signed with Blue Note in 1971. Her smooth blend of jazz, funk, pop, and R&B fit in well with the new sound of Blue Note, and her six albums for the label — Flute In, Dig This, Blacks and Blues, Satin Doll, Live at Montreux, and Fancy Dancer — were all successes.

"Tailor Made was the first of three albums for Epic Records; Freestyle followed in 1978 and The Good Life appeared about a year afterward.

"During the ’80s, Humphrey continued to perform regularly, even if she didn’t record often. She returned to recording in 1989, releasing City Beat on Malaco Records.

"Five years later, Passion Flute appeared on her own Paradise Sounds label, where she is President and C.E.O."

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As mentioned by Steven, these three albums below are from my library. Fancy Dancer and Bobbi Humphrey's Best are on Blue Note. Tailor Made is on Epic (Columbia).

 Memories are made of this! I'll keep looking for our Bobbi Humphrey interview.

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