Francis Cowan

FRANCIS Cowan's tragic death following a road accident last Friday has numbed colleagues and friends across the Scottish music scene. A skilled cellist, lutist and double bassist, a patient teacher and a talented and imaginative composer and arranger, Cowan was best known latterly as a jazz guitarist, working successfully in the demanding solo setting as well as leading groups from trios up to 10-pieces.

He grew up in a musical family (his sister, Lucy, featured in Edinburgh International Festival's Scottish fiddle series this year) in Duns. His mother ran the International Cello Centre there and encouraged Cowan to take up the instrument at an early age.

In his teens he took up guitar, an instrument that took him, through his work on cruise ships during the 1960s, to Scandinavia (where his wife, Christina, comes from) and to South America, where he developed a passion for the music and language of Brazil which would inspire him throughout his career.

Back in Scotland, he worked in folk clubs with Lucy and played double bass with, among others, Edinburgh International Jazz Festival director Mike Hart's band. His sure sense of time and beautiful tone got him the gig, alongside pianist Alex Shaw, in the trio which accompanied American saxophonist Bobby Watson on his first Scottish tour in 1983.

Saxophonist and broadcaster Gordon Cruickshank who hired Cowan for his quartet, and was hired by him in return, remembers Cowan as a gentleman. ``A really gentle man. We had our arguments, because he had very strong opinions, but he always made his point in that disarmingly quiet and reasonable way.''

Although Cowan's double bass playing began to take a back seat as he concentrated on guitar, the instrument remained an enthusiasm and a source of pride. He was always keen to help and encourage younger musicians - his early lessons helped Brian Shiels go on to establish himself as one of Britain's leading young bass players, and he always greeted the appreciative comments of visiting Americans who hired (several wanted to buy it) his lovely old bass with a satisfied and knowing smile.

As a guitarist Cowan became well-known throughout Scotland's jazz clubs and pubs for his long-running partnership with singer Melanie O'Reilly. Not so well-known - and deserving of a much wider audience than got to hear them - were his tricky but never showy ``lead, rhythm and bass all at once'' arrangements of bebop tunes such as Cherokee.

These form quite a contrast to his lute work in Scotland's leading Renaissance and Baroque music groups. But as Cowan's varied range of large-scale compositions - including pieces for string quartet and Irish traditional group and for wind quintet and three improvising musicians - confirms, he was a musician of many sides as well as consummate abilities.

ROB ADAMS