Jacobs jazz program receives $1.9 million

A $1.9 million gift was made to the Jacobs School of Music Jazz Studies Department by the estate of Anne and Paul Plummer, the school announced yesterday.

Plummer, a tenor saxophonist, was close to David Baker, a distinguished professor of jazz for the Jacobs School.

Baker said he was so stunned by the donation that he could not remember the exact amount.

“Paul was not a talkative person,” Baker said. “He was a very gentle man, and he knew his worth as a player. He was sophisticated without trying to be sophisticated.”

Plummer was a member of a band Baker formed in 1958 that consisted of his college peers and musicians from across the region. Plummer died at age 73 earlier this year.

“I’m completely stunned to hear of something so magnanimous, a gesture that is so selfless,” Baker said. “It would mean so much to Paul to see how this all of a sudden enhances the school and makes it possible for us to offer a world-class jazz education to so many worthy students.”

The number of scholarships offered to potential students had declined in the past year, but the donation is expected to reverse that.

Baker and Plummer performed in various ground-breaking jazz groups together, including Baker’s IU Jazz Ensemble and groups led by George Russel.

“When you’re 80 years old, you don’t expect a lot of things to change,” Baker said. “But it would mean so much to Paul to know how much this gift enhances the school after
he’s gone.”