Landau and the band performed two sold out shows last night at one of our favorite venues, the legendary Heidi’s Jazz in Cocoa Beach FL with special guests, former Platters lead singer Joe Coleman and legendary saxophonist #TerryMyers from the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
I’m very sad to report that the club’s owner Heidi Deleuil passed away from a long illness just prior to the beginning of our first show. We were asked by Heidi’s husband and business partner Chef Edmund Deleuil to carry on and do a great show for my many fans and Heidi’s loyal customers, many of whom had traveled hours for the fantastic five star meal and music. And so, we played and sang our hearts out for Heidi from the stage she had lovingly curated for the past three decades.
It was a very emotional, surreal evening as no one in the audience knew of Heidi’s passing, while her longtime staff along with me and my band carried on for two sold out shows. As Eddie told us “that’s what Heidi would have wanted.”
We spent quite a bit of time at the end of the evening with Eddie, who came back to their club to personally share with us wonderful stories of their life together, first in Austria and then for the past 36 years overseeing what would became one of the premiere jazz clubs in the U.S. It was an honor to learn firsthand more about their amazing journey.
Heidi was a real force of nature…a strong, independent and yet very kind woman who sincerely loved music, Landau, and by extension, all of us on his team. Heidi and Eddie truly treated us all like family with every visit.
She called my artist manager just last week to go over details of the shows and to tell him she wasn’t feeling well and likely wouldn’t see us on this trip…and imploring in her still thick accent to please “take care of her Landau”, ending with “I love you guys”. And, we loved her.
Heidi, may you rest in peace in a glorious heaven where the music you love and championed for so many of us plays on for eternity.”