As I was helping to fill orders for our latest CD sale, I was thinking of our old friend Doug Fake at Intrada, who sadly passed away last month.
It was hard not to, because there are inevitably Intrada CDs in every batch of orders—and lots of them, spanning (no joke) five decades (1980s to 2020s).
I know how Doug worked and it was reassuring to think how much he accomplished. He lived his dream!
Coincidentally I saw a post today from his wife, Mary Ann, on Intrada’s Facebook page, and unfortunately I am too dumb to embed it, but let me just copy and paste as I don’t think they would mind:
###
A personal reflection on the life and work of our founder, from his wife and partner Mary Ann Jacobs Fake
A month ago I said good bye to an amazing person, an extraordinary musician, my husband of nearly 50 years, and a very dear friend. It is humbling and moving beyond words to see the worldwide outpouring of love and respect for Douglass C. Fake.
We met when we were both in the band at the University of Colorado, me a middling clarinet player and Doug already a musical star – first chair trumpet and composer of amazing and complex music. After we were married, he’d write symphonic band music at the dining room table, using his perfect pitch and staggering creativity – writing 24 line full band scores measure by measure with no piano or assistance.
After we graduated from CU we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area – with a U-Haul truck full to the brim with soundtrack LP’s.
Our home was always full of music – after everyone else had gone to bed we’d hear music by Bernstein and Goldsmith and Rósza and Horner and Steiner wafting up the stairs from Doug’s studio. It enriched our lives, and made music lovers of both our daughters – Regina won the John Philip Sousa award for outstanding band musicianship in high school, just as Doug had, and Veronika became the only string player in the family. The walls were covered in posters to the films Doug loved, from ‘40s and ‘50s classics to contemporary sci-fi and disaster movies. Quoting lines from movies became a standard way of having conversation in our house – although Doug sometimes confused us with lines that the rest of us didn’t know.
Starting Intrada was a natural step for Doug. Financially it was a struggle for years, but Doug’s passion for the music, which he’d loved since he was a small child, his enthusiasm, his deep knowledge of films and music, and his jaw-dropping, sheer musical talent kept it going. In the early days I was often able to accompany Doug to meetings and recording sessions (I remember meeting one studio executive with shirt unbuttoned to his waist and gold chains and thinking “Hollywood people really are like that!”) Famous and talented composers and recording engineers became household names. And yet to us he was just Dad—the music geek and film fanatic.
This last month has truly shown what a tremendous impact Doug had on the world. His kindness and sense of humor and humility seem to be legendary. And the music that he helped share with the world has enriched so many lives.
Your passing leaves a hole in my life, Doug. Your daughters and your son-in-law join the music world in mourning you, and your granddaughter who you loved so much will grow up with your stories and music around her.
Eternal rest grant unto you, dear Douglass, and let perpetual light shine upon you, and may your soul rest in peace. I’m sure you’re “talking shop” with all the musicians who you loved who went before you (including not only those film composers but people like Ralph Vaughn Williams, whose music inspired many of your compositions), playing duets with Gabriel on your trumpets, and keeping busy with the choirs (and winds and brass and strings and percussion) of angels making music.
—Mary Ann Jacobs Fake
Comments