Rest in Peace, Tom McCaslin
Andrew Hitz
I am absolutely gutted to hear about the passing of Tom McCaslin - a beautiful soul who still had so much to say and give to this world.
You know those people who every time you talk to them you leave in a better mood than when you started? Even when you were in a good mood to begin with? That was Tom. He had a gentleness about him and he always left people feeling seen. Just a gem of a human.
And his artistry was simply stunning. He was a phenomenal tuba operator - phenomenal - but the stunning part was his musical storytelling. He came to every performance with *opinions* and he was able to transfer those opinions into the ears of his listeners with an ease that belied the decades of work he put into honing his craft.
The true greats make it all look so effortless, even though in actuality there was unspeakable amounts of effort and forethought that went into the performance. That was Tom. He made it look so easy.
He was an inspiration as a musician and a human and he is dearly missed.
Sending love to his wife and beautiful kids and to everyone who knew and loved him. This one hurts.
Rest in peace, Tom. Love you, brother.