89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Remembering David House

Paul Ingles
David House

UPDATE  12/7 :  On air tribute audio and links to a selection of David's Jazz interviews for "Jazz of Enchantment".

One of our most excellent friends has passed away. David House, actor, musician, radio man, painter, photographer, body builder, computer expert, confidant, brother, son, father, and so much more. If you've been listening to Albuquerque radio anytime over the last 25 years, you've heard him. He was always the one who sounded the best.

 If you've watched movies or TV in the last 25 years, you've probably seen him. Walter White's oncologist in Breaking Bad, in fact. But if you had the pleasure of knowing him, you were REALLY blessed, because you would have known one of the kindest, most pleasant, and warmest people on the planet.

David experienced a seizure a few months back and a brain tumor was discovered to be the cause. It was removed and David appeared to be bouncing back, but his pristine body reacted poorly to chemotherapy, pneumonia set in, and after a short struggle he passed  November 27, in hospice care in Albuquerque with some of his large family at his side.

David House

I've known David for 24 years. I first met him when I returned to Albuquerque in 1992. I was hired for weekend work at the Classic Rock radio station KLSK 104.1. For one of my first shifts, I came in to follow this Adonis-bodied black man who had the most amazing radio voice I'd heard. He was quick with a smile and a laugh, knew his classic rock, and we became good buddies. Not long after that, he let me know he was also volunteering at KUNM, where he was soon hired as music director. Eventually (1994) I joined him on staff there and our offices were just two doors away from each other.

Over the years, we'd talk at length about all kinds of things, music, our relationship efforts (on-again, off-again for both of us), radio, life philosophies. Just by showing up at work each day, he encouraged me to keep going to a gym. We worked together on a radio and web series celebrating New Mexico Jazz artists (www.newmexicojazz.org). He encouraged my acting exploration. He fixed my computer, time and again. He gave me a big hug and a smile every time I saw him. "Paulin-yo" he'd always say when I saw him.

Luckily, I got a good visit with him a few weeks ago after his surgery. He was unsure about what treatment path to take but seemed quietly resolved that his days were numbered. He wasn't happy about it. In fact, his smile and laugh was noticeably absent through the whole 90 minutes, understandably. He seemed interested in going for a ride with me. We tried to work out other visits but therapists and treatments quickly gobbled up his good hours. His last text to me was a quick reply to the idea of trying again to get together the following week. "Sounds good," he wrote.

It occurs to me that those words were the ones that always came to mind every time I heard him on the radio... the first time back in 1992 or the last time on one of his 2016 Wednesday jazz shows on KUNM. "Man! David Sounds Good! More importantly David WAS good. Kindness and compassion were his religion.

A community memorial for David is set for Saturday, January 14th, 6:00 at the Outpost Performance Spacewith some food served. If you are unable to RSVP via the Facebook event link and would definitely like to attend the memorial event for David House, please RSVP to this email: paulingles0@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made through the National Brain Tumor Society at, www.defeatgbm.org, you can specify your donation in the name of our beloved David House.

___

In 2005, David House collaborated with Paul Ingles to do some of
the interviews for the Jazz of Enchantment (www.newmexicojazz.org) series
that spotlighted 24 jazz players with ties to New Mexico.

David did 6 interviews for the program and listening to the original raw
interview takes is a wonderful way to experience his curiosity, good humor
and love of jazz.

David House with Arlen Asher.
Part One http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ArlenAsherPartONEForWeb.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ArlenAsherPartTWOForWeb.mp3
Part Three  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ArlenAsherPartTHREEForWeb.mp3

David House with Eddie Daniels.
Part One  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/EddieDanielsPartOneForWEB.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/EddieDanielsPartTwoForWEB.mp3
Part Three
http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/EddieDanielsPartThreeForWEB.mp3

David House with Kevin Hays
Part One  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/KevinHays-PARTONEforWEB.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/KevinHays-PARTWOforWEB.mp3
Part Three  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/KevinHays-PARTHREEforWEB.mp3

David House with Bert Dalton
Part One  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/BERTDALTON-PART1forWEB.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/BERTDALTON-PART2forWEB.mp3
Part Three  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/BERTDALTON-PART3forWEB.mp3

David House with Zimbabwe Nkenya
Part One  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ZimbabweNkenyaPARTONEforWEB.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ZimbabweNkenyaPARTTWOforWEB.mp3
Part Three
http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/ZimbabweNkenyaPARTTHREEforWEB.mp3

David House with John Trentacosta
Part One  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/JohnTrentacostaPartONEForWeb.mp3
Part Two  http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/JohnTrentacostaPartTWOForWeb.mp3
Part Three
http://www.newmexicojazz.org/Audio/JohnTrentacostaPartTHREEForWeb.mp3

Read more on Facebook