Dennis Kam

Epilog

A Guide to Dennis Kam's Music.
By John Van der Slice.

Dennis Kam has left a legacy of more than 170 works. He was revered by many as a teacher and mentor, in large part because of his insights, patience, humor and enthusiasm. During his final years his time and effort were allotted increasingly to his church choir and the Miami Youth Symphony. His compositions had become transparently unpretentious and it should come as no surprise that he gave considerable attention to making multiple versions and variations of a modest album leaf from 1980, eventually to be called simply “Simply.”

I listened to his works as they accumulated over more than half a century and continue to hear a music that revels in the present moment, fully awake and often infused with an eager, restlessly striving energy. For me it is a faithful expression of the man himself.


John van der Slice
December 2019

Dennis Kam