Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra remembers talented drummer, killed in hit-and-run

INDIANAPOLIS — With the beat of a drum, 48-year-old Frank Saywer was the heartbeat of the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra.

“And that is what he was. That was his position. He was the heartbeat and when he began enjoying, he was very chill however boy he was within the zone as soon as he began enjoying,” Rick Vale stated.

Singer, and Inventive Director, Rick Vale shared the stage with Sawyer for at the least a decade.

He says Sawyer’s ardour was all the time felt.

“He liked performing. He liked making individuals blissful. He was gifted at it,” Vale stated. “He was one of many best drummers I ever labored with. He simply liked his dad and mom and he was proud after they have been there.”

These performances at the moment are cherished reminiscences.

Sunday, Sawyer was strolling on the town’s east facet earlier than metro police say he was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

“It is simply sort of numbing. Now, it is arduous to consider it is actually true,” Vale stated.

His passing marked the twenty first lethal hit and run throughout Indianapolis.

It is the very best since 2011.

“He’s, as all of us come, a statistic, however this was an impressive life,” Vale stated.

Family and friends don’t desire Sawyer to be remembered as the person who broke a tragic statistic.

They need him to be remembered as a gifted drummer with a giant coronary heart.

“Frank was a really unassuming, very calm, regular, very pleasant, all the time smiling,” Vale stated.

Whereas his presence on stage won’t ever be fulfilled, his legacy will dwell on.