I met Gino only once but saw him several times. The first times were in Cambridge, where I was at Harvard, 1956 to 1960. Gino would come into Hayes-Bickford's (the Bick; open all night, I think) with his friends, and someone told me who he was. You had to look up when he came in.

The next time was in Paris in 1961. My friend had Massachusetts musician friends who told her to look up Gino in Paris. We paid our visit--I remember a dark room with three or four people. Gino gave something to my friend, and it was lucky that I didn't have it too, because I had to lead her by the hand, giggling, back to our hotel at 35 rue des Ecoles, where we lived in maid's quarters on the top floor.

Later in 1963, back in New York, I lived at 250 Riverside Drive at 97th Street, the building where the Foremans lived. My roommate and I became friends with Hamza (and his friend Sandy Bull). We saw Hamza quite a lot, but then lost touch. I reconnected briefly in NY in the early 80s. My former roommate and I were very sad to hear that he died. We don't know much about his later years.

Earlier, Hamza told me that Gino died when a box of books fell on him while he was walking on the sidewalk, I think he said in Paris. But, evidently, that's not true.
Best wishes,
Mary Ann