Clarinet-playing bandleader Phil Nimmons was the dean of Canadian jazz

On Oct. 6, 2010, at age 87, jazz clarinetist Phil Nimmons performed a concert of improvised music with pianist David Braid at Petro-Canada Hall in St. John’s. The finale, Falling Through, combined a swan song’s melancholy with an air of graceful summation.“All of Phil’s personality, his gentle side, his fierce side, his mischievous side, it all seemed to manifest in a beautiful way in that particular piece,” Mr. Braid said. “After we played it, I had this deep feeling that when his inevitable time came, this improvisation was for that time. It’s a way to reflect on a legacy without having to explain with words.”