Luis Albert Clifford Childers

Our loving father, son, brother, and life partner, Luis Albert Clifford Childers, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep during the early morning hours of February 23rd. He was 54 years old. Christened Luis Albert Clifford, most people knew him simply as Clifford. He was born in Madrid, Spain, to Alibia Margaret Childers (nee Albert), a homemaker, and Dan D. Childers, a petroleum engineer, the youngest of four children. He spent his childhood abroad in a number of oil-producing countries, including Libya, Iran, and Venezuela.

Clifford was a bright, curious child. He was introduced to music early on, and it would shape the course of his entire life. When he was learning to play the piano, his father discovered Clifford had perfect pitch--the ability to identify notes correctly upon hearing them. Studies suggest only one to five people per 10,000 have this ability, although Clifford, ever a champion of deep musicianship, maintained this talent was nothing more than a “cheap parlor trick.”

Clifford often described idyllic memories of his junior high school years in Venezuela, and he continued to connect deeply with Venezuelan culture into his adulthood. In 1982, the Childers family returned to the U.S. and settled in Midland, Texas, where he attended Midland High School. It was there he was first introduced to the trombone, the instrument that became his primary musical voice. His natural musicianship and strong work ethic quickly distinguished him as a stand-out performer. No one was surprised when he chose to major in music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with the esteemed former bass trombonist of the Rochester Philharmonic, Donald Knaub.

Academic success came easily to Clifford, in part because of his near photographic memory. After completing his undergraduate degree, he changed direction, applied and was accepted to the prestigious law school at the University of California, Los Angeles. After completing his first year at UCLA, he found he missed his trombone and asked his parents to send it to him in California. He could not live without music in his life, and though he continued his law studies, he quickly became a fixture in the UCLA Music Department. His playing landed him the 1st chair trombone seat in all the performing ensembles: wind ensemble, orchestra, and jazz band. Despite his not being a music major, the music department recognized his talent and made the unusual decision to provide him with weekly lessons with the highly respected professor of trombone, Bill Booth.

When Clifford graduated from law school, he was convinced music was to be his path in life. He was accepted to the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he earned a Masters of Music degree in trombone performance under the guidance of James Finlayson, trombonist in the New York Philharmonic. During the summer between his two years of study in New York, he participated in both the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and the Grand Tetons Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Clifford returned to Los Angeles in 1994, where he quickly began to establish himself on the freelance music scene. His formal training and embrace of all musical genres made him a versatile and sought-after artist who could be relied upon to perform orchestral music just as effortlessly as he could lend his talents to a big band. He won the bass trombone position with the Santa Barbara Symphony and performed regularly with many of the top professional orchestras in the area, including the Pacific Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Santa Barbara Opera.

Clifford loved the ever changing nature of freelancing music in Los Angeles, most especially being in the community of other musicians. He enjoyed long, deep conversations during countless hours of carpooling; he may even have enjoyed this time more than his actual gigs. As a commercial freelancer in Los Angeles, he performed and toured with many acclaimed artists including Elton John, Pink Martini, Robbie Williams, and Kanye West. He also played on several film and video game soundtracks. He recently lent his talents to the soundtrack for the Sean Penn film Flag Day, improvising on both the trombone and the harmonica to create an atmosphere that would enhance the action on screen. He received a personal text from Sean Penn afterwards, thanking him for his contribution to the film.

When Clifford relocated to Northern California, he chose to pursue new musical avenues in avant-garde jazz, simultaneously immersing himself in Latin jazz combos and New Orleans brass bands. He also taught himself to play the harmonica and often included it in his musical endeavors.

Four years ago, he joined the Judicial Council of California and found a welcoming community there. His coworkers experienced him as a friendly presence in the office who went out of his way to be supportive. He was often positioned as the first point of contact with job candidates and state officials, and he took it upon himself to ensure everyone felt welcome and at home.

Clifford’s greatest sources of pride and joy were his two children, Corazon and Felix. He was more than a hands-on father; he was always joining them at their level, experiencing the world alongside them and eager to explain it all to them. He believed firmly in their intelligence and capacity for empathy, refusing to talk down to them. He freely shared his opinions with them and created space for them to develop confidence in their own points of view. Together, they explored Roseville and the greater Sacramento area: parks, libraries, art museums, all kinds of local restaurants and cafes, and of course, thrift stores, where he showed them how to unearth the treasures they enjoyed discovering together.

Clifford’s interests were wide-ranging and he had a unique way of seeing the beautiful aspects of life, especially when it was a bit rough around the edges. He loved collecting things--small novelty antiques, rare trombones, a funky car… He delighted in the quirks of each one and derived great joy from becoming an expert in its function and use.

Clifford could spend hours playing trombone duets, trios, and quartets. He would use every trombone he had during these sessions, and try out his colleagues’ trombones as well, exploring every possible arrangement of instruments just to experience all colors and timbres. He was intensely curious about sound and needed to find out everything he could about the instruments and their potential.

Clifford loved most forms of physical activity. Running, mountain biking, soccer, and tennis were some of his favorites. He rode his bike across Los Angeles to get to work in all kinds of weather and would trek fearlessly across the middle of the city during rush hour. Friends stuck in commuter traffic on Los Feliz Boulevard at 5:00 pm sometimes looked up to see Clifford passing them on his bike. He commuted like this for years! He recently took up skateboarding, partly to learn it alongside his son. As always, he researched and studied the sport tirelessly to excel at his new interest.

Describing Clifford as an avid reader would have been an understatement. He read first thing in the morning and just before he drifted off at night. He read at the dinner table and during breaks at work. His family has fond memories of him reading while walking down the street, and in the bathroom while brushing his teeth. The number of books he devoured is legendary amongst friends and relatives. When one of his college roommates asked how he could read so many books, he replied, “One page at a time.” He never lost his curiosity about the world, and it was always entertaining to hear him recount his impressions of books he had read. He also had a keen sense of books others might enjoy, and connected many people to books and writers he thought they would appreciate.

Clifford was an excellent cook and he created meals in much the same way he created music. His food was spontaneous, improvised, and always fun--he put his whole heart into preparing meals for the children, the way he poured his whole heart into everything he did.

Clifford leaves behind his two adored children, Corazon, 14, and Felix, 10; his devoted life partner, Stephanie McNab of San Francisco; his beloved cat, Alliecat; his mother, Alibia Childers of New Braunfels, TX; sister Morna Childers and brother-in-law Stephen Kirbach of Roanoke, VA; brother Dan and sister-in-law Janie Childers of New Braunfels, TX; sister Raquel Childers Bowden of San Antonio, TX; half-brother Anthony Childers of Aberdeen, Scotland; nephews Nicholas Bowden, Ezra Root Kirbach, and Gray Wing Kirbach; nieces Gabriela Bowden and Emily Childers; along with former spouse, Atim Udoffia.

In lieu of flowers, Clifford’s family invites you to make a donation to the GoFundMe campaign launched by his wonderful co-workers at the Judicial Council of California to benefit his children’s education.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/luis-clifford-childers-children-corazon-felix?utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined