Josh Dixon, considered one of the best drummers Victoria has ever produced, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, according to his family.

He was 41.

"He was the No. 1 guy, in lots of different contexts," said fiddler and trumpeter Daniel Lapp, a longtime Dixon collaborator.

"And this is a town of great drummers."

Dixon developed his skills at an early age under the musical guidance of his father, George, a former drum instructor. Dixon was playing paid gigs by the time he was in his early teens, and began to collaborate soon after with fellow upstarts Sean Drabitt and Noah Becker. The three friends would go on to shepherd a series of projects that defined the Victoria jazz scene.

Drabitt, an acclaimed bassist and one of Dixon's closest friends, formed a glue-like bond with the drummer when they were both 16.

Thanks to a regular gig each Thursday at Hermann's Jazz Club, hosted by Tom Vickery, they remained close collaborators until Dixon's death - more than 1,000 gigs in all.

"We connected as musicians right away," Drabitt said. "He was my backbone."

Dixon's expressive drumming was the foundation of some of Victoria's best jazz combos, from the Tony Genge Trio to the Karel Roessingh Trio.

Roessingh, a pianist who played in bands with Dixon's father when Josh was still a toddler, remembers vividly the first time he saw Dixon keep a beat.

"Josh was barely able to sit on a drum stool and he was drumming," Roessingh said. "He couldn't even reach the floor, but he was keeping good time."

Dixon played his final gig on Sunday at Pagliacci's restaurant, a biweekly residency that featured him on drums alongside Roessingh and bassist Joey Smith. Roessingh was doublebooked last week and couldn't make the gig, so pianist Genge filled in on his behalf. According to numerous reports, the set was especially red-hot. "Joey said [Dixon] played his ass off," Roessingh said. "He played really, really well."

Dixon was already a veteran of the local scene when he graduated from Oak Bay High School.

Eager to pursue music full-time, he promptly moved to New York, the first of Dixon's many stints living and working abroad.

After a few years with Drabitt in New Orleans, the two were back in New York in 1997 for what became a successful fiveyear run.

Becker, already living in New York at the time, set up Dixon and Drabitt with accommodations upon their arrival. A tiny art studio housing the three friends wasn't pretty - there was no shower - but for a few months, it was home.

"For guys in their 20s, it was doable," Becker said. "But it's like that in New York. Sometimes it can be rough and tumble."

Once gigs started to happen, everyone could afford to get their own places.

Becker, Dixon and Drabbit gigged often around New York with their group, Bim Bam Baby, a seven-piece swing band whose Victoria-bred rhythm section was considered one of the best in the business.

"I realized if I could play with them, I could play with anyone, anywhere," Becker said of Drabitt and Dixon.

"Sean and Josh as a rhythm section developed something together that for me was akin to Bird and Diz [Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie]. It was a very specific sound intertwined by the same heartbeat."

Drabitt and Dixon eventually returned to Victoria for good, playing everything from a latenight Hermann's jam with Wynton Marsalis to gigs backing rising singer Emily Braden. All the while, Dixon kept teaching students.

Having been taught by his father, Dixon felt strongly about sharing his knowledge of the drums.

"Moving away and coming home, I really see a legitimate West Coast scene . a scene guys like my dad and Dave Keen and all the local guys helped develop," Dixon told the Times Colonist in 1994.

"I want to do my part to help continue building it, to give back to the community."

mdevlin@timescolonist.com