Marlins scored their customary two runs and lost again to Angels, 6 to2 on the road. ———————— One of my favorite entertainers, Joel Grey, just turned 90. Best known for creating the role of the Master of Ceremonies in “Cabaret”, he could do everything. A CD of his nightclub act is one of my favorites. He was great as George M. Cohan, and recently directed a production of “Fiddler”. The son of Micky Katz, he has had a very interesting life worth reading about. ———————- A few hours ago I received an email from my good friend Will Freedwald saying that my good friend Daryl Sherman put on a terrific show to a sold-out crowd at Birdland. Between Will and Daryl, I have learned a tremendous percentage of what I know about the Great American Songbook. Only Michael Feinstein might know as much as Will . Daryl is a terrific singer and pianist. For years, she packed them in at the Waldorf playing the Cole Porter piano, but I met her earlier when she was at the Palace Hotel playing for people who mostly did not pay attention. I do pay attention and called her out for taking the verse of one Cole Porter song and coupling it with the refrain of another. She said she had been doing it for years and no one ever noticed before. That, to borrow a phrase, was “the start of a beautiful friendship."
Daryl actually introduced me to Will, who was writing a widely-read column on music in the Wall Street Journal. He has written several award-winning books and, in my view, is the quintessential expert on the music of Sinatra, Bennett, and many others.
I have met many other great artists through both Daryl and Will, many at really fun lunches at Patsy's, which was Sinatra’s major hangout. Most nights when I am in New York, I go with Will to one or two cabaret shows. I ended up being Will’s lawyer. He mentions me in many of his books because sometimes I proofread the galleys and give input on some of the things he writes about, such as when he did a book about what he thought were the 78 best albums ever done. ————————— Finland and Sweden are coming into NATO, and real soon. That is very good news for us and very bad news for Russia. Biden deserves a huge amount of credit but, as usual, is unlikely to get it.
Then again, most of America does not know that the Biden Administration has added several hundred thousand jobs every month and that our unemployment record is phenomenal. That is the fault of the Administration. They just have not learned how to toot their own horn. ————————. Meanwhile, in Florida our Legislature has totally deferred to our dictatorial Governor and is letting DeSantis take total charge of redistricting. The Florida Republicans elected to represent the citizens of Florida have turned out to be total wimps. Everyone is scared to death about DeSantis except, apparently, Disney. —————— Few know and even fewer care that Sri Lanka has just defaulted on all its external debt, some $51 billion. China and Japan are the biggest creditors. India to a lesser extent. I do not know about the United States. ————————- Does anyone understand why India remains neutral with respect to the war between Russia and Ukraine? I do not. —————————- Today I am going to try to exercise, other than walking. I have three thirty minute routines that my trainer at home taped for me, but I have not felt strong enough to do them until now. ————————— Go Ukraine.
コメント