Well, dear readers, I’ve been in the record business for twenty-two years now, first with Bay Cities, then Varese Sarabande, then you-know-who, and now Kritzerland. And I just don’t know anything better than sitting and listening to wonderful singers do their stuff, whether I’m in the studio with them or doing a benefit with them or doing an act with them or doing our Kritzerland at the Gardenia shows. And that’s exactly what made yesterday beautiful. I just sat in a chair like so much fish and listened to five terrific singers do their stuff – Dan Callaway, Doug Carpenter, Jane Noseworthy, Dana Shaw, and Alet Taylor. For me, the pleasure of listening to these folks is akin to the pleasure I get from smelling roses, which, as you know, is almost my favorite pleasure ever. And working with people I haven’t had the pleasure of working with before is always a treat. And in the case of this show, I haven’t worked with four of the five people before. The Prime Time Musicals songs sound so good, and John Boswell is so good, and the whole thing is so good that it’s just so good it’s so good. So, good. I do think the order that I finally came up with is going to work just fine – it was a really hard one to sequence due to who is singing what and the fact that I hampered myself a little by keeping the Evening Primrose songs all together (we’re doing three of the four). But, for whatever reasons, the CD of Prime Time Musicals was always a particular favorite of mine, despite it being one of the lowest sellers, for reasons I never really understood. The songs we’re doing in the show are fantastic – gems by Cole Porter, Livingston and Evans, Styne and Comden and Green and Styne and Leo Robin, Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cahn and Van Heusen, Alec Wilder, and on and on. And this group of singers is absolute perfection with the material. So, if you’re in LA and want to have a fun evening and see great performers doing unsung but great material, come to the Gardenia, Wednesday November 3. Hope to see some of you there.
Prior to the rehearsal, the rest of the day was also very nice. I got up, had a wonderful meeting with Miss Linda Purl and Mr. Gregory Harrison and it’s full speed ahead on their show – we tossed around ideas and I think we’re all on the same page and the two of them are just great. After that, the helper came by just to pick up and drop off some stuff – she was finally able to cancel our Pitney-Bowes account, which is great. Then I had a sandwich and onion rings, and picked up no mail and no packages, including no important envelope, which will hopefully be here today. Then we had our rehearsal, and then it was time to mosey on over to the NoHo Arts Theater to see our very own Alet Taylor in a staged reading of a new musical.
Last night, I saw our very own Alet Taylor in a staged reading of a new musical – well, not really a staged reading, more of a workshop kind of staged reading, with a faux set and some faux props and people miming opening and closing doors and stuff like that. It’s really not what these things are supposed to be about, but I guess they felt it was necessary to convey the story clearly. In any case, it’s a work in progress, so I’ll just leave my comments to Miss Taylor, who is, as always, a wonder. It was great to see her motor a show – to be the lead and not a co-lead. She put forth great effort and was really terrific. The show is a little confusing at this point – you begin thinking it’s going to be another character’s story, then find out it’s Alet’s and yet another character’s story, and then you think the first character is still going to be the person who gets involved with the other character – clarifying all that will be very helpful. Alet and I went to the Eclectic Café afterwards, and I had a small Caesar and we split a chocolate toffee mousse with a LOT of whipped cream – so good. So, good. Oh, yeah, when I got to the theater a very nice lady came up to me and introduced herself – it turns out she’s a big fan of Matt Ashford and loves the DVD of Deceit (and posted a nice review on amazon or the imdb – can’t remember which) – it was very sweet of her to take the time to tell me – and she also told me she reads these here notes, so if she’s reading them now, thanks for chatting me up.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it is quite late and I quite need my beauty sleep. So, good.
Today, I’m hoping the important envelope arrives because I’m about to write an obscene number of Kritzerland checks. Other than that, I’ll ship a couple of things, and then be attending a performance of Annie, with Miss Andrea McArdle as Miss Hannigan – looking forward to it. I’m going as the date of Mr. Barry Pearl (I’ve already told him he can’t fondle or cavort with me), and we’ll be supping before the show at some fish jernt, so I’m sure after dinner I’ll be saying “What is it, fish?”
Tomorrow, I’ll be mixing or lunching with dear reader Jeanne – I’m trying to get an answer from my engineer, who has been busy and hasn’t gotten back to me yet. And then I’ll be giving out LOTS of candy – in fact, I have to go buy a few more bags so I don’t run out.
Next week is, of course, really busy, with meetings, two work sessions with Linda and Gregory, our final Gardenia rehearsal, the Gardenia show, a work session with The Singer, announcing our new CD (which I’ll announce here at midnight this very evening), and a bunch of other stuff.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, ship a couple of things, pay an obscene number of bills, hopefully pick up an important envelope, and then see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: What is your current food obsession – something you’ve been eating a lot lately. I’ll start – onion rings, bite-sized Look bars, and Bonbel mini-cheese things. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, because that would be so good. So, good.