Well, dear readers, here’s the big news of the day: It is October. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is October, the tenth month of the year, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that October will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. October is already flying by, like a gazelle eating a cream horn. Does anyone still eat a cream horn? What the HELL is a cream horn, anyway? Ah, a pastry in the shape of a horn with whipped cream inside. Here are some cream horns – three to be exact, or, as they are also known, The Cream Horn Trio.
Do those really look like horns? Of course, I want one right now but I wouldn’t know where to find such a thing as a cream horn, let alone The Cream Horn Trio, which was also the name of a well known jazz group led by the great Cream Horn on horn, Chocolate Elclair on bass, and on drums the amazing Berry Brioche. I especially like they’re recording, The Tenth Month. As Shakespeare once wrote, “My Kingdom for a cream horn.” But enough about cream horns, don’t I have some cream notes to write?
Yesterday was kind of a day and I kind of have no memory of most of it, other than to say I got eight hours of sleep, answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, and did some work on the computer. I had a Cobb Salad with 1000 Island dressing for lunch, then picked up one package, but was back an hour later picking up two more, one of which contained the scores for the recording we’ll be doing of And the World Goes Round. The helper came over and we did our once every nine or ten months cleaning of the garage. It’s much more organized now. Then I got everything prepped for our next release, which we may just announce a little early, like this Thursday morning, just because we have the CDs in stock and can get them shipped out.
I had a long telephonic conversation about this upcoming project that could be happening almost instantaneously and I’m still trying to get the final yes that will make me want to comfortably proceed. We’re waiting on a commitment of two people – if they do, then we move ahead right now. If they don’t, then the entire project could slide into early next year, although I know the person in charge really wants it to happen this year, for various reasons. I have been solidifying things on my end in terms of the team I’d want and that’s all going fine – but we do have to kind of say yay or nay in the next two days for this to happen when they would like it to, which is the end of the first week of November. We shall see. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched an interesting little noir on Blu and Ray entitled The Big Combo. I’ve seen it several times before and while it’s certainly not at the top of my list of great noirs, it has appealing things in it and it’s beautifully photographed by the great John Alton, and directed by the equally great Joseph H. Lewis. There’s just something about it that prevents it entering great territory, but the cast is really good – Cornell Wilde, Richard Conte (wonderful performance), Jean Wallace, Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. And there’s a really terrific score by David Raksin. The transfer on this Olive Blu and Ray isn’t much to write home about – some of it looks really good, but there’s a lot of white negative dirt, scratches, and for every really sharp and vivid scene there is an equally soft and not wonderful looking scene. However, it’s miles ahead of most of the public domain versions we’ve had, and thankfully it’s finally in its proper screen ratio rather than the Academy ratio.
After the movie, I did a three-mile jog. I then went to Gelson’s and got some light snack thingees for the rest of the evening, and I did some conceptual work on this potential project, and I also read through my commentary for next Monday’s Kritzerland show and made some little fixes to that. We also set our final cast member for the November show, the lovely and talented Kim Huber. So, our cast for the Sherman Brothers show is Brent Barrett, Kim Huber, Damon Kirsche, Jane Noseworthy and Jenna Lea Rosen, along with Sami Staitman and our guest star, Susan Egan.
Today, I shall jog, I shall eat, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, then we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal, which I’m very much looking forward to. After that, no rest for the weary – I head directly over to finalize the mix on an upcoming release.
Tomorrow, lots o’ stuff and then I’m seeing Smokey Joe’s Café at the Pasadena Playhouse. Then Thursday it’s meetings and meals, Friday is our second rehearsal, Saturday I hope will be relaxing, Sunday is our stumble-through and then Monday is sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, have a rehearsal, and finalize a mix. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite pastries? What were your favorite pastries when you were a kid? And what was the first pastry you ever remember eating? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, lulled to sleep by The Cream Horn Trio – and again, it is my fervent hope and prayer that October will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.