Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to my third Franco Alfano opera, this based on Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, a story of a nose and love and the whole damn thing. As with the other two operas of his I’ve heard, this one is lushly orchestrated, has wonderful melodic content, and given its source material it’s really surprising it isn’t performed much. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a season at the Met with some lesser known but wonderful operas? But no, we mostly get the war horses, gussied up by occasionally pretentious directors. Prior to listening, I settled on a documentary from 2019 about Herb Alpert. It was very well done, had great folks in it, and Herb himself is just such a self-effacing charmer. It was structured well, had tons of great music and interviews and historic footage, and the ONLY disappointment for me was, unless I dozed off at some point, there was not a single mention of the Baja Marimba Band or Julius Wechter – so many other A&M artists were mentioned – I understand why certain solo artists and groups weren’t (like The Sandpipers) because they weren’t big sellers – but the Baja Marimba Band were very popular back in the day and were a direct spin-off from the Tijuana Brass. Spanish Flea was played (Julius Wechter wrote it) but that was it. But it was a fine documentary and, at times, very moving. A&M was something very special and something we’ll probably never see again. Prior to that, I watched the first thirty minutes of a motion picture entitled Garbo Talks. I’d seen it once before – it means well but is not well written – scenes just start and the thirty seconds later abruptly end with not much point and no forward momentum. But Anne Bancroft is wonderful, and the supporting cast is fun. The score, well, you can’t really call it a score since it doesn’t function as film music should, is bouncy and tuneful – it’s by Cy Coleman. I’ll try to finish it at some point. Yep, saw it in 2015 and what I wrote then is basically what I just wrote here.
Yesterday was fine. I got eight hours of sleep, answered e-mails, made some book notes for a potential book, although I haven’t definitely decided on anything yet, then went to the good Studio City Gelson’s and got a couple of chicken tenders and about three ounces of mac-and-cheese. Then I went to the mail place and picked up nothing because there was nothing to pick up. Then I got a six-inch spicy Eyetalian sandwich at Subway, since what I got at Gelson’s wouldn’t even add up to 400 calories – the six-inch sandwich is rated as 450 calories. Then I came home, ate the tenders and the small bit of mac-and-cheese. Then I did a few things around the home environment, then ate the sandwich, which was very small and very good. A bit later, I ordered a piece of strawberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. It arrived. Their slices aren’t very large, so that was good. I enjoyed it very much and I don’t care who knows it. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and began my viewing. I also had a telephonic conversation and set a surprise guest for the Kritzerland show that no one will know about until that evening. The show is twelve seats away from being sold out – that hasn’t happened in quite some time.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I have a two o’clock Zoom thing with our musical director, then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll get some pasta and make Wacky Noodles unless I change my mind and get something else for food, I’ll adjust the commentary since a couple of songs have been switched up, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I don’t think there’s anything going on, so a ME day, Thursday is, of course, Thanksgiving, the day we give thanks and I think we all have SOMETHING we can be thankful for, even if other things are weighing heavily on us, and I’m having Thanksgiving dinner with Robert Yacko at a favorite restaurant at eight-thirty – a bit late but that’s the only reservation that was available. Friday will be a ME day, Saturday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal – that’s about three and a half hours, Sunday we have a single thirty-minute rehearsal at eleven, otherwise THAT will be a ME day, Monday is our second rehearsal, Wednesday is our stumble-through, and then we do the show on Thursday, I will, of course, have a full report for you. And that day will, of course, begin the final month of the year, which is completely mind-boggling.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, have a two o’clock Zoom, hopefully pick up packages, eat, adjust the commentary, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Herb Alpert recordings, and what was the first Alpert song you ever heard on the radio or TV? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have seen the Herb Alpert documentary.