What is the most touching
or amazing moment you’ve
experienced as an artist?
There have been times where the
truth of what the composer and
lyricist have written comes right
through me to the audience,
and I become a mere conduit a
transmitter of that message.
They get it. As such we,
audience and performer, are
both transformed from the
experience.
What other artists have been
inspirational to you and your
work?
So many there’s not just one. Nat
Cole for his warmth and timbre.
Frank Sinatra for his phrasing.
Tony Bennett for his staying
power. Ella Fitzgerald for her
virtuosity, Johnny Mathis for his
range. Mel Torme for his artistry.
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Marin Arts & Culture
How long do you want to live
and what will you have learned
when you look back on your
life?
If I can stay spiritually, mentally
and physically fit and alert,
I want to live to 100. If I get
there and feel good, I’ll apply
for an extension. I have learned
what Shakespeare said is true.
“There is a destiny which
shapes our ends rough hew
them though we may.” Howard
Thurman, a great mystic, a friend
of my father and author of more
than 20 books once told me:
“Trust life.” Good advice. Hard to
take, especially during the tough
times. As is said: “Everything
always works out in the end. If
it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the
end.”
When I look back, I will see
the hand of God gently and
not so gently leading me in the
direction I needed to go in order
to learn the lessons I needed
to learn. The lessons I learned
were for my spiritual growth and
maturation. I hope I live only
to regret the experiences from
which I did not learn.
If you could have the answer to
any question what would that
question be?
It sounds trite and clichéic but:
what is the meaning of life.
I have a friend who says its’
whatever you make it. I wonder?