Being on the same show with Sammy was marvelous!  I had met Sam on several occasions when I lived in Beverly Hills; we were not close friends, however when we would meet he always recognized me as I did him--if it was not a hand shake it was a bow with acknowledgement. During his visit in Japan we chatted several times and I learned quite a lot.  He was the person that I truly admired. Do I listen to jazz now? I must admit the answer is I cannot find a true radio station that plays my kind of jazz like Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Billy Eckstine, Sarah, Ella or Mel Torme.   As for Sammy, he really fascinated me with his impressions especially that of Mr. B.  Every once in awhile in my show, I do some imitations.  However, some of my audiences do not know who Mr. B is.   I met The Duke and Count Basie when I first came to America—Everyone had an agent on Broadway in NYC… if I were to call names you might think that I am braggadocio.  However, I am not.  Back in the day when I lived in New York I met the cream of the crop, the very best.   I was asked by many of them to sit in whenever I went to see them.   I remember once Slam Stewart was appearing at a nightclub in Long Island and he asked me to sit in…. I did.  I sang “It might as well be spring” whenever I would see him he would tease me about the song because I did not give him a solo, I was only there to hear him.  My favorite singers were Billy Eckstine, Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald I like scatting these three were the best.  On many occasions I was approached by some well known record company, did some recordings and never heard from them. When the music changed I made some transitions. I have been very fortunate in having been associated with some of the past musical greats; they are no longer with us.   I was young and I learned quite a lot from all of them--in a way it has helped and in another way it has not.  There is a lot of petty jealousy nowadays and back stabbing.  Night club owners do not respect musicians.  You go on a gig and they do not even have a dressing room, bad PA systems, no spotlights and no stage settings they will not even offer you a glass of water. On top of that, you are the one that has to bring the customers in and get them to spend money so that you can get paid. It is insulting what some of the musicians will get paid for one night I got more in the seventies than what they offer in 2009 I will not perform for them I treat my career as a business I do not care who like or dislike the way that I am. I am a businessman I am not in your club to make friends I am there to perform… I admire the young rappers--they are real business.  Some of the older singers and musicians, what is left of us, could learn a lot from them. There are still some very great young musicians and I truly admire them; we still need some music other than Rap. In my act now I do several things that Lionel Ritchie has written he is a true song writer, I will compare his writings to Porter, Ellington, Gershwin even Rogers & Hart his lyrics are great. He has written some very beautiful ballads--I don’t believe in doing the same old nostalgic songs over and over. I get tired of doing that. I do not carry my own musicians on tour any more.  Musicians in many countries are very good readers and are knowledgeable on The American songbook.  Sometimes I take an accompanist--many people listen to the best of all in the musical field.   That is wonderfully healthy.   I do not think that music listeners should be biased and only listen to one kind of music.   I love Jazz—however, when I worked in Vegas I learned some R&B--it was new to me. To any young person who wants to be a singer or musician it is a business; I have always treated it as a business.  I have made some friends and in some ways I have made some musical enemies.  I will not work for a nightclub owner who is disrespectful of entertainers and I will tell him or her to find someone else--I will patronize you but I will not perform for you. One thing that I am very proud of is that I have never had any problems with my voice.   I adore the vocal interpretations of Barbara Streisand--she is smooth and filled with melody. I am playing my piano more often now as I have grown a bit older. We need some more clubs, as there are many good singers and musicians who are not showing us their talents.

Background music on this page from CD
"Give Me More Than One Caress"

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