This is yet another momentous baseball weekend starring the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, with confrontations scheduled to be played in the Bronx, weather permitting. Meantime, I am busy writing "Jimmy Rowles At The Opera", a lurid tale in two parts which will begin on Monday. For those who do not know the name, Jimmy Rowles was a most respected West Coast pianist who also found a home in New York City jazz clubs and recording studios in the 1970's. A true jazz "cat", Jimmy was the most unique individual I ever met. He was considered the most sensitive of accompanists, and proved his worth playing for Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald. He was also a caricaturist and fanatical lover of animals. In an airport one day, I watched him chase and verbally assault a woman because she was wearing a fox coat. He frightened her half to death, long before the inception of PETA. Jimmy would have been a Charter Member if not Honorary President.
Look for Part One of "Jimmy Rowles At The (Metropolitan) Opera" on Monday.
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