Anything Goes

One of the gigs my dad had as a trumpet player was as lead trumpet for the 1962 off Broadway revival of Cole Porter's wonderful musical, "Anything Goes". The family legend goes that my mom took us to see the play one night. I was crazy about the music and had been listening to it constantly at home as my father prepared. I knew he was playing, even though I couldn't see him in the orchestra pit. So when the trumpet  line comes along in the beginning of "Blow, Gabriel, Blow"  and Eileen Rodgers said her lines "Do you hear that playin'? Do you know who's playin"?" Well, I knew. And I stood up and shouted out, "That's my dad!" My mother promptly clapped her hand over my mouth and sat me down, and Eileen continued with, "That's Gabriel, Gabriel playin' " and christened my dad an angel.  Forever after my mom told the story with a smile, a shake of her head and an "Oh, Lord..."

If you want to hear what I heard, go here and click on "Blow, Gabriel, Blow".

http://music.napster.com/eileen-rodgers-music/album/anything-goes/10719077#s_module=artist_albums&origin=

But really the whole darn show is pretty great, and my dad's in every bit of it. Looking around the net a bit tells me that this revival is considered the best by many fans of "Anything Goes." And if you should be needing a dose of it live after this listen, the Roundabout theatre in Manhattan is set to stage a revival this coming February. Guess who'll be taking a train to the Big Apple. :)

I love that I have had creative people in my life and that they live on though their artworks, whether as performers or craftspeople, word smiths or visual artists. They have always been sacred to me. There has hardly been anyone in my life that is not a creative. I am so thankful for all of them, and to my dad for his example of the creative life lived successfully.