![]() I had never gotten physically strong enough, never had sufficient core strength or muscle tone to meet my full potential as a bassist, or in life in general. ![]() Maybe it originated in my lack of physical strength, and the “grampa bod” I had from my early teens. Or, maybe it was the way I was carrying myself, my physical posture, and how it affected my demeanor and the character I projected. Maybe my own judgment about what I was witnessing was reflected in my demeanor (I’ve never been good at hiding my feelings). He was prone to conspiracy-type interpretations of routine behavior and events, and tended toward borderline in his reaction patterns. At first I thought maybe it was the shaky psychological atmosphere that prompted John B’s observation – you never knew what was going to happen on Tony’s bandstand, how he would react. Tony Bennett was kind of unstable on stage, as those who have worked with him can attest. John B Williams took me aside during that 2-week run and said “you can play your instrument, and you got a great groove…all you need is confidence.” WTF? was my reaction… I had a pretty high opinion of myself, felt pretty good about the work and my playing, so I didn’t really understand what he was talking about… but, that’s how the really great lessons sneak under the radar in life (if you’re willing to consider them!). There were a lot of stories (some famous – “take all the minor chords out of the book!”) that came out of those days, but this is a personal one, about my own path. (I had played some brunches at Fat Tuesday’s with Michael, so I knew him prior to this gig.)Īlso on that gig with Tony were the late (and much-abused, but that’s another story) Ralph Sharon, and Joe LaBarbera. Back in 1983 or ’84 I was on a gig with Tony Bennett at Harrah’s in Reno, a double bill with Nancy Wilson and her wonderful band with MD Michael Wolff, John B Williams and Roy McCurdy.
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