Lary Bloom
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Monday, March 06, 2006
Hearing Jack's Voice
Jack Lazare, whose rich voice I can recall much more than his appearance, died in late February. He was among the last of the traditional radio hosts. Today, they are called DJs, but he was never that. He was of the era of swing music and big bands, when hosts interviewed great performers. Indeed, on his "Milkman's Matinee" in New York, Jack welcomed Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman, among many others.The funeral was private, but his legacy is not. His wife, Marilyn, is a superb piano teacher who instills in very young people the love of music that both Lazares demonstrated. I've been to a handful of recitals of her students, and I always marvel at the way children of 6 or 8 or 10 years master and embrace melodies of long ago. This was, I presume, a great satisfaction in Jack's final days.
And, a follow-up to yesterday's Oscar entry: My selection for Best Picture turned out prescient. Crash earned it. And, well, the pimp song -- we'll be singing that for awhile at sedate dinner parties. The Oscar show itself made me cringe much less often than the norm. Creative production values and a hefty use of film clips in clever ways helped. Jon Stewart acquitted himself nicely, though he was not as political as he might have been.
Posted by:Lary Bloom at 9:08 AM
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