Steve March Torme at the piano prior to opening night


Me, napping ON my bass case

Great first concert last night! The Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College is a first-rate venue, state of the art lighting and sound. I can only hope that all the upcoming sites will be as good. Everyone in the band was in top form, the arrangements by Marty Paich were sparkling, Steve Torme was in fine voice and told some great stories, the audience applauded and loved the show.

Today is an off day, so I’m just takin’ it easy – had breakfast with the guys and then went shopping at the MONSTROUS Covina mall! Got a new bass stool to travel with us, just the right height.

Watchin’ UCONN Husky basketball on the tube, chillin’

Um, let's see... weather yesterday was awful (really): 55 and raining. Not your typical day in LA -- today is bright sun and clear, but only 50.

We rehearsed yesterday for 12 hours, with lunch and dinner breaks! Today dress rehearsal at 1 and show at 8. The theater at Citrus College is huge and modern. Everything is very professional, just like big time show biz -- all equipment is handled by stagehands, any and all problems taken care of right away.

The music is, as I suspected, incredibly great! The musicians range in age from about 25 to, uh... my god, I think I'm the oldest one! Guess what? During rehearsals, every musician paid incredible attention to detail, i.e. not moving on until they got it JUST right. Steve Torme is a very cool guy, plays all the instruments, just like his dad, and oh, what a voice! I never heard so many one-liner jokes in such a short time -- everyone conrtributed to that and it kept spirits bright.

Surprisingly, all of the flying from CT to CA went well, with my bass, amp, suitcase and carryon in tow. The bass actually went THROUGH the scanner at the airport. And we (the stewardesses and I aboard America West) had to bump a few passengers out of their seats to fit the bass in the cabin. [Note to bassists: a bass will ONLY fit in a bulkhead seat, believe me!] Arrived at Ontario, CA, airport and Peter Dake, the company tour manager, was right there to meet me. Luggage came through unscathed. Best Western hotel is, well... OK just a typical roadside motor inn.

Anyway, first thing I did was call Frank Bennett. Lucky, he had the afternoon off so he drove down (ca. 15 min) from his beautiful home in LaVerne, and we went back there and had a nice time: dinner, chat, calling folks and playing with Finale on his computer. Geez, I talked with folks I hadn't seen in a while: Phil, Brad, Geetha and her sister Latha -- all by Internet!

Came back to hotel and simply, crashed. Am up this morning at 5 am! Don't forget, it's 8 on the East Coast. Today we will rehearse the show. Haven't heard yet but I'm assuming we'll get going from the hotel around 9 - 10 am... wow! thats a few hours from now. More later.

This morning my cat, Butterscotch, definitely got the idea that something BIGGG is up! With my suitcase open on the floor, little piles of clothes 'n things all around, many loads of laundry being done... she is lookin at me with great concern: "Ohhh, poppy, you gonna leave me? This looks like a lllooonnnggg trip! Who's gonna look after me? Who's gona be my poppy?" A minute ago she was lying ON TOP of the 2 pairs of shoes I'm taking. She knows... believe me, she knows. Anyway, only one full day left before trekking to the airport at 4 am -- with my bass, my amp (in a big rolling road case), my suitcase (sans kitty), and a carry-on. A lot of stuff to try and get aboard the flight! Many people ask me how am I going to transport my acoustic bass. Well, the production has purchased a separate seat for the bass, and it's within airline policy to allow it in the cabin, seated next to me. Damn! there goes my window view! So this morning I am doing laundry and making final financial arrangements for the payment of two months worth of bills, etc! And working on this blog. Maybe the next time you'll hear from me is in sunny, southern California on Wednesday. It's got to be a lot better than the cold, hard rain a-fallin' here!