I have long been one of those odd folks who is uncomfortable in crowded places, but put a microphone in my hand, and let me stand amid a band — big or small — and I will enjoy a crowd as big as you please. I will smile and laugh as I watch you dance. I will become one with the other instruments. I will sing to you all night.
I was born near the end of the post-World War II baby-boomer group — in the early '60s — but the music that originated at the beginning of that generation is the song list in my soul. I can stay seated through almost any kind of tune, but the first notes of a swing or big band song will yank me right out of my chair and onto the dance floor. And I remember all the words.
To tell you the truth, I have no idea how it was I "uploaded" all this old sheet music into the iTunes of my mind.
Advertisement
