<div dir="ltr"><div>Happy anniversary, Al!</div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Sun, 2 Sep 2018 at 22:21, <<a href="mailto:alevy@alevy.com">alevy@alevy.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
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<div>1) Who are you?,<br>Al Levy - Age 86 </div>
<div> </div>
<div>2) Where are you?,<br>Houston Texas (really a New Yorker) </div>
<div> </div>
<div>3) Musician?, </div>
<div>I think so. I was hired by Sy Oliver in 1950. I was 18 years old.</div>
<div>I studied with and worked for Sy, Dick Jacobs and Johnny Warrington
from 1950 - 1955.</div>
<div>Got my bachelors and masters degrees from Manhattan School of Music in
1955.</div>
<div>I never had a "real" job.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I earned enough money to buy a house, couple of cars, send my kids to
college</div>
<div>by playing piano, writing arrangements, editing music and teaching.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>4) When did you join this august list?<br>I think it was 1993 or '94. It
was after I used "Finale" software. A friend had me</div>
<div>join a 78 rpm record collectors group and somebody on that list referred
me</div>
<div>to this group. The "buzz word" at that time was "okum." </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I played my last concert here in Texas a year or so ago at North Star
College.</div>
<div>While teaching at San Jacinto College (Houston) I had the good fortune
of</div>
<div>playing two concerts along with Maynard! You know - the trumpet
player.</div>
<div>---------------------</div>
<div>December 2016 - I was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer. The same as our
</div>
<div>Hawaiian senator. After being examined by the medical, surgical, radiation
and </div>
<div>chemo specialists at M.D. Anderson, I was told I had three or four months
to live. </div>
<div>"Go home, go on hospice and enjoy what you have left."</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I received a call form a doctor at Memorial Hermann (Houston Medical
Center).</div>
<div>"Come on in!" I went, what did I have to lose?</div>
<div>Doc said he had a treatment, not meant for what I had, but it wouldn't hurt
to try.</div>
<div>Okay, let's give it a shot.</div>
<div>The treatment calls for infusions every other week for a year.
</div>
<div>An M.R.I. every six weeks just to check.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Bottom line: after the first treatment, I was cured. </div>
<div>The cancer went away never to come back.</div>
<div>I had an M.R.I. two weeks ago and I am still clean.</div>
<div>I am reporting this because you might know someone with the same
problem.</div>
<div>My doctor calls me the "Poster boy" for Bristol Meyers. They manufacture
Optiva.</div>
<div>It shouldn't have worked, but it did. Feel free off list if you need more
details.</div>
<div>------------------------</div>
<div>2017 - I had my 4th bypass surgery. For some reason my right leg is</div>
<div>swollen with water. My driving days are over. (no feeling in that
leg)</div>
<div>I am getting physical therapy and I love it. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>My wife and I will celebrate our 64th wedding anniversary on Sept. 12th
this year.</div>
<div>Although I am not performing any more, (I'm not really a good pianist,
anyway),</div>
<div>I listen to music from Bach to Bartok and Bunk to Monk and beyond.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I am very, very fortunate. I grew up with the best, at the right time in
the right place.</div>
<div>I learned to appreciate performers for what they are.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>When I read the posts about "THE DUKES", I remember my first weeks with
Sy.</div>
<div>Recording dates with "Pops" (Satchmo), Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters et
al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As a young "know it all" I dug Bird, Bud, Dizzy and that crowd. To my mind
all the</div>
<div>rest was old fashioned, out of date and not worth listening to.</div>
<div>I grew up, very fast. More to come... if you want it.</div>
<div>Cheers,<br>Al<br>Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Teacher and Music
Prep.<br>Please visit me at<br><a href="http://alevy.com" target="_blank">http://alevy.com</a></div></div>
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