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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">http://alevy.com</A></DIV></BODY></HTML>