As Tony Bennett once said: ''I've been very fortunate. I'm doing what I love, and I'm getting away with it, you know?'' And that I have - first as a pianist for many years, then as a successful concert agent, and now I have come full circle back to the piano. To make my living in the music business has been incredible.
Part of being a pianist involves composing, recording, and trying to get songs on playlists, radio stations, and in film and television. Pianists live and breathe for these things. And while I strive for that, I also find immense joy in something totally different.
On a given day, I like to go to a regional cancer chemotherapy waiting room and quietly play the piano there. I do not do this as a "performance" but rather a gift of healing music for those in dire straights.
The true payoff for me comes from the one or two patients or supporters who come up to me - with a weary look in their eyes - and simply say, "thank you."
There is a fundamental human connection there. I lost my sister, mother, and father to cancer. The best way I can describe this experience is - it feels like the right thing to do. And I think my family might be looking down from heaven with a smile, too!
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