Happy New Year???

I hate to see a year come to an end. It means that we are that much farther away from people and places and times gone by. How can we help but feel nostalgic at a time like this....

-- I miss seeing and hearing Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City playing Auld Lang Syne at midnight on New Year's Eve.

No matter that I always felt his band was corny. I know how much my parents and their relatives and friends and their entire generation loved his music. In fact, my parents often went to hear Lombardo and his band when they appeared at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in the early 1930s while they were still dating.

-- President Gerald Ford's death caught me by surprise. I knew he was in his 90s, but I felt very sad when I heard he passed away. It was good for the nation and the world, and it was good for me, to hear all that he accomplished in his life, even during the short time he served as President. He was a good man. Not many can measure up to him.

-- I didn't shed a tear for the execution of Saddam Hussein. He was as bad as Hitler and Stalin and other tyrants over the centuries. I am only sorry that he didn't lose his life many years ago before he had the chance to kill and harm so many innocent people.

-- I remember Artie Shaw's death two years ago at the very end of December 2004, the same time the Tsunami hit Southeast Asia. Shaw led an incredibly wonderful big band in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He became disgusted with his legions of fans because they wanted him to play the same songs over and over again. Shaw was not alone in his reaction. Big band musicians have hated the music they play for many years because they play it over and over and over.... That's too bad! I never get tired of hearing it. Shaw's band was, and is, amazing! Just listen to it.... All you have to do to hear Artie Shaw right now is click the title to this entry!

-- Just before 2006 ended, I began exchanging emails with a friend from my youth, something that makes me very happy. We haven't heard from each other in years.

-- I guess it is OK to say "Happy New Year!" I certainly hope that anyone who reads this blog has a Happy New Year. And I have wished Happy New Year to some friends of mine, too.

-- In fact, now that January 1st is coming to a close, I look forward to this new year and to all that it promises.

Happy New Year!

George Spink
Los Angeles
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