Initially, he didn’t strike me as someone who would say a word to his audience. To be honest, he looked like a curmudgeon. Scowling, no tan whatsoever. I thought: he must never get out in the summer sun, always at the piano. And there he was, dressed in a dark suit and tie on a July afternoon. A friend of his came up to him beforehand and asked if he was feeling the heat. One word: “Yes.” Well, without any introduction whatsoever, he started playing, which was wonderful enough; then he started talking. That made the day. He had story upon story, and told them all with great passion. About seeing the film “Girl Crazy” at age nine and going crazy for the Gershwins. About writing to Ira Gershwin and being answered, and writing again and being answered again, and again, and finally receiving an invitation to go see him in Los Angeles. Glazier grew up in Indianapolis. He was 12 years old when he met Ira and was invited to sit down at the piano that had once belonged to George. The young fan played “Embraceable You” and Ira sang. Magic! The show, under a tent on the back lawn of The Elms, was more magic, featuring some of the best American popular music ever written by anyone, including that number. It concluded with a classic work that rises to the level of true art, one of my favorite pieces of music ever, “Rhapsody in Blue.” p.s. The photo is small, but perhaps big enough for you to note the Martha Stewart lookalike in pink with arms crossed in the front row.
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