Happy Birthday Raul, Marco and Arif!

Last night I was in the midst of some of the most talented people I have been around maybe in my entire life - conversations with Peter Boyle, Mario Cantone, Raul Midon, Arif Mardin, Bill Gold, and many other talented and crusaders within the music industry. I almost fell over when I walked into Arif Mardin's home and had the pleasure of stepping into what could have been a storage place for gold and platinum records. The likes of Bette Midler's "Wind Benneth My Wings", BeBe and CeCe Winans, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Modern Jazz Quartet, Norah Jones, Gloria Gaynor, and the names could go on and on...the music I grew up on was developed in the room by the man whose home I was standing in! The legendary Arif turned 74 years young and his beautiful wife Lafife (a) was a pleasure to speak to...I also was able to meet Raul and Marco's wonderful father - a sheer delight - :) I had a blast with Kathleen, Rebecca and Patti...unfortunately I had a bad tummy problem and had to leave around ten (when the party started) to get to my bed...

Thank you Lord for blessing me with the most amazing friends and experiences.