LP Cures Another Bad Habit

I have known LP all my life. I knew him as a young child. I worked with him for 30+ years. I have breakfast with him once a week. After all of these years you wouldn't think there would be many surprises left. You'd be wrong. He can still regularly throw me a curve.

When LP first started playing the trombone he couldn't reach the long slide positions. I remember visiting their home and having his father requesting a song or two from young LP and his older sister Dolly (clarinet?) to entertain the guests. As he got older he played in bands. He knew the name of every major professional trombone player who ever lived. He particularity loved Dixieland. Eventually the trombone moved to the closet, coming out only when he had had a little to drink. Late in the evening at parties he would feel the music coming on and go home to retrieve the sliding brass beast. I think the longest was a 50 mile round trip. Now that is passion.

Last Saturday at breakfast I asked him if he had seen some music program on television. He said no, he doesn't listen to any music now, not even on the car radio! How can this be? It's like an artist deciding he's not going to paint again. Okay, maybe that's a bad example. But how can a one time musician completely divorce himself from music, giving it all up like a bad habit?  Another curve ball.