It's Never Too Late

I was driving some of the backroads of Bucks County over the weekend, listening to The Sinatra channel on xm when on came this swingin' vocal version of "You'd Be So Nice To Come home To". I glanced down at the radio display and saw that it was Hal Linden...yes, THE Hal Lnden of Barney Miller fame. I knew he played clarinet but had no idea he was a jazz singer. He's not a crooner, he's a bona fide jazz singer in my mind. The solo section of the tune features Linden's clarinet...and he comps the clarinet solo with scat! Very hip, very cool.

So, today, I wanted to share that with my guitarist. We're riding in his car in NYC, I buy the track on itunes, I connect my iphone to the ipod cable his car is equipped with, and there we were listening to Hal Linden swingin'. Awesome. iTechnology at its best. As I write this I'm listening to the track on the train.

Linden has been around. He's 80 and has had a great career on Broadway, movies and television. I can't remember when i heard him play clarinet but I'm sure it was in a one-off feature sort of thing. The record that has this tune on it is his first and was released this year! And the title? "It's Never Too Late". What a perfect title! He's 80 and cranks out a swingin record and says "It's Never Too Late"!!

What an inspiration! It's never too late to spread your creative wings! It's never too late to try something new! It's never too late to explore new opportunities! Also, it's never too late to share a side of you that not many have seen, your passion, your artistry, ... your music.

Thanks Mr. Linden! You have given me (and countless others I'm sure) yet another answer to the question of "why do I play music?". Because it's never too late!