was a founding member of the “Philharmonia Virtuosi” chamber ensemble. He was rarely seen without his cigarette.
One experience I really enjoyed was playing under a wide variety of guest conductors. Some, like William Steinberg were at the very end of their careers. Others like Michael Tilson Thomas were just starting out. Actually, Thomas had already been in the public eye for a few years. Lauded as Leonard Bernstein’s protégé, he was getting a lot of media attention for his stylistic versatility on the podium. All was not easy for the wunderkind , though. He had just conducted a rehearsal of Brahms Fourth Symphony with the Philharmonic. After the rehearsal, Thomas was walking uptown on Broadway. He was wearing a blue silk Steve Rubell- type “disco” jacket and a baseball cap. Somehow, he recognized me from the rehearsal and he had a need to “vent”. He came up to me and demanded, “Why is it that these guys do not feel the beat in this music? It’s just like disco music. Obviously, they don’t go clubbing, don’t go to Studio 54, they’re not listening to Ike and Tina Turner.” He started singing and riffing on a disco melody. He continued, “ T hat’s the kind of beat that you feel deep inside your body. Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk!” he said while
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