Yes, I’ve been fortunate beyond my wildest dreams and am well aware that it would be churlish to ask for more. Be that as it may, I still wish that I:
• Could read and speak French fluently
• Owned a Frank Lloyd Wright-style beach house on Florida’s Sanibel Island (this one would do quite nicely)
• Could play piano half as well as Nat Cole
• Were far more patient than I am
• Would someday get the chance to work on a musical (I know, I know, be careful what you wish for!)
• Had been friends with Louis Armstrong
• Knew how to do reasonably complex home repairs
• Owned an etching by Giorgio Morandi (this is my all-time favorite)
• Could sing and/or dance
• Had met Mrs. T years and years before I finally did
* * *
Gerry Mulligan’s New Sextet plays Mulligan’s “Just Want to Sing and Dance Like Fred Astaire.” The band also includes Dave Samuels on vibraphone, Tom Fay on keyboards, Mike Santiago on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, and Bob Rosengarden on drums: