The fantastic lead singer and guitar player in our band was relocating to Atlanta. So after about 10 or so years gigging around , our Saturday night show at the Titanic Bar would be our last time together. And at around 1:45 in the morning, the set we were playing would be our last together, too.

Knowing that, I asked our front man if we could play a favorite song of mine, Too Tall To Mambo, by the great ' band The Nighthawks. We'd rehearsed it over and over but we had never yet played it in public.

“Not tonight” he said over his shoulder.

“Not tonight?” I asked, clearly frustrated. “Tonight's the last gig we're ever going to play together. If we don't play it tonight we're never going to play it.”

“I don't want to.” he said.

“Why not?” I whined.  “We practice it every time we rehearse together. We play it really well. It's a great song. Why don't you want to play it?”

“Fine” he said in a tone that made it crystal clear that it was not fine. “If you want us to play it so badly, you sing it.”

(A bit of backstory: I've played in bands for years. But I've always played wind instruments that go in my mouth. First trumpet and now . And there's a good logical reason for that. After two throat surgeries I'm not such a good singer. So while his answer: “you sing it” might sound like a gracious invitation, it was actually a bit more of a threat.)

“Fine” I echoed.

He called the song and our drummer tapped out the distinctive NOLA second line beat to get us started.

“Awwww Allen,” I croaked into the mic, “I love that crazy mambo beat you're laying down there baby. C'mon everyone, laissez les bons temps rouler!”

The band came in right on cue and we were off.

At some point I asked the band to bring the volume down so I could address the audience. I told them that our guitar player was leaving Miami and it was our last night together. I told them that this was probably the last song we were going to play together. I told them how much we appreciated them being there with us. And then I asked them the million-dollar question: 

“Who wants to be a rock star?”

The crowd roared their answer.

“You see,” I went on, “the chorus to this song is only four words. Too. Tall. To. Mambo. So after I sing ‘Too tall to Mambo,” I want you all to sing it too.

Everyone stood up and then I signaled the band to bring up the volume. We all sang the song together a few times and everyone in the crowd hooted and hollered along. It ended with us getting a huge standing ovation (yes, of course I know the audience was already standing – you're probably thinking  I did that on . I blush at the very suggestion).

Our guitar player wasn't amused. He stopped chugging his beer just long enough to let me know how he felt.

“I want to be a professional musician. I work hard on my chord voicings and my microtones and no one ever pays any attention. You can't even sing and you still had everyone up dancing and singing and they even gave us a standing ovation. It's not right.”

My late great friend Bobby Ingram (who used to play with David Crosby, Jimmy Buffet, Jose Feliciano and many more) told me that if people wanted to hear  good they'd stay home and listen to Leonard Bernstein conducting the Philharmonic perform Tchaikovsky. But when they go out to party, they want to have . They want to have a drink, they want to meet a pretty girl or a handsome guy, they want to enjoy themselves. As Bobby used to say, “If they go home and have sex then we did our job.”

Virtuosity is a talent I can admire and respect from afar yet never attain. But sometimes, being good enough is more than good enough, it's exactly what your audience wants.  

There used to be a sign hanging in the studio of my ad agency that said, “.” But every so often, great is the enemy of  good.

P.S. I've been thinking about something for quite a while and I just wanted to let you know about what I'm going to try.

I've decided to update my blog format. In a few weeks I'm going to begin offering my weekly blogs on video and text. For those who enjoy them, they'll still be available in written format you've come to love. But now, if you prefer watching videos, you'll be able to do that too.

After experimenting for a month or so, we'll see where the dust settles. I'm going to let you guide me as I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!

New year – fresh new changes.  Here's to you having your best year ever, and in every way imaginable!

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