Part of my heart is still in San Francisco

Photo by Amogh Manjunath on Unsplash

It was Ramesha who read this morning that Tony Bennett had passed away at the ripe old age of 96. He told me the news and then asked who Tony Bennett was.

Of course, I immediately started singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” which meant exactly nothing to Ramesha, who was born and raised in Switzerland.

But as I sang the song — the entire thing, remembering pretty much all the lyrics — I remembered just how much I loved “the City by the Bay” for the twenty-odd years I lived there.

And even though I was never a huge Tony Bennett fan, I feel a lot of sadness on his passing. As well as a whole lot of gratitude for gifting us with this wonderfully iconic song.

Saying good-bye to David Miller

Contact photo

Day before yesterday I wrote about recording “Secrets of Love” at Crystal Hermitage, which had me thinking about David Miller.

This afternoon I was reflecting that I hadn’t been in touch with him for a while and I wondered how he was doing.

And tonight I learned that he had passed away.

David was a big part of the music of Ananda for a long time, from way before I came on the scene. He worked closely with Swami Kriyananda on arranging the music. In fact, some of our most beautiful choir songs are his arrangements.

David was a gifted pianist, a quirky jokester, and a deep devotee. He will be missed.

Go with love, dear David. 💗

My mom

As of yesterday — June 17 — it’s been twenty-seven years since my mother, Bernice Louise Stroud (Brooks), left her body. Hard to believe.

I love you, Mom. 🌹