Arrow Park, NY- A European style cultural retreat!

It's Murman, here, A favorite European style retreat is Arrow Park, located in Monroe, NY off of Orange Turnpike. It has been a cultural retreat for me and my family since I was 7 years old! The lake is a soft water that is astonishingly beautiful and clear. There is swimming, boating, picnicking and hiking. And if you search, you may even find some sassafras growing along the lake trail there! (It's fragrance is similar to root beer) My parents took me up there and it was the first place that I remember that had a garden complete with a fountain where accordionists gather and play Slavic melodies! On Saturday, June 12th there will be the opening banquet for their 62nd season. There will be live music of balalaika and accordion as you walk into the Main House dining room. The menu is a mix of Slavic foods that always includes great borscht! Call for reservations and meet me there and we can walk among the statues of the "four immortals,"| TARAS SHEVCHENKO | ALEXANDER PUSHKIN | WALT WHITMAN | YANKA KUPALA! For info call ahead at (845) 783-2044 (The last time I went to the waterfalls that feeds the lake, it was running loud and fast, not unlike some of my music!!!)

Music and Spring! What a Day for a Daydream.

It is March 6th and one of the finer days that I can remember this year. Talked with my longtime friend Eliot, who celebrated a birthday, a big birthday! Well, I think that every birthday after 60 is a big one. We always talk about one thing or another that opens a door to something else. One name that I brought up was George "Shadow" Morton, who I ran into at Rod McBrien's memorial service. Rod was a good singer, musician arranger and more. I worked with Rod as a musician, a singer and I also hired Rod as a singer. One time after Rod and I had worked together, he got a call from Jimmy Beaumont of The Skyliners, who needed a keyboard player for a show at The Beacon. I was enrolled and loved playing on "Since I Don't Have You." It seemed that every time I saw Rod, he had the happy look of a cat that had just swallowed a bird! (Apologies to animal lovers)

Anyway, I saw Shadow and we had worked together several years ago and had had a good rapport. I did not go on to him about how much I appreciated his work on Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly and of course, The Shangri-Las! But we talked about a Tom Pacheco song that I worked on which had 3 guitars and 3 keyboards.

Anyway, I am quitting now so I can send out a blast about my appearance at PJ Charlton this Thursday, March 11th! I will be singing and playing music from Nino Tempo to Nino Rota and Charles Strouse to Richard Strauss!

I am calling it "A Gemini Vision of a Musical Soiree" and will be joined by Jon Sholle and John Miller.
Signing out now, with peace.....