One of the things I love about living in Los Angeles is being able to attend movie premieres. Sometimes you come across these invitations by being a fan of someone or something or, after living here awhile, you can’t help but have a friend or two who produce something and you get to see what they’ve been talking about forever! I am a huge fan of jazz – especially old school standard type musicians who start reminiscing of the Brat Pack and such. I also am a constant listener of talk radio and have favorite hosts who bring perspective to all that happens in the world.

Wednesday March fifth was the premiere of “Trying To Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon” – a biopic of the life of Jack Sheldon, one of if not THE most amazing trumpet players alive today. This movie was written, produced, and directed by Penny Peyser and her husband Doug McIntyre, who hosts my favorite morning drive talk show. They are a dynamic duo in my book – she was the “it” girl for a respectable period of time in the seventies and held the hallowed role of Barbara Kornpett, bride to be in The In Laws, one of the funniest movies ever! The premiere was hosted at the Westwood Crest, and was a veritable dream for a jazz afficionados -guys who have walked and talked music for decades, whose music is in our consciousness without us realizing it. I am so glad to know some faces behind some of my favorite old standards and who sang “Conjunction Junction“, and “I’m Just a Bill“. Particularly notable was that a large part of the footage of “telling Jack stories” was Merv Griffin, yet another giant in the Hollywood and jazz lore. Merv knew Jack well and knowing about Jack Sheldon is truly a special thing. Great flick – order the DVD for all your jazz fans.